What Do Jews Believe About Hell and Why Does It Contradict God’s Laws?

Alright, let’s get right into it: What do Jews believe about Hell? Spoiler alert—nothing! That's right, no fiery pits of torment, no pitchfork-wielding demons, no eternal suffering. If you were expecting to hear about a place like that, well, you’ve got the wrong theology. In Judaism, the closest thing we have to Hell is the idea of being "cut off from your kin." It’s like when you forget to text your mom on her birthday. She may not send you to Hell, but she sure does let you know you’ve earned a "time-out" from the family group chat.

But seriously, let’s dive into the deeper belief system here, and see why this concept doesn’t quite line up with God’s law, or the need for a Savior. Grab your theological thinking caps!

Judaism’s View on the Afterlife

In Judaism, the afterlife isn’t the major focus. It’s like the spiritual equivalent of asking “What’s for dinner?” when you’re more concerned with what’s happening in the here and now. Judaism focuses on this world—the actions we take, the good deeds, the commandments we follow. The future? That’s not really the top of the agenda.

Now, for those who really want to know, there is an idea of a place called "Gan Eden" (the Garden of Eden), which is a sort of spiritual paradise, and "Gehinnom", which can be thought of as a kind of purification process, almost like a cosmic time-out, where people who have done wrong might need to "clean up" before moving on. It’s not really Hell, though; it’s more like a spiritual detox, where you work through your past mistakes, similar to purgatory in Catholicism. It's a temporary thing, not an eternal sentence of fire and brimstone.

And there’s no set doctrine about what happens in the afterlife. Some Jews believe in resurrection, others believe in a more abstract spiritual existence. And then there’s the whole "cut off from your kin" thing, which sounds a lot like getting kicked off the family Wi-Fi—no one wants that. But, again, there’s no clear, blazing inferno involved.

Why Does This Contradict God’s Laws?

Here’s the rub: If actions, not beliefs, determine our fate, then what happens to the ultimate act of salvation that the Bible talks about? You know, the big one. The one where the entire story of humanity takes a turn for the better. I’m talking about Jesus.

God gave us laws—613 commandments, to be exact. That’s a lot to keep track of, right? But here’s the problem: we can’t keep all of them perfectly. Not a single one of us can. And the Bible says that if we break even one of those laws, we’ve essentially broken them all. Yikes. So, even if you’re the most devout, rule-following, synagogue-attending Jew out there, the Bible tells us you’re still falling short. (Romans 3:23, if you’re taking notes).

This is where the idea of a Savior comes in. Because we can’t possibly do everything God asks of us (even on our best days), we need a way to bridge the gap. Enter Jesus. He’s not just a nice guy or a great teacher; He’s the Messiah—the one who came to fulfill the law on our behalf. He lived the perfect life we couldn’t live, died for the mistakes we couldn’t fix, and rose again to offer us eternal life that we didn’t deserve.

If there’s no concept of Hell in Judaism, then there’s no real need for a Savior either. And if there’s no need for a Savior, what’s the whole point of Jesus? This is the big disconnect. 

Judaism says your fate is determined by your actions, but Jesus says, “Actually, your fate is decided by what I did on the cross.”

So, you can be the best, most righteous person on Earth, but if you haven’t accepted Jesus as the Messiah, you’re still in need of redemption. You can’t earn your way into Heaven by your actions alone. God’s law requires perfection, and we can’t deliver it. But through Jesus, perfection is given to us as a gift. It’s like getting an A+ for showing up to class.

Why Does Judaism Reject Jesus?

Good question. The reason Judaism rejects Jesus is multi-faceted. First, they believe the Messiah hasn’t come yet. Jesus didn’t do what they expected—the Messiah was supposed to bring world peace, rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and restore Israel to its full glory. Jesus didn’t check all those boxes in the way Jews expected, so many didn’t see Him as the fulfillment of those prophecies.

Secondly, Judaism has a very clear sense of monotheism—there is only one God, and to say that a man is God incarnate is, in their view, problematic. Jesus’ divine nature doesn’t fit into that worldview, and thus, they don’t accept Him as the Savior. For them, it’s about the actions you take, not a person’s sacrifice.

But here’s the kicker: The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” In other words, Jesus didn’t throw the laws away—He came to perfectly live them out for us.

And He didn’t just die for some mistakes; He died for all the mistakes we could ever make, from now until the end of time. If we say no to that offer of grace and forgiveness, we’re stuck. It's like turning down a free ticket to a lifetime of grace, because we'd rather keep doing things our own way.

Conclusion

So, let’s sum this up. Judaism says our actions, not our specific beliefs, determine our fate. While they don’t have a concept of Hell, they do believe in being "cut off" from God’s people, which sounds pretty harsh.

But here’s the thing—God’s law is perfect, and we can’t live up to it on our own. That’s why we need a Savior. Enter Jesus, the one who fulfilled the law and paid for our sins, so we could have life with God forever. The key difference here is that while Judaism emphasizes actions, Christianity emphasizes grace and faith in Jesus as the Savior.

If you’re trying to live a good life by your own actions alone, that’s commendable, but it’s not going to cut it in God’s eyes. Jesus offers something better: grace. It’s like having the best accountant ever handle your debt—and that debt is your sin.

So if you’ve been trying to work your way to Heaven, I’ve got news for you: The work’s already been done. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and He offers you the salvation you can’t earn on your own.

Amen!