Do Jews believe in heaven and hell?

When it comes to the subject of the existence of heaven and hell, most contemporary Jews – meaning Jews who have graduated college, who are essentially secular and who consider themselves progressive – know exactly where they stand: There is no heaven, and there is no hell.

Most Jews deem belief in heaven and hell highly unsophisticated, even primitive.

But like many other positions held by contemporary Jews, this one, too, demands an explanation.

On almost no level – the Jewish, the religious, the moral, the emotional, the intellectual – does denying heaven and hell make sense.

By heaven and hell, I mean reward and punishment in the afterlife. I am not referring to a hell of eternal fire or a heaven filled with harp-playing angels. Any attempt to describe either heaven or hell is likely to sound silly. I remember one of my yeshiva rabbis telling us students that heaven is eternal study of the Torah. Now this may well have sounded terrific to my rabbi, but all I recall is wondering what the alternative is like – and I actually liked studying the Torah.

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Vladimir

I guess the Sadduces won out over the Pharisees.
- Michael P.
  
  In this respect they most definitely did. The Sadduces Judaism was rejected by Christ and look where that got Him.
prodigal48

Some do, some don't. You can't make a blanket statement on this.
- daves
  
  Just like Christians, right?
- Hocus_Pocus
  
  99% of them do not.. And that isn't the relevant statistic.
  
  What matters is how many Jews believe in Jesus as their savior. The answer is none. When one says they are a Jew, they have to mean the religion – Jewish. There is no Jewland. They might be from Russia, Israel etc.. But to call oneself a Jew in todays world, means they do not believe in Jesus.
msjallen

In the OT when a believing Jew or anyone else died they went to Paradise or Abraham's bosom until Jesus Christ removed them to heaven during His victorious proclamation after His death and before His resurrection. Hell or sheol is mentioned 65 times in the OT; therefore, they must have taught about it. The Sadducees did not believe in life after death but the Pharisees did. I always remembered which one did and which one did not because the Sadducees had the word "sad" in their name. It does matter whether Jews believe in heaven or hell since at death they will pass into eternity and it would do them well to have believed in Jesus Christ as their Messiah and savior. Not many do and that is sad.
- Dan Heisner
  
  sheol properly means the grave
Dennis

Nothing new here or surprising.Why would they believe in the concept of heaven or hell when they do not believe in YASHUA MESSIAH? Even orthodox jews dont.They hate christians and YASHUA..
BarleyWheets

Whom ever wrote this article doen't know their head from their ass. Of course Jews believe in heaven… If they believe in their religion then they believe in heaven!! This author is showing their studipity by trying to make the Jews look bad!!
Byron

I care less what the Jews believe. They live in a make-believe Jewish world. The Torah, why would I waste my time with that? Its just like wanting to study the BOOK OF MORMON, why would I?
- Evermyrtle
  
  Ignorance speaks loudly. I guess you are not a Christian!!
  
  Thou shall love thy neighbor as yourself. If you would not pull, who you consider you enemy from the path of danger, does mean you do not care. Many people would risk their lives to save someone else. Of course you say you COULD CARE less, you are saying that you do care some, which is good.