What were the views of the Jewish teachers on the "after-life" prior to the incarnation? It seems to me that very little is ...

Submitted by messianicrabbi on Sat, 09/05/2009 - 15:02

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BOB DOTY answers

Belief in the immortality of the soul, life after death (Olam haBa), and reward and punishment in the after life have pretty well always been part of the Jewish beliefs. The book of Job is one source in the Old Testament. Some extra-Biblical writings such as the Book of Enoch also talk about this. You also have to remember that Semitic languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, etc.) try to present word pictures in their conversations. When Yeshua mentioned the Valley of Gehinnom He was using it as a word picture to demonstrate a point that He was trying to make.

RABBI JOSEPH KRESEFSKY answers

because Judaism is primarily focused on life here and now rather than on the afterlife, Judaism does not have much dogma about the afterlife, and leaves a great deal of room for personal opinion. The Torah indicates in several places that the righteous will be reunited with their loved ones after death, while the wicked will be excluded from this reunion. The Torah speaks of several noteworthy people being "gathered to their people." See, for example, Gen. 25:8 (Abraham), 25:17 (Ishmael), 35:29 (Isaac), 49:33 (Jacob), Deut. 32:50 (Moses and Aaron) II Kings 22:20 (King Josiah). This gathering is described as a separate event from the physical death of the body or the burial.

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