Do Jews believe in the resurrection?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Yes, but it is important to clarify the difference between the Jewish understanding of the word "salvation" and the Christian concept of "salvation".

In Christianity, salvation is about the purification of the heart/soul and atonement for sin. Christianity puts strong stock in this notion because, in Christianity, a person must be pure to go to the "good place", i.e. Heaven. The idea of having a person's soul cleansed and his sins atoned for in Judaism is typically called redemption (geula - גאולה). Judaism does hold that God redeems the Jewish people who pray in repentance to him and will redeem the Jewish people as a whole in the Messianic Age.

As concerns actual salvation in Judaism (yeshua - ישועה), the act of salvation is the bringing of the Messianic Age and will only occur at a certain time and a certain place of God's choosing in the future. It is important to note that many Christians believe that the name Jesus from this same root which is how he came to be called the savior, in connection to this event of Messianic salvation. Of course, as Jews do not believe that salvation has come yet, Jesus is not considered a savior nor the bringer of salvation.

It should be added that Jews do not believe in original sin. According to Judaism, all persons are born with the capacity for both good and evil. Therefore, the concept of salvation does not have the same significance for most Jews as for Christians. Repentance and the promise of atonement are expectations during the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The ten Days of Repentance between these two observances are known as Aseret Yemei Teshuvah.

Answer 2

The concept of a future redemption has its source in Judaism and is one of its basic beliefs. The idolaters who preceded the Israelites had no such tenet. From Judaism, this belief spread to certain other religions; but it is not identical as preached by them. Salvation is based on words from the Hebrew Bible but has different connotations in English.

Maimonides (called Rambam by many Jewish believers), presented statements on beliefs of faith in which the resurrection and redemption are included. It is Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come), where righteous people will meet the Messiah and live in a just and righteous world (a.k.a. Gan Eden).

From the following declaration, you can see what we believe:

1. God exists, and is the Creator

2. God is One and unique

3. God is not physical

4. God is eternal

5. Prayer is to be directed only to God

6. The words of the prophets are true

7. The prophecies of Moses are true; he was the greatest prophet

8. The Torah was given to Moses

9. There will be no other Torah

10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of all

11. God rewards the good and punishes the wicked

12. The Messiah will come

13. The dead will be resurrected

Answer 3

Generically yes, but the terminology and concepts are somewhat different. Our tradition contains the following:

1) The afterlife, when a person's soul is recompensed according to his/her deeds while alive (Sanhedrin 90a)

2) The coming of the Moshiach (usually translated as Messiah), which we still await (Maimonides, introduction to the Shemonah Perakim)

3) The revival of the dead (Isaiah 26:19).

Answer 2

If you are referring to the resurrection of Jesus, then no, this is not a Jewish belief.