Purgatory?

[AdJesumPerMariam]

I know a person who is an Orthodox Jewish person. We were discussing different faiths...I believe he said that they have a belief in a sort of Purgatory (although I do not believe that is what he called it) I believe he said that they prayed for a person for 6 days, then on the 7th they went to Heaven(?)....Am I remembering correctly? (I could easily be confused :) )
Is there scripture for this?

Thanx for the help!

Love-n-Blessings
dee

[Hix]

What your talking about is called "Gehenna" in hebrew. Any and all supposed "hell" refrences in the Tanach (aka the old testament) refer to this place. Let me explain, the nefesh (the soul) is what remains after we die, when we die we wake up to this reality that our true self is without this skin, we are a soul. Now the soul is a spiritual thing, it grows by accumulating holy and spiritual matters and needs them to sustain itself. Gehenna is a place for all those who have lived their lives without being close G-d, who is the spiritualness the soul needs to grow. Gehenna is a place were they recharge their spiritual batteries so to speak, ie make teshuvah and repent for all the wrongs they did and study G-ds Torah. The time period of Gehenna is temporary and it is not known the exact length but the Talmud records it is not longer than 12 months. After this when the soul has realised its spiritual potential it can enter into The world to come aka Heaven were the presence of the Holy one is.

Hope this helps! :)

Shalom and G-d bless
~Hix~

[AdJesumPerMariam]

Thanx Hix!

Love-n-Blessings
dee

[koilias]

Interesting...I've never heard that view. So this is why Yeshua was teaching Torah while he was in Gehenna?

[Sephania]

dede , I think that the 7 days your friend was speaking of is called Shiva ( or sitting Shiva) which means seven, it is an intense time of mourning. You can learn more here http://www.jewfaq.org/death.htm

[YatzivPatgam]

Interesting...I've never heard that view. So this is why Yeshua was teaching Torah while he was in Gehenna?
The above makes no sense, considering whats happening to the soul at this time.

[Aethelsige]

It does exist. I went into town and bought a bottle of it. A local mexican hot food company sells it.

[ShirChadash]

:sorry: :confused:

[simchat_torah]

Yes, Zayit hit it right on the head. Although there is a holding place until heaven is created (bussom of Abraham, and side of torment... seperated by a chasm), the period of time your friend referred to is Shivah (or shiva depending on transliteration).

Shivah is a time of mourning for those who have passed. It is a time for [i]us, the living, [i]to remember. It doesn't have anything to do with the spiritual realm, such as 'moving them on into heaven' as Purgatory does. Its merely our rememberance of that person.

shalom,
yafet