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Resurrection


Question:

Do Jews believe in the Resurrection or life after death?



AskTheRabbi.org answered:

The resurrection of the dead is a fundamental principle of the Torah of Moses. Maimonides lists “Resurrection” as one of the thirteen “Principles of Faith” – the final one. As Daniel was told: As for you, go to your end; you will rest – then arise from your portion at the End of Days (Book of Daniel 12:13(

Human beings are a combination of body and soul, the physical and the spiritual. Ultimate reward must therefore be conferred upon body and soul together. The body alone is merely a physical animal without free will, unable to accomplish anything morally or spiritually significant. The soul by itself is a spiritual being but also lacks free will and can make no moral choices. Only when the body and soul are joined together does free will exist. Only then can meaningful accomplishments be attained. And only when the body and soul are together can the consequences of these accomplishments be fully enjoyed.

This state of union between body and soul will be realized once again in the time of the resurrection of the dead. No matter what has happened to the original physical body, God will ultimately re-create the appropriate receptacle for every individual soul.

For God to resurrect the dead – and give the soul of the righteous a new body – is neither more wondrous nor more miraculous than initially placing a soul within every human body. We consider a type of resurrection that occurs regularly as quite natural. It is called birth.


 
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