What do the Jews believe about the afterlife?
The Jewish beliefs about the afterlife involve two ideas: (1) that people are rewarded or punished as soon as they die (or perhaps a year later; see Shab.152b); (2) that when this world comes to an end, everyone who ever lived will be physically resurrected and will then be rewarded or punished. The resurrection of the dead is a key Jewish belief; see Daniel 12:2, Isaiah 26:9 and Ezekiel Ch.37. Maimonides lists belief in the resurrection as the last of his 13 principles of the Jewish faith.
