The creation of man testifies
to the eternal life of the soul. The Torah says, "And the Almighty formed
the man of dust from the ground, and He blew into his nostrils the SOUL of life"
(Genesis 2:7). On this verse, the Zohar states that "one who blows, blows
from within himself," indicating that the soul is actually part of God's
essence. Since God's essence is completely spiritual and non-physical, it is impossible
that the soul should die. (The commentator Chizkuni says this why the verse calls
it "soul of LIFE.")
That's what King Solomon meant when he wrote,
"The dust will return to the ground as it was, and the spirit will return
to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:17)
For anyone who believes in
a just and caring God, the existence of an afterlife makes logical sense. Could
it be this world is just a playground without consequences? Did Hitler get away
with killing 6,000,000 Jews? No. There is obviously a place where good people
receive reward and bad people get punished. (see Maimonides' 13 Principles of
Faith)
The question of "why do bad things happen to good people"
has a lot to do with how we look at existence. The way we usually perceive things
is like this: A "good life" means that I make a comfortable living,
I enjoy good health, and then I die peacefully at age 80. That's a good life.
Anything else is "bad."
In a limited sense, that's true. But if
we have a soul and there is such a thing as eternity, then that changes the picture
entirely. Eighty years in the face of eternity is not such a big deal.
From
Judaism's perspective, our eternal soul is as real as our thumb. This is the world
of doing, and the "world to come" is where we experience the eternal
reality of whatever we've become. Do you think after being responsible for the
torture and deaths of millions of people, that Hitler could really "end it
all" by just swallowing some poison? No. Ultimate justice is found in another
dimension.
But the concept goes much deeper. From an eternal view,
if the ultimate pleasure we're going after is transcendence - the eternal relationship
with the Almighty Himself, then who would be luckier: Someone who lives an easy
life with little connection to God, or someone who is born handicapped, and despite
the challenges, develops a connection with God. Who would be "luckier"
in terms of eternal existence? All I'm trying to point out is that the rules of
life start to look different from the point of view of eternity, as opposed to
just the 70 or 80 years we have on earth.
So what is the afterlife exactly?
When
a person dies and goes to heaven, the judgment is not arbitrary and externally
imposed. Rather, the soul is shown two videotapes. The first video is called "This
is Your Life!" Every decision and every thought, all the good deeds, and
the embarrassing things a person did in private is all replayed without any embellishments.
It's fully bared for all to see. That's why the next world is called Olam HaEmet
- "the World of Truth," because there we clearly recognize our personal
strengths and shortcomings, and the true purpose of life. In short, Hell is not
the Devil with a pitchfork stoking the fires.
The second video depicts how
a person's life "could have been..." if the right choices had been made,
if the opportunities were seized, if the potential was actualized. This video
- the pain of squandered potential - is much more difficult to bear. But at the
same time it purifies the soul as well. The pain creates regret which removes
the barriers and enables the soul to completely connect to God.
Not all
souls merit Gehenom. It is for people who have done good but need to be purified.
A handful of people are too evil for Gehenom, and they are punished eternally.
Pharaoh is one example.
So what about "heaven?"
Heaven is
where the soul experiences the greatest possible pleasure - the feeling of closeness
to God. Of course not all souls experience that to the same degree. It's like
going to a symphony concert. Some tickets are front-row center; others are back
in the bleachers. Where your seat is located is based on the merit of your good
deeds - e.g. giving charity, caring for others, prayer.
A second factor
in heaven is your understanding of the environment. Just like at the concert,
a person can have great seats but no appreciation of what's going on. If a person
spends their lifetime elevating the soul and becoming sensitive to spiritual realities
(through Torah study), then that will translate into unimaginable pleasure in
heaven. On the other hand, if life was all about pizza and football, well, that
can get pretty boring for eternity.
The existence of the afterlife is not
stated explicitly in the Torah itself, because as human beings we have to focus
on our task in this world. Though awareness of an eternal reward can also be an
effective motivator.
For further study, see Maimonides' Foundations of the
Torah, "The Way of God" by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto, and the commentary
of Nachmanides to Leviticus 18:29.
May the Almighty grant you blessings,
success - and eternal life!
Sources:
* Zohar, Mishpatim, Exodus
1:1
* AriZal - Sha'ar Hagilgulim
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