Jewish Views of the Afterlife

This book far exceeded my expectations...it covers a huge amount of intellectual material, but remains easy to understand throughout. Though the author will resist the appellation, this is the "Jewish Book of the Dead" for english readers. Highly recommended and downright inspiring. Bravo.

It is rare to find a scholarly book that is a pleasure to read. Simcha Paull Raphael's book is one of these gems. The scope of his knowledge is amazing, and his writing style is a breath of fresh air. The author explores the evolution of Jewish beliefs about life after death from biblical times to the present. This is, without doubt, the best introduction I have seen. It is must read for anyone interested in this topic.

The fate of the soul after death is the major focus of Simcha Paull Raphael's beautifully written tome. Culled from 4,000 year of classical Jewish source material it's topics include resurrection, Gan Eden and Gehenna, angels; the, history and tradition of the souls appearance and disappearance from the modern Jewish world, etc. You can start anywhere and skip about to your heart's content. Any good Jewish library is incomplete without it.

Most Jews are under the mistaken impression that Judaism does not believe in an afterlife. This is not so, and in fact Jewish texts preserve a rich tradition of how this concept has been understood and taught throughout Jewish history. This book is an excellent introduction and overview of how the afterlife is viewed in The Torah, The Talmud, the medieval works, the Midrash and the books of the Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). One of its special features is that many medieval Jewish texts are presented here for the first time in English!