The Afterlife

The Concept of Afterlife in Judaism

Sheol: Traditional Jewish beliefs refer to Sheol as the place where all souls go after death, regardless of the moral or religious conduct of the person when they were alive. Sheol is seen more as a place of rest rather than a place of punishment.
Resurrection during Messianic Age: Some Jewish texts outline the belief in the bodily resurrection of the dead during the era of the Messiah. This thought is primarily based on the prophecy in the book of Daniel.

Views may vary: Not all Jews believe in the concept of the afterlife due to the ambiguity of the Torah on this subject. Different branches of Judaism have varying perspectives, with Orthodox Jews being more likely to believe in an afterlife compared to Reform Jews.
Good deeds over belief: Judaism places more emphasis on actions in this life rather than pondering the afterlife. They believe in doing ‘mitzvahs’ (good deeds) as an inherent obligation.

Heaven (Gan Eden): Some Jews believe in existence of heaven, where righteous souls enjoy closeness to God. This is not a physical place but a spiritual realm.
Hell (Gehinnom): Contrary to popular hell narratives, Jewish idea of Gehinnom is more of purification process for the souls rather than eternal damnation. It’s a place where souls are cleansed of their sins before they can enter the world to come (Olam Ha-Ba).

World of souls: Following purification in Gehinnom, souls ascend to a higher spiritual existence, known as Olam Ha-Ba. Precise interpretations of this realm vary.
Messianic age: Some Jews interpret Olam Ha-Ba as the era of the Messiah, where peace reigns on earth and Jews return to the land of Israel.

Remember, these points offer a broad-spectrum insight into Jewish beliefs about the Afterlife.