| What is meant by Olam ha-Zeh | this world |
| What is meant by Olam ha-Bah | the world to come
(Messianic age or the afterlife) |
| why don't Jews focus much on the afterlife? | the Hebrew Bible makes little reference to it
Judaism focuses more on actions than belief, so they focus more on an earthly life |
| when do Jews believe judgement will take place? | after the coming of the Messiah |
| what do Jews believe happens when we are judged by God? | our souls and bodies will reunite and the soul will blame the body for its actions |
| what is the Jewish idea of heaven? | Gan Eden
Garden of Eden |
| what is the Jewish idea of Hell? | Gehinnom |
| what do some interpretations of the Torah suggest will happen to souls in Gehinnom? | after a period of purification, some souls will continue to gan Eden
some will continue to be punished and some will be destroyed
(Rosh Hashanah Text 17a) |
| what is Rosh Hashanah? | Jewish New Year
The Day of Judgement |
| what happens on the day of Judgement? (what does God do?) | God judges everyone for the deeds of the year passed and decides what next year will be like for them |
| What is the Book of Life? | A book where God records his judgement and sets out who will live and die, or have a good or bad time next year.
It is then sealed on Yom Kippur |
| What is Yom Kippur? | The Day of Atonement
Ten days after Rosh Hashanah |
| What do Jews do leading up to Yom Kippur? | Try to asks for forgiveness for those they have hurt during the year, and ask God for his forgiveness |
| what happens in the synagogue on Rosh Hashanah? | Jews emphasise God's kingship
the shofar (rams horn) is blown as a warning to encourage people to behave in a more moral way. Also represents the crying of souls as they yearn to be reunited with God |
| what do Jews do at home on Rosh Hashanah? | eat honey apples to symbolise the sweet New Year Jews hope lies ahead
Make Challah bread into a round loaf to symbolise a circle of life and the year
Have pomegranates on the table, symbolises renewal and seeds symbolise 613 mitzvot in the Torah |
| what is the importance of Judgement? | It will make us think more about how we behave if we know it will effect where we go in the afterlife
It will make us repent more frequently when we sin if we know we will be judged by God on Rosh Hashanah
We should have better relations with friends and family if we seek forgiveness every year for arguments we have had with them and upset we’ve caused them
It is a comfort to think death is not the end
It is a comfort to bereaved people to think they will see loved ones again in the world to come
It reinforces the idea that God is a God of justice – planning our fate for the next year based on how we have behaved this year
It reinforces that God is benevolent and omnipotent as well. He loves us enough to reward His faithful people in the afterlife and He is powerful enough to bring to recreate us in new and eternal forms |
