NationStates Jolt Archive

I'm debating someone about this and I just want to get some facts strait about modern/historical Judaism:

Do Jews beleive in Heaven or Hell? If its limited to certain groups/times, which?

Same question about Satan.

The issue of afterlife is rather foggy. It isn't a well-defined ultimatum as it is in christianity. Beliefs in paradise and such are more grounded in folkish tradition and stories.

I don't know much about it, but in ten years of hebrew school, we were never taught much about it, so I think the issue is a) not agreed upon and b) not that important.

Juadaism has always focused on peoples actions in this life, and how they effect the individual's relationship with god, but more importantly, with those around them.

I'm debating someone about this and I just want to get some facts strait about modern/historical Judaism:

Do Jews beleive in Heaven or Hell? If its limited to certain groups/times, which?

Same question about Satan.



From this little Christian's best knowledge: Sheol and Paradise.

There is a heaven. There is no hell. Evil souls or those that do not go to heaven are erased forever, simple as that. No torture of eternal fires here. THere is no Satan, but there is Samael, who is the angel of death, kind of plays the same role.

There is a heaven. There is no hell. Evil souls or those that do not go to heaven are erased forever, simple as that. No torture of eternal fires here. THere is no Satan, but there is Samael, who is the angel of death, kind of plays the same role.
I don't think its this straightforward.

There is a heaven. There is no hell. Evil souls or those that do not go to heaven are erased forever, simple as that. No torture of eternal fires here. THere is no Satan, but there is Samael, who is the angel of death, kind of plays the same role.



I'm not Jewish, but I'm pretty certain they have a concept of Satan:

1 Chronicles 21:1

Job 1:6

Zechariah 3:1

I don't think its this straightforward.

No it really is.

Good souls go to heaven, God's domain- rejoin the source, etc.
The uncertainty you may be thinking about is our arrival at heaven. Some Jews believe that our souls are in stasis until the Messiah comes, whereupon we all enter heaven, or we go there right after death.

Bad souls are erased permanently from existence and it can never be undone.

Satan in Christianity is a personified evil inclination, which is its own evil in Judaism, so there is no seduction taking place between supernatural forces. The evil inclination is something God planted within us. It's called the yetzer hara.

No it really is.

Good souls go to heaven, God's domain- rejoin the source, etc.
The uncertainty you may be thinking about is our arrival at heaven. Some Jews believe that our souls are in stasis until the Messiah comes, whereupon we all enter heaven, or we go there right after death.

Bad souls are erased permanently from existence and it can never be undone.

Satan in Christianity is a personified evil inclination, which is its own evil in Judaism, so there is no seduction taking place between supernatural forces. The evil inclination is something God planted within us. It's called the yetzer hara.This sounds like something you were told to memorize in grade five. The point I was making is that in Judaism, there is no solid biblical teaching about afterlife, and that beliefs to that effect are largely midrashic and rabbinic. The emphasis is not on the afterlife, but on this life; there isn't an iminent sense of threat from damnation as there seems to be in Christianity.
Eso, I'm curious to know where you have gathered your view.

This sounds like something you were told to memorize in grade five. The point I was making is that in Judaism, there is no solid biblical teaching about afterlife, and that beliefs to that effect are largely midrashic and rabbinic. The emphasis is not on the afterlife, but on this life; there isn't an iminent sense of threat from damnation as there seems to be in Christianity.
Eso, I'm curious to know where you have gathered your view.



The Psalms of David give us some nice insight into the question of the afterlife with Jews. He constantly mentions Sheol.

Damn, I'm Jewish, but everyone knows more than me. I wasn't raised religiously, hardly ever saw the inside of a synagogue. I don't know if the concept of Heaven and Hell is something I picked up from being exposed to Christianity or if it's not.

I have been known to dabble in Qabbalah. That's where the ideas about heaven and hell and clearly conveyed.

The Satan thing is from simple Judaism in itself. NEver have to go past Genesis.

Back in my high-school we had a comparative religion class instead of the bible class that most Israeli teenagers have to go through during most of their time in school.

We studied the subject of hell/heaven and Satan for some time, and I can give you the basics. Of course, my memory might be a bit faulty and what I know is an interpretation. But it might give you some insights.

In original Judaism, there is no concept of Heaven or Hell, nor is there Satan of any kind. Heaven and Hell do not appear in the bible in the context we now know them. For instance, the word for Garden of Eden is also the word for Paraside in Hebrew, but the original context in the bible isn't the same.

Satan doesn't originally exist aswell. When mentioned in early books of the bible, the word actually means obstacle or impediment.

However - following the conquering of Judea by the Babylonians/Persians, the Jews were intorduced to Zarathustrian (sp?) ideas, which are quite dualist, and include the concepts of heaven and hell. From there on, Heaven and Hell (And even Sata, to a lesser degrtee) do appear in Jewish folklore. Then again, a lot of strange things appear in Jewish folklore. :)

Satan in the Bok of Job always amused me. He's really egged on by God all the time. :)

Anyway, I hope that made some sense. (Woke up only some time ago, and still groggy.)

