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Jews and Non-Jews in afterlife

atpollard

Active Member
I'll tell you once I've been there.

Also you shouldn't take non-Jews as Polytheists. There is a difference.
Servant_of_the_One1 suggested that Judaism taught that everyone went to the same place after death.
rosends responded with a brief "no".
(Just clarifying that "I" didn't lump all non-Jews into polytheists ... I was just stuck with the quote that I had.)

I simply wondered what Judaism does say, and preferred to hear it from 'the horses mouth', so to speak, rather than general opinion from the board as a whole.
If the G_d of the Torah is the G_d of the Bible, then I'll find out for myself when I get there.

Which reminds me of a joke:
A man arrives in heaven and is taking a tour.
As they approach one particular door, the guide signals quiet and they tiptoe past.
"What was that all about?" the man finally asks.
The guide responds "That room is full of [insert denomination], and they think that they are the only ones here. We just don't want to hurt their feelings."
 

rosends

Well-Known Member
From another (less interesting) topic:



If a "Jew" and "Polytheist" will NOT end up "sipping Tea in the same (eternal) place", then:

Where according to Judaism do Jews go after death?
Where according to Judaism do Non-Jews go after death?

thanks.
The issue of the post death experience is discussed in Judaic literature extensively. In a nutshell (and as a gross oversimplification), Jews are broken into 3 groups -- absolute good, absolute evil and middling. Absolute evil goes to a place of some sort of punishment, absolute good goes right to heaven. Most Jews are middling to varying degrees. There is a time of "reeducation" while the soul is kept away from god's presence. After that time (under a year, and based on the balance of good/bad in the soul) the soul goes into god's presence.

Non-Jews are expected to abide by the 7 Noachide laws. Polytheism goes against that. Non-Jews who follow the seven laws go to god's presence (pretty much same as Jews who follow the 613 laws). Those who don't are deprived of god's presence.
 

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
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atpollard

Active Member
The issue of the post death experience is discussed in Judaic literature extensively. In a nutshell (and as a gross oversimplification), Jews are broken into 3 groups -- absolute good, absolute evil and middling. Absolute evil goes to a place of some sort of punishment, absolute good goes right to heaven. Most Jews are middling to varying degrees. There is a time of "reeducation" while the soul is kept away from god's presence. After that time (under a year, and based on the balance of good/bad in the soul) the soul goes into god's presence.

Non-Jews are expected to abide by the 7 Noachide laws. Polytheism goes against that. Non-Jews who follow the seven laws go to god's presence (pretty much same as Jews who follow the 613 laws). Those who don't are deprived of god's presence.
Thanks.
A very pragmatic approach. (I especially like the idea that if everybody is descended from Noah, then everyone is responsible to obey what G_d told Noah).
 

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
A great many of us Jews see the issue of an "afterlife" being more of a question than an answer. As for me, I'll take the position of "I don't know".
 
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