What Happens When We Die According to Judaism

There is no greater unknown in this world than what happens after a person dies. Throughout our lives we are told that there is a world to come, olam haba, which consists of Gan Eden and Gehenom. Olam Haba is greater than any reward in the physical world, and Gehenom is worse than any pain in the physical world. No human has been able to come back from the dead and confirm this for mankind, but we do have strong evidence that supports the idea that there is an after-life filled with reward and punishment. The books of Judaism are largely focused on being a good Jew in this life, and scarcely on the afterlife. Since the Torah does not focus a great deal on the afterlife, we have a limited source of knowledge on the topic. The answers to the question for what happens after we die are mainly derived from pesukim throughout Tanach.

Before one can begin to discuss what olam haba is, one would first need to understand what happens immediately after a person dies according to Judaism. Once a person is declared dead, there are three rituals that must be done to them. The person must undergo tahara, be dressed in tachrichim, and placed in an aron. It is required for the deceased to become tahor, or pure. The “tahara” process is a key element to performing a proper Jewish burial. The Chevra Kaddisha cleanses, halachically washes, and dress the dead body. Since a dead person’s soul will be confronted by their Maker, in olam haba, he or she needs to be as pure as possible. After a person has been purified, they must be dressed in tachrichim. Tachrichim are hand-made plain white garments made of either linen or muslin. There are two reasons as to why the dead are dressed in such plain clothing. The first answer given is that these are the ...

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...t soul feels that he is not liked and is being punished. In reality, G-d needs to send us to the Gehenom for the same reason we need to clean our clothing. A dirty shirt can be compared to our soul after a lifetime. Throughout our lives, every act we do leaves an imprint on our soul. The good mitzvot that we perform, brighten and elevate our souls, while the bad actions leave stains on our soul. Fortunately, if a person repents or undoes their wrongdoings, then the spiritual stains can be removed; but if a person dies without fixing their sins, then the stains go with them to the next world. It is not possible for a soul to reach its high point of rest without atoning for its sins. As a result G-d sends the soul down to Gehenom to rid it of any “spiritual stains.” After this seemingly painful process, the soul can finally be brought up to heaven for eternal bliss.