What happens when we die?

This is a rather speculative topic, but it’s something that I’ve devoted a lot of thought to over the years. The world’s religions provide a plethora of answers, but the various possibilities raise as many questions as they provide answers. Judaism is no exception, and it is a mistake to think there is any monolithic agreement or conception of the afterlife among the strains of the Jewish religion. This article takes a look at Jewish conceptions of heaven and hell. And here’s another explaining how reincarnation features prominently in the thinking of the Kabbalists.

So what is a person supposed to think, let alone believe? I won’t argue if your answer is, “think anything you want, no one really knows for sure.” Still, it seems like we can know something, even if it is only hinted at in how we experience the here and now.

What do I mean by that? Well, I frequently experience or intuit something beckoning from beyond my material frame of reference. I’m referring to a sense of the supernatural in the natural world. There is something inherent in my being that calls out to, yearns for and wants to connect with other planes of existence. It’s not just me. This is the bread and butter of science fiction and fantasy in literary and cinematic contexts and probably the big reason why I am such a fan. Read the Chronicles of Narnia or, for a more modern take, watch The Magicians. There just has to be something or someone(s) out there besides us.

Of course, none of this proves anything or necessarily makes a compelling case, but when I think of what happens after we die, I can’t let go of the thought that part of us, the essential us, continues in some way. One of my favorite sections of the liturgy for the Shabbat service on Saturday morning puts it like this:

“My God, the soul you gave to me is pure. You have created it, you shaped it, and you breathed it into me, and you preserve it deep inside of me. And someday you will take it from me, restoring it to everlasting life. As long as spirit breathes in me, I offer thanks before you, BREATH DIVINE, my God, God of my ancestors, the master of all deeds, and source of every life. Blessed are you, THE HOLY SPIRIT, in whose possession is the breath of every living thing, the animation of all flesh.”

And for now, that pretty much sums up my take on what happens after death. My soul comes from and resides in the BREATH DIVINE–now and after I take leave of the body in which I manifest during this lifetime on Earth.

How about you? I would love to hear your thoughts on post-mortem.