Do Jews Believe in Heaven and Hell?
"Rabbi, do Jews believe in heaven and hell?" That was a question I received recently while leading a discussion for a group of Jewish teenagers. Judging by the puzzled look on everyone's faces, I figured that this would be a good time for a crash course on the Jewish believe of the Afterlife.
We covered all the light topics, like Adam and Eve, body and soul, funeral and Shivah observances, reincarnation, the light of paradise and the fire of hell.
"So, what does a person have to do to go to heaven?" was the follow-up question.
"Believe in G-d and try our best to follow the Torah as our moral guide and compass," I answered.
Silence, and then: "So, basically you are saying that I am going to hell," said more as a statement then a challenge.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I don't think I believe in G-d or in the Torah." Again, silence. Actually, this was a loud silence. The sound of silence of a room full of teenagers struggling with what they do and don't believe.
My response: "Notice you didn't say, I do not believe. Rather, you said, I do not think I believe. Because deep in the heart of every person is a kernel of belief in something bigger. We might struggle with the fermentation and the growth of the kernel, but it exists.
"You are still young. You have many wonderful and some challenging life experiences ahead of you. These experiences help shape and expand your belief in G-d," I replied.
Reviewing this conversation later in my mind, I did some thinking. Teenagers still have plenty of time to change, to strengthen and expand in their beliefs and observances, but for us adults, we're already stuck in our old ways, right?
'Tis the season to think otherwise: this is the period on the Jewish calendar where we commemorate the life and times of the great Rabbi Akiva. We celebrate his great accomplishments and we mourn the losses that he sustained at this time of the year.
Perhaps the greatest lesson from the life of Rabbi Akiva is that he was indeed a spiritual late bloomer. He was ignorant of all things Jewish until he was 40 years old. Only then did he begin a journey of belief, scholarship and discovery. He ended up becoming one of the greatest scholars of our people.
So, for all of us adults out there, stuck in our ways, remember Rabbi Akiva and his message: it's never too late to change.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Koval
