Advanced Search

Reincarnation


Question:
Greetings - first, what a great site! I have already enjoyed reading through some of your enlightening answers. I am curious what the Pharisees based their belief in reincarnation on, and does this concept exist today amongst Jewish beliefs? Best Regards, Sandra


AskTheRabbi.org answered:

Thank you for your words of appreciation. Glad you enjoy the site.

Regarding the Pharisees - from whom the Jewish people today are descended, as followers of both the Written Torah and Oral Torah - did believe in reincarnation, based on the Oral Law. And we believe in it today, although it is not dwelled upon in general due to our lack of understanding too much about it.

I am sending you a  brief article on the subject that I was involved in writing, and I hope you find it helpful.

Reincarnation is one of the teachings of the Oral Torah. In the Written Torah there are no explicit references to reincarnation, but there are hints.

Perhaps the closest scriptual hint to this idea is Deuteronomy 25:5-10 which says that "when brothers are on the earth at the same time, and one of them dies childless, the wife of the dead brother must not marry a man outside the family. [Rather] her brother-in-law shall come to her and perform levirate marriage with her. And he shall be the first-born whom she bears; he shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, and so the name of the dead brother shall not be erased from the people of Israel... But if he refuses to marry his sister-in-law... she shall remove his shoe... His name shall be called in Israel: 'The house of him whose shoe was removed'."

The main reason for reincarnation is for the soul to fulfill its role in the creation and achieve the spiritual level for which it is destined. If a soul does not manage this in its first life, it may be given another chance, and another. If the soul did not succeed in three times, it will have to settle for whatever it has gained in the everlasting afterlife. Another reason for reincarnation is to repay a soul for its deeds in a way parallel to its sins; for example, a rich miser might be reincarnated as a poor beggar and be disregarded by a rich man, who was himself one of the paupers disregarded by the rich miser in his previous life.

Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, (the Arizal) writes that Moshe was a reincarnation of Adam's third son, Sheit (Seth), and that Sheit was a reincarnation of Hevel (Abel). (The "mem" of Moshe's name stands for "Moshe," the "shin" stands for Sheit, and the "heh" for Hevel. The great mishnaic Sage Shamai was a reincarnation of Moshe, and Hillel was a reincarnation of Aharon.

Sources:

  • Zohar, Mishpatim, Exodus 1:1
  • Sha'ar Hagilgulim, Hakdama 36

Similar Questions
Life Cycle > Death and Mourning
120
Funeral Etiquette
Yahrzeit Date
Getting Married at Funeral Home
Wreaths on Graves
What is Sitting Shiva?
Kaddish for a Friend
Unfortunate Family Event
Jewish Cemetery
A Day to Remember
Parent Requesting Cremation
Burial and Cremation
Kaddish
How Long is Kaddish Said?
Cremation (2)
Miscarriages
Euthanasia
What Happens After Death?
Tattoo and Burial
Tattoo Taboo
Why Say Kaddish?
Honoring a Parent
Sitting Shiva for a Baby
Learning the Laws of Mourning for Someone Who is Still Alive
Organ Donation
Bon Voyage
Jewish Cemetary
Longevity Limits
Visiting Gravesite
Explaining Death to a Child
Cleaning Gravestones
Visiting a Mourner
Quality of Life
When does Sitting Shiva End?
The “Kaddish” Prayer
Who Says Kaddish, How Long?
Sitting Shiva for Half Sibling
Dealing with Death
Travelling for Yahrzeit
Making a Monument
Of Blessed Memory
Perpetuating a Loved One
Mourner Leading Prayer Services
A Letter to Beyond
Cremation
The Last Day of Mourning
Jewish Burial
Attending Engagement During Mourning
My Child's Wedding During Mourning
Expressing Condolences
Tombstone Date
Covering Mirrors During Week of Mourning
Another World: More Than Meets the Eye
Unveiling
Don’t Pass the Shovel
The Comforting Visit
Close to Death
Placing Stones on Graves
A Reality Check
Services in a House of Mourning
The More Important Mitzvah
Where Do We Go When We Die?
Have a question?
 
Gateways - Your Key to Jewish Continuity

AskTheRabbi.org is a service of the Gateways Organization © 2024
Technical problems? Please contact the AskTheRabbi Support team