Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel

One of the fundamental differences Judaism has with classical Christianity pertains to its on the view and purpose of life. Christianity for the most part has traditionally been a very salvation oriented kind of religion. Life is of ultimate consequences, the stakes of life are very high. The Swiss theologian Hans Kung once explained why Christianity rejects a belief in reincarnation. Simply put, you get only one chance to make it to life immortal and there is only one way and one choice a person can make to be saved; Kung’s exposition is the classical formulation of the Christian doctrine of salvation as articulated by the Catholic Church.

According to a new Newsweek poll, 94% of Americans believe in the existence of God; Among the believers 3 out of 4 rate their chances as either good or excellent that they will make it to Heaven. Most believers are of the view that Heaven is like a Majestic city, adorned with gates made out of gold and pearls.

A good Christian friend of mine in Upstate New York once  told me that while he was attending a funeral for a relative of his, the minister told everyone that out there in the galaxy is a planet called Heaven! About 56% of the respondents believe that there is a place called Hell; 6% rate their chances as either good or excellent that they’re going to get there. In a similar poll conducted in a Missouri city, 85% believe that their neighbors are going to go to Hell! American psychologist William James wrote that there are not a lot of differences separating one faith from another, but the few differences that do exist are all it takes to define one faith from the other.

One of my students recently asked me, “Why are so many Jews generally unconcerned with whether there is an afterlife or not? Don’t they care what is going to happen to their souls when they die?” I answered him that in general, the Torah  doesn’t  appear to want us to preoccupy ourselves with questions pertaining to the existence of an afterlife. Perhaps the best biblical attitude can be summed up by the words, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever to observe all the words of this Torah” (Deut. 29:25).

Here is a personal caveat to illustrate. When I was a young teenager, I was once working on a mobile Sukkah with one of my late Hassidic teachers, Rabbi Avraymo Levitanski (who recently died a few years ago). It was a hot day in L.A.,  and before we knew it, a group of Christian missionaries came up to us and engaged the short and jolly rabbi in a spirited religious discussion.

The leader asked, “Rabbi, what if an atom-bomb were to destroy the city of Los Angeles, do you know where your soul would be?” The Rabbi stopped working for a minute and replied,“I don’t know and I could care less!” Puzzled and disturbed, the missionary persisted, “How could a religious man like you be so indifferent to your soul’s status in the next life?”

His answer proved to be as amusing as it was surprising. Replying in a Talmudic melody, he said, “I worry about what God wants me to do in this world. What happens to my soul in the next world is not my concern–that’s God’s problem to worry about!” I was quite impressed with my teacher’s wisdom, for it probably is a good summary of how Jews have thought about this subject for a long time. Jews generally worry about realizing God’s kingdom in this world, what will happen to us in the next world, is not something anyone can frivolously speculate about.

Over 2300 years ago, the Jewish philosopher Ben Sira urged his generation,

“The miser’s eye is rapacious for bread, but on his own table he sets it stale. My son, use freely whatever you have and enjoy it as best you can; Remember that death does not tarry, nor have you been told the grave’s appointed time. Before you die, be good to your friend, and give him a share in what you possess. Deprive not yourself of present good things, let no choice portion escape you. Will you not leave your riches to others, and your earnings to be divided by lot? Give, take, and treat yourself well, for in the nether world there are no joys to seek. All flesh grows old, like a garment; the age-old law is: All must die. As with the leaves that grow on a vigorous tree: one falls off and another sprouts– So with the generations of flesh and blood: one dies and another is born. All man’s works will perish in decay, and his handiwork will follow after him” (Ben Sira14:10-18).

While some scholars think Ben Sira denied the the existence of the Hereafter, I think he felt that rather than worrying about it, it is more important to live the moral and good life in this world–much like my teacher would later articulate over two millenia later–and let God worry about the rest. The question of the near death experience is another topic we shall examine later.