Back in my high-school we had a comparative religion class instead of the bible class that most Israeli teenagers have to go through during most of their time in school.

We studied the subject of hell/heaven and Satan for some time, and I can give you the basics. Of course, my memory might be a bit faulty and what I know is an interpretation. But it might give you some insights.

In original Judaism, there is no concept of Heaven or Hell, nor is there Satan of any kind. Heaven and Hell do not appear in the bible in the context we now know them. For instance, the word for Garden of Eden is also the word for Paraside in Hebrew, but the original context in the bible isn't the same.

Satan doesn't originally exist aswell. When mentioned in early books of the bible, the word actually means obstacle or impediment.

However - following the conquering of Judea by the Babylonians/Persians, the Jews were intorduced to Zarathustrian (sp?) ideas, which are quite dualist, and include the concepts of heaven and hell. From there on, Heaven and Hell (And even Sata, to a lesser degrtee) do appear in Jewish folklore. Then again, a lot of strange things appear in Jewish folklore. :)

Satan in the Bok of Job always amused me. He's really egged on by God all the time. :)

Anyway, I hope that made some sense. (Woke up only some time ago, and still groggy.)

I'm not sure about Zoroastrian influence in Judaism... seems a far stretch. Jewish mysticism has dealt with afterlife concepts since the beginning of the religion, starting with the Book of Concealed Mystery, supposedly written by Abraham.

I guess when we use heaven and hell we do so with a christian connotation that equates to polarities between good and evil. Heaven is FOR the good, but it is simply the world as it would be if everyone followed all of God's laws, whereas hell is nonexistence.

Judaism, just as every ancient religion from antiquity has divided man into body, soul, and spirit.

The Torah is the law, for the body.
The Mishna is the soul of the law, for elevating man to develop his divine spark.
The Qabbalah is the soul of the soul of the law, concerning metaphysics and the planes of existence- the unity of spirit between the creative force, or God, the zodiac and the universe that man is and is within man.

I'm not sure about Zoroastrian influence in Judaism... seems a far stretch. Jewish mysticism has dealt with afterlife concepts since the beginning of the religion, starting with the Book of Concealed Mystery, supposedly written by Abraham.


While I'm not sure about afterlife stuff, the concept of Satan in Judaism does date back to the captivity, far as I know.

I'm debating someone about this and I just want to get some facts strait about modern/historical Judaism:

Do Jews beleive in Heaven or Hell? If its limited to certain groups/times, which?

Same question about Satan.

No Jew believes in heaven, hell or satan. I cannot say this enough times. If their is a Jew out there that says they believe in heaven, hell or satan, then they obviously aren't Jews.

Do Jews beleive in Heaven or Hell? If its limited to certain groups/times, which?

Same question about Satan.

My thoughts on the actual topic:

I was taught that Heaven and Hell were ill defined, we will only know the truth of things in the days of the Messiah, until such a potential time the dead will cease to exist at least according to our understanding.

Satan as a concept is seen in the Torah. IIRC the story of Job happens because God is using Job's humility to enlighten Satan... juding by what happened in the sequel it didn't work! :eek:

I heard that Satan was originally more of an enemy of humanity who wasn't really the opposite of God, but more of a critic of humanity while God favored us and his job was to test humanity to see if we were worthy.

I have been known to dabble in Qabbalah. That's where the ideas about heaven and hell and clearly conveyed.

The Satan thing is from simple Judaism in itself. NEver have to go past Genesis.
You are the only person here to claim clear notions of heaven hell and satan in judaism. Kabballa isn't mainstream Judaism, but rather a later mystical study. So things from the zohar do not really qualify.

Anyway I think Alizarin has got it about right.

I'm not Jewish, but I'm pretty certain they have a concept of Satan:

1 Chronicles 21:1

Job 1:6

Zechariah 3:1
the jewish concept of satan changed over the bible, but he mostly the evil in every man, or angel who try to test the human believing of god (as in Job, he reduce from the greatness of Job believing). this two are pretty same.

maybe I didn't understand it right, but that the way I learned it.

It's really not defined as a whole by the religon. Satan does exist in the tanach but not as a force on the level of god like in Christianity but rather an annoyance who can't do significant damage. The Jewish view of afterlife that sounds best to me is everyone goes to hell for sometime. In hell they are forced to see what could have happened if every time they didn't do good they did do good. When they are done they fell regretfull and that allows them to go to heaven. Of course the really bad just get blasted out of existence.

I hate it when people ask me (and Jews as a whole) questions like this. I mean, do you guys realize that the old testament is our bible? Christian beliefs are based on Jewish beliefs! Just so you know.