What the sources say
Layer by layer
Kohelet 12:7Direct Source
“The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
Pirkei Avot 4:16Direct Source
“This world is like a corridor before the World to Come. Prepare yourself in the corridor, so that you may enter the banquet hall.”
Berachot 17aDirect Source
In the World to Come there is no eating or drinking; the righteous sit with crowns on their heads and enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence.
Rambam, Hilchot Teshuvah 8:2Classical Interpretation
The Rambam explains that the World to Come has no bodies — only souls, like the angels.
Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1Direct Source
The Mishnah counts belief in the resurrection of the dead as a core belief of Judaism.
Take it into your day
If this world is the corridor, what you do today is how you prepare. Choose one mitzvah to “take with you.”
More big questions
Why do we need mitzvot?Read →Do we have free will?Read →Why do good people suffer?Read →What is Mashiach?Read →What does the Zohar actually teach?Read →
Every source is labeled. Have a question of your own? Ask Judaism →
