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(continued)
Talmudic and post Talmudic writings clearly mention the afterlife. The Torah makes no mention of it. (Why? And does the fact that the Torah doesn't prohibit a belief common to those times indicate anything? Read on...)
The Askmoses Answer:
While it is a noble ideal to do good for the sake of good alone, there are those who pretend that immortality of the soul is not a Jewish concern or belief. This position is difficult to support from an objective standpoint:
1. The Biblical Period: Any student of ancient history would find it preposterous to imagine that a people born out of the cradle of Mesopotamia and Egypt, living in the land of Canaan, would not be profoundly familiar with belief in survival of the soul. A rejection of this belief would have to be made at least as forcefully as pantheism, idolatry and promiscuity are proscribed in the Bible.
In fact, we see quite the contrary, that a strong conviction to this idea is repeatedly implied both in actions and in words. Abraham is told by the Lord that he will "rest with his people"--although he left them all behind when he came to Canaan. An entire chapter1 deals with his concern for Sarah's burial. Similarly, both Jacob and Joseph are concerned that they should be buried "with their fathers."2
One must ask, if the afterlife is of no concern, why trouble your children with matters of burial to such an extreme? Rather, it makes more sense to say that the Bible does not discuss these matters in detail simply because it is not necessary to teach that which is common knowledge. Additionally, the Bible is not a book of esoteric knowledge, it is a revolutionary document that serves as an eternal "everyman's guide" for everyday life, here and now. As for the details of the afterlife, esoteric Jewish tradition was generally transmitted not in written, but in oral form.
2. The Talmudic period: The Mishnah and Talmud are a pool of Jewish legalities, ritual and common belief from a period of about 800 years, from the times of the Second Commonwealth until the fall of the Roman Empire. It has been the basis of Jewish practice and law ever since.
It is replete3 with reference to judgement and reward in the afterlife, with even a few stories about those who went there and came back to tell us about it. The Talmud insists that a convert be warned that most of reward and punishment will not be in this world, lest he be quickly disillusioned.
3. Judaism of the Diaspora: Mainstream Judaism universally embraced Maimonides' 13 Fundamentals of the Faith, which most European liturgies include as part of the daily service. Consider these two:
"I believe with perfect faith that G-d rewards those who keep His commandments, and punishes those who transgress Him."
"I believe with perfect faith that the dead will be brought back to life when G-d wills it to happen."
A superficial glance through the standard liturgy is enough to assure us that the afterlife, the world to come and the eventual resurrection are pervasive concepts of the Jewish psyche. Furthermore, many of the highly popular and universally respected works of classic Jewish philosophers and mystics discuss the journey of the soul after its separation from the body in great detail.4
4. The Theological Argument: As stated, Jewish theologians have always considered good actions with no ulterior motives a noble virtue to strive towards.5 Nevertheless, confidence that our G-d is one who rewards those who do His will is a crucial element. What would you think of an employer who demands you do his work under extremely challenging circumstances, while informing you not to expect any reward? Could our people have survived the tribulations and overwhelming challenges of our 2,000 year exile with such an attitude?
It has always been the faith of our grandparents and great-grandparents through all their travails, that each of our good deeds has an everlasting effect on our souls and on the world, that our ancestors are up there in Gan Eden helping us out, and that one time we will all reap the fruits of our labors. Those beliefs stand at the rock-bottom of the Jewish soul.
Footnotes
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Life Cycle » Death » Afterlife
