December 9, 2008

Step into the light

What does Judaism have to say about the afterlife?
By Neal Schindler

I do not believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.

Woody Allen

In his 1991 film Defending Your Life, Jewish writer-director Albert Brooks
imagines an afterlife that bears a number of similarities to life as we know
it. Called Judgment City, its a place where the recently deceased must
demonstrate how they overcame their fears and made the most of their
lives. If theyre unable to do so, they have to return to earth and try again.
Oh, and one more thing: In Judgment City, you can eat all the Fettuccini
Alfredo you want without gaining a pound.

Except for the part about the pasta, this vision of the world to come doesnt
differ too much from what Rabbi Berry Farkash recently described at a talk
in Issaquah. He discussed a heavenly court wherein the souls of those you
knew on Earth will greet you, and where a movie of your life will play.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will sit in judgment, and you must yes,
indeed defend your life. If you befriended any tzadikim (righteous
people) while on Earth, theyll advocate on your behalf. Just something to
keep in mind at your next cocktail party.

The fact that the afterlife isnt emphasized in Judaism as much as in other
faiths, like Christianity and Islam, doesnt mean there arent plenty of ideas
circulating about what its like. I spoke with several rabbis on this topic, and
two of them mentioned Neil Gillman, the author of The Death of Death:
Resurrection and Immortality in Jewish Thought. In the book, Gillman
makes it clear that while the average Jew may not spend much time
contemplating eschatology (the aspect of theology concerned with the
world to come), Judaism has by no means ignored it.

Eschatology is central to the Jewish religious myth, Gillman writes. And

central to Jewish eschatology is the doctrine of an afterlife for each Jew.

He adds that the resurrection of the dead at the end of days commonly
thought to be the time following the Messiahs arrival is also a key aspect
of Jewish belief in Olam Haba, the world to come.

If, as Gillman states, theres Jewish doctrine regarding the afterlife, why
do many Jews feel less certain about it than, say, Sarah Palin? One reason is
that Judaism manages a balancing act that eludes many other religions: It
acknowledges the possibility of an afterlife without dwelling on it. As a
general rule, Judaism is more focused on actions than beliefs, which
squares with the faiths emphasis on fulfilling as many of the 613
commandments as possible, not to access a glorious afterlife, but simply
because thats the duty God has charged us with. Since the Torah and the
Talmud concentrate on earthly life, theres no official view of the afterlife in
Judaism, meaning that theres room for discussion, interpretation, and
personal opinion.

While Judaism isnt dogmatic about the world to come, widespread belief
within the faith has swung back and forth over the millennia. In modern
times, the pendulum is fairly close to where it started: A place of de-
emphasis and, in many cases, relative indifference. Rabbi Daniel Septimus
of Temple De Hirsch Sinai recently led a discussion on the afterlife as part
of the synagogues Torah n Tonics series for young adults. Septimus says
the topic is something that many Jews dont feel comfortable talking
about, especially when confronted by members of other faiths. He added
that Jews in biblical times didnt believe in an immortal soul that was
separate from the body.

In The Death of Death, Gillman notes: Almost throughout, the Bible views
death as absolutely final. There are only three exceptions, and at least one
of them the episode of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37:11-12) can be viewed,
according to Gillman, as a metaphor for the national regeneration of
Israel following the destruction of the First Temple. Septimus says it was
during the Second Temple period when Rabbinic Judaism, influenced by
Greek philosophy, began to posit an afterlife.

This shift in thinking hardly resolved the issue, however. The famed
medieval sage Maimonides was uncomfortable discussing the world to
come; consequently, he developed a naturalistic interpretation of the
Messianic age. Rather than suggesting that the dead will be resurrected,
Maimonides described a more realistic scenario: [T]he Jews will regain
their independence and all return to the land of Israel. The Messiah will be
a very great king. His great righteousness and the wonders that he will
bring about will cause all peoples to make peace with him and all lands to
serve him. Nothing will change in the Messianic age, however, except that
Jews will regain their independence.

Maimonides decision to interpret even the words of biblical prophets like

Isaiah as allegory, only to be fully understood once the Messianic age is
upon us, proved highly influential. When I spoke to Jason Miller, the rabbi
of Congregation Tchiyah, my childhood shul in Detroit, he remarked that
while Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism have changed liturgical
language related to the resurrection of the dead, Conservative Jewish
thought, in which he was trained, retains the original text but allows for a
metaphorical interpretation. Its usually in Orthodox circles that concepts
like resurrection are taken most literally, and the afterlife receives the most
emphasis but even there, in true Jewish fashion, there isnt a monolithic
way of thinking on the subject.

Whats an anxious Jew to do in the face of such epic uncertainty? While our
sages and rabbis will surely continue to discuss the issue for millennia to
come, our comedians seem to offer us the greatest comfort. So pack some
clean underwear, rehearse your argument for the heavenly court, and hope
for the best.

[This story can also be viewed online at http://jew-

ish.com/index.php?/jewish_story/story_entry/step_into_th
e_light.]