3

At school we are taught that people who are good will go to Heaven and people who are bad will go to Hell. So if this is true, doing good deeds such as charity, fasting and worship of God should be our means of salvation from the Hell fire. And doing bad deeds such as murder, rape and stealing will lead us to the Hell fire. And this makes perfect sense. But I cannot find anything in the scripture about doing good deeds or being righteous men/women to attain salvation. Does anyone know if there is mention of attaining salvation through good deeds or being righteous people in the scripture?

Alex
  • 49,242
  • 3
  • 120
  • 228
Asan Ramzan
  • 309
  • 1
  • 4
  • 2
    Welcome to MiYodeya Asan. Great to have you learn with us! – mbloch Nov 22 '18 at 19:05
  • 6
    Did you go to a Jewish school? This sounds somewhat like you went to a Christian school – Double AA Nov 22 '18 at 19:25
  • See also https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/65286/170 – msh210 Nov 22 '18 at 19:27
  • 1
    There's no salvation in Judaism, everybody gets a share of the World to come, there's no Hell and no Hellfire. The reward is proportional to one's effort and merit. THat's why it is not mentioned. – Al Berko Nov 22 '18 at 19:50
  • Okay, I think I am starting to understand this, could anyone elaborate how to get the highest reward, ideally with a reference. – Asan Ramzan Nov 22 '18 at 20:38
  • the torah is replete with reward/punishment. that is one of the first lessons there with the story of Adam and Eve. please clarify your question – michael Nov 22 '18 at 21:23
  • 5
    @AlBerko That's at best a massive oversimplification. We might not use words like 'Salvation' and 'Hellfire', but there is definitely a concept of Olam Haba and Gehinnom within Judaism. – Salmononius2 Nov 22 '18 at 21:30
  • @AsanRamzan Welcome! We hope you'll stick around. – SAH Nov 23 '18 at 06:49
  • @AsanRamzan Meanwhile, the answer to your question is that, while we believe that decent conduct on this earth leads to eternity of the soul, we don't believe there is a place of eternal punishment for those who fail (G-d forbid). But most of all we believe that this question is beside the point. We try to serve G-d and act righteously--and believe that everyone should serve G-d and act righteously--simply because this is G-d's wish, and He has told us to do it. That itself is the motivation, and the reward. – SAH Nov 23 '18 at 06:55
  • @AsanRamzan You may want to look at these resources: An explanation of the Jewish view on this matter -- https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/282508/jewish/What-Happens-After-Death.htm ; how anyone in the world can go to Heaven -- https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1313/jewish/Discovery-of-Planet-Earth.htm – SAH Nov 23 '18 at 06:59
  • when you say "those who fail (G-d forbid)", means you can either pass/fail? So do you see the worldly life as a test? You have said that the reward you get in the hereafter is proportional to our efforts. The life of this world is only temporary, whereas the hereafter is forever, so would you not want to stive for the highest reward in the hereafter? – Asan Ramzan Nov 24 '18 at 18:11
  • @AsamRamzan Yes to everything you have said. But, again, our priority as Jews is not the Hereafter. Our priority now is to do G-d's will on this earth and thereby fill this world with holiness. – SAH Nov 25 '18 at 17:47

1 Answers1

3

According to Jewish thought, if we fulfill God’s will, we will be rewarded for our efforts, and if we sin against God, we will be punished [1].

"Good deeds" don't cancel bad deeds, and conversely, "bad deeds" don't cancel good deeds [2]. A person is judged for each good deed or misdeed [3].

[1] "Ani Ma'amin" (11).

[2] See Pesachim 118a אין הקב"ה מקפח שכר כל בריה.

[3] See Rambam in "Iggeres HaSmad":

אבל השם יתברך נפרע מבני אדם על החמורות ועל הקלות, ונותן שכר על כל דבר שעושין. על כן צריך האדם לידע, שכל עבירה שיעשה נפרעין ממנו עליה, וכל מצוה שיעשה מקבל עליה שכר

"God punishes people for the severe and the light [sins], and gives reward for everything they do. Therefore, a person must know that for every sin that he commits, payment will be exacted from him, and any mitzvah that he does, he will receive a reward for it."

msh210
  • 73,729
  • 12
  • 120
  • 359
IsraelReader
  • 4,988
  • 1
  • 12
  • 28
  • 2
    -1. The asker knew about reward and punishment already and was asking only about a scriptural reference therefor. This doesn't answer the question at all. – msh210 Nov 23 '18 at 06:31
  • That was PART of the question. The question falsely implied, that mere doing good deeds such as charity, fasting and worship of God should be our means of salvation. My answer intended to dispel that erroneous notion. Good deeds earn us reward, but they do not cancel out bad deeds. – IsraelReader Nov 23 '18 at 16:17
  • 1
    Quite right, sorry. – msh210 Nov 24 '18 at 16:42