Generally speaking, I rarely go out of my comfort zone. But at a visit to the Air & Space Museum in Washington DC I went on a virtual reality mission into space. I felt like I was on the Star Trek Enterprise careening through space and peering into the vastness of the universe. But I couldn’t have imagined the reaction and thoughts that were conjured by this journey.
I thought about how difficult it is to believe in what can’t be proven. And how it is even more difficult to believe in concepts that run contrary to what we always believed to be true. To many, the concept of heaven and hell seem to be anathema to Judaism. Because it has always played a central role in Christianity and Islam, that has seemed sufficient evidence that it wasn’t part of Judaism. The reality is quite the opposite; the pivotal role heaven and hell have in Christianity evolved from Judaism. I doubt if I’m going out on a limb in stating that most of a religion’s symbols and ideologies originated from belief systems that predated them. Judaism is a precursor for the world's monotheistic religions and undoubtedly parts of Judaism were influenced by ideologies that preceded it. A well guarded secret is that there is far greater commonality among religions than is publicly exposed. However, to protect their niche market, religions tend to highlight their uniqueness and minimize similarities.
Individual religions tend to highlight within-group differences, as well. The average person would see little commingling between Orthodox and Conservative Judaism, when in fact there are many more similarities than differences. This is true in regards to concepts of heaven, as well. Whether it’s referred to as Gan-Eden, The Garden of Eden, olam haemet, or heaven, this concept is a core belief in both Orthodox and Conservative Judaism.
The reason we give tzedakah on a Yahrzeit and recite Kaddish for the deceased is to benefit them in the afterlife, but what does that afterlife look like and do our actions benefit the deceased? (Interestingly, even Reform Judaism, which doesn't believe in an afterlife, still recites Kaddish for the deceased as they too adopted ideas from the practices of their ancestors.) The hereafter is an important tenet of our faith but with the exception of maybe George Burns no reliable witness ever came down with a first hand report. We may conjure up images of grandeur and palatial living but those are only theories. (The only consensus among the rabbinical scholars is that heaven is not filled with virgins awaiting the shahid.) In his commentary on the Mishneh, Maimonides said that all Jews have a portion in the world to come (except for those who don’t). But he begins his commentary by dismissing theories of the afterlife that were formulated by previous rabbis. He writes that although they show textual proof for their positions, they are nevertheless erroneous in their assumptions.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I believe without knowing the details or having proof. Many of the decisions I make are based on probability and not on factual evidence. I think if everything had to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, it would be impossible for anyone ever to believe. If absolute certainty was always the criteria before making a commitment, I doubt if anyone could have a relationship, start a business, or engage in many of life’s pursuits. I believe in a heavenly existence that I can’t fathom because not believing in heaven seems like a far less desirable alternative. I believe because believing helps me deal with life. Mourners who believe that their loved ones reside in a parallel existence are often comforted by the thought. The Ibn Ezra explains the metaphor of God as a father in the verse: banim atem - you are children of God. Believing in a loving and caring God without even comprehending the details seems like a rather good option.
I currently see the world very differently than I saw it years ago. I grew up in the world of the yeshiva, a subset of Orthodoxy where rabbis were placed on an almost angelic pedestal. No question could refute what the rabbis of yesteryear stated. Their brilliance and scholarship were fundamental in assuring subservience and we were constantly told it was only due to our limited comprehension that we had questions. I remember as a young teenager answering a question posed by a 12th century Talmudic scholar. Much to my surprise the answer I gave was exactly the answer the scholar himself gave. Before I had the chance to gloat my rabbi immediately apologized to the class and said - let’s analyze the question again. He stated if Yankel (that’s me) can answer the question, the great commentary never would have asked that question. However logical it seemed when I was growing up, I now see the rabbis in a different light. Many were brilliant scholars and great thinkers but they all had limitations and were often less than angelic. Even Maimonides disregarded opinions on the hereafter by great and knowledgeable rabbis and that in no way undermines their greatness.
It may be beneficial to reduce the greatest of rabbis to mere mortals. If they could be wrong, how could we have the arrogance to imagine that our thought processes are immune from falsehood? If rabbis valued by Maimonides were mistaken perhaps some positions we firmly adhere to may be mistaken as well? I now choose to see the world with a renewed optimism. I have the utmost confidence that I can be absolutely correct while at the same time hearing subtle whispers telling me that I’m probably not.
