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Mijal and Noam dive into one of Judaism’s biggest—and most deliberately open-ended—questions: What does Judaism say about the afterlife, Olam HaBa, the World to Come? They explore why humans across cultures care so deeply about life after death—justice, grief, meaning, and reward—and why the Torah is famously sparse on the subject. Drawing on classical Jewish sources from the Mishnah and Talmud to Maimonides, they unpack what Jewish tradition does (and doesn’t) say about what comes next, including Olam HaZeh vs. Olam HaBa, Gan Eden, resurrection, and the risks of turning religion into a system of spiritual rewards. The takeaway: Judaism insists there is something beyond this life—while refusing to let speculation about the afterlife distract from the sacred work of living well right now.
Here is a link to the story from the Talmud discussed in the episode:
https://www.sefaria.org/Taanit.22a.7?lang=bi
We’re proud to be collaborating with Sefaria and The Simchat Torah Challenge, on this episode along with all the other episodes of our “In the Beginning” mini-series. Learn more about these two incredible organizations here:
https://simchattorahchallenge.org/
https://www.sefaria.org/texts
Get in touch at WonderingJews@unpacked.media and call us, 1-833-WON-Jews. Follow @unpackedmedia on Instagram and check out Unpacked on youtube.
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This podcast was brought to you by Unpacked, an OpenDor Media brand.
For other podcasts from Unpacked, check out:
Jewish History Nerds
Soulful Jewish Living
Stars of David with Elon Gold
Unpacking Israeli History
