Well, basically, I was reading an Encyclopedia. I think it was World Book 1984 Edition. Well, so anyways, I was looking and I saw this article, which was about the Afterlife, Juadism, Religion, or something lol. So I read the article and I saw something interesting: while most Jews don't believe in an afterlife, there's a sect of Jews or something lol that do. They believe that Jew's go to some place called Sheol or whatever where it's dark and unhappy and whatever. Sort of reminds me of some Greek underworld thing. Does anyone know anything about this? kthxbi!

Any Jews in the house?

quote:Sheol is the Hebrew language word denoting the "abode of the dead"; the "underworld", "grave" or "pit". In the Hebrew Bible it is portrayed as a comfortless place beneath the earth, beyond gates, where both the bad and the good, slave and king, pious and wicked must go after death to sleep in silence and oblivion in the dust.

In some sources, for example in Deuteronomy 32:22, Sheol seems to be synonymous with the "depths of the earth". Sheol is sometimes compared to the gloomy, twilight afterlife of Hades or Tartarus from Greek mythology. Sheol is the common destination of both the righteous and the unrighteous dead; the righteous Job sees it as his destination (Job 3). In the Book of Job, while Satan is portrayed as tormenting and testing the living, he does not appear to have any particular presidency over Sheol, or to dwell in Sheol.

Indeed, Sheol in many cases does not seem to be an afterlife destination or a location at all, but merely "the grave". In Ecclesiastes, for example, it is stated that "...the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten." and "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave [Sheol], where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." (Ecc. 9:5-10, NIV)

Jacob, not comforted at the reported death of Joseph, exclaims: "I shall go down to my son a mourner unto Sheol" (Genesis 37:35). Sheol may be personified: Sheol is never satiated (Proverbs 30:20); she "makes wide her soul," (Isaiah 5:14).

Psalm 18:

5 The breakers of death surged round about me; the menacing floods terrified me. 6 The cords of Sheol tightened; the snares of death lay in wait for me. 7 In my distress I called out: LORD! I cried out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry to him reached his ears.

Psalm 86:13: "Your love for me is great; you have rescued me from the depths of Sheol."

The Hebrew concept is paralleled in the Sumerian Netherworld to which Inanna descends. See also Ereshkigal..

The English word hell comes from Germanic mythology, now used in the Judeo-Christian sense to translate the Hebrew word "Gehinnom," which was a valley outside Jerusalem used for burning refuse (basically a landfill), and the Greek Hades and Tartarus.

The New Testament seems to draw a distinction between Sheol and "Gehinnom", or Gehenna (Jahannam in Islam). The most "hellish" notion in Jewish tradition is the Biblical word Gehinnom, later interpreted to refer to a place of condemnation. But the source of the word is most interesting. Gei Hinnom was the valley of Hinnom (Joshua 15:8, 18:16; II Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31; Nehemiah 11:30), a place where children were sacrificed to the Canaanite god Moloch. In Islam, this same word became Jahannam, an Islamic term for Hell.

The prominent Biblical scholar William Foxwell Albright points out that the Hebrew root for SHE'OL is SHA'AL, which normally means "to ask, to interrogate, to question." Sheol therefore should mean "asking, interrogation, questioning." John Tvedtnes, also a Biblical scholar, connects this with the common theme in near-death experiences of the interrogation of the soul after crossing the Tunnel.

[This message has been edited by Paradise Lost (edited 11-20-2005).]

Like most things in Judaism, it depends on the Jew. Some Jews believe in the Zoroastrian Heaven and Hell ideal, others believe solely in Heaven, some dont believe in an afterlife and still others believe in reincarnation. There is not really an official Jewish book of Dogma somewhere. Lots of things are left up to the individual.

^Um, what about the Torah and the Old Testament, supposedly the revealed word of God? That would seem fairly official to me.

It's very complicated, but most Jews (as a generality) believe Heaven and Hell as states of existance, not so much places. That when you die you review your entire life and now that you are standing outside your life, it's easier to make a fair judgement on it. You then create your own Heaven or Hell deciding on what lessons you need to work through still.

Cheers,

Lost

"^Um, what about the Torah and the Old Testament, supposedly the revealed word of God? That would seem fairly official to me."

The Torah is part of the 'old testament'(called the Tanakh by Jews), it is not Dogma though.

quote:dog·ma Audio pronunciation of "dogma" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (dôgm, dg-)

n. pl. dog·mas or dog·ma·ta (-m-t)

1. A doctrine or a corpus of doctrines relating to matters such as morality and faith, set forth in an authoritative manner by a church.

2. An authoritative principle, belief, or statement of ideas or opinion, especially one considered to be absolutely true. See Synonyms at doctrine.



The Tanakh was not issued by a church, nor is it considered to be absolutely true. It is a colection of stories and works compiled by inspired MEN, not G-d. Some of it is literal, some of it is figurative. Hence the splits in Judaism.

The Tanakh is not Dogma, closest thing to it would be the Talmud, but this is simply commentary on the Tanakh, trying to consider every possibility and the Tanakh's answer to it. However, it has never tried to be nor considered absolutive. No (credible) Jew has ever said "You need to do it this way, or youre not really Jewish" Unlike the Dogma of the Catholic Church. There are many Jews that do not keep Kosher, they are considered Jewish, there are many Jews that do not believe in God, they are Jewish.

So, no The Jews do not have a Dogma.

I knew it!