Dispelling some misconceptions...

About heaven and hell...



With regularity, I'm told (by Jews) that there is no Hell in Judaism.

But I find this confusing, as Judaism has certainly got some angels and devils... and there's the whole Kaddish thing...

So today, I asked my boss about heaven and hell. And while he couldn't answer all my questions (email from wise rabbi still pending, which should fill in the blanks)he was able to tell me some things:

1. Judaism does have a heaven, a hell, and a purgatory.

2. Most of us (maybe all of us) go to purgatory for up to a year, where we hang out until we've made up for the missed mitzvot.

3. Our immediate family members spend that year (11 months actually) reciting Kaddish for us, to help us get to heaven... in lieu of the missed mitzvot.

4. People of other faiths go to heaven and aren't responsible for mitzvot.

5. Heaven and hell aside, we're all required to perform mitzvot. Repairing the world isn't an option.

6. The world is not an entryway to heaven. It's as important as the afterlife.

7. The messiah won't mean the world is ending.


(More to come once I hear from the rabbi!)