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What Is Reincarnation?

An Introduction to Jewish Beliefs About Past Lives

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What Is Reincarnation?: An Introduction to Jewish Beliefs About Past Lives

What is reincarnation? What part of the human being comes back in another lifetime? Is the soul conscious of its past lives? An in-depth treatment of this mysterious subject.

Topics:

Soul, Reincarnation

By DovBer Pinson

Rabbi DovBer Pinson, Rosh Kollel of IYYUN, is a world-renowned scholar, kabbalist, and spiritual teacher. Through his books and lectures he has touched the lives of tens of thousands, and serves as a mentor to many across the globe. He has authored over 30 books, many of which have been translated into multiple languages.

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45 Comments

Sid Geneva June 10, 2019

Wow...beautiful video!! It's almost 90% similar to one of the branches of yoga....I picked up some very beautiful stuff from this video to complement my existing beliefs....thanks Rabbi!! Reply

Moshe Verk Canada October 3, 2017

Where is Reincarnation in the Tanakh and Talmud? Reply

Simcha Bart for Chabad.org October 25, 2017

in response to Moshe Verk:

Though it is not explicitly found in Tanakh and the Talmud, as it is part of the mystical secrets of the Torah, yet there are hints to this in both. Please read this article for some of these hints, and about the hidden nature of this teaching. Reply

Tom McCaffrey Ireland November 26, 2014

What is Reincarnation Mary, North Highlands. What is the name of that drink and is it available in Ireland? Reply

Paul Bourgeois Halifax, Canada November 25, 2014

This is what I love about Judaism A person doesn't get it unless they live it. The process of spirituality within a given path, within Judaism, is not a process of argument, it is a process of inquiry and discovery. Discovery of Truth. The question is not "IF" G-d Exists but "How". How can we be separate entities and reincarnate and how can we be One People at the same time?

And How does this all this apply to the people of the nations? That's a very interesting question, because there are a lot of us hanging off the Chabad website looking for guidance, or looking to express our egos. Reply

Paul Bourgeois November 25, 2014

Does G-d have an Ego The question was asked. I think it is a good one. God is One, certainly, and created the universe and man and everything within this reality, and all realities everywhere, exist Within G-d and is sustained by G-d. I think back to an Hassidic story about a man seeking enlightenment through Kabbalistic meditation. The rabbi tells him that until he is ready to see a personal insult in the same way as a compliment he is not ready to ascend to the next level. Meaning, to come closer to G-d and understand our place we must discard ego.

No, G-d does not have ego, but we, at this level of existence do, and to understand our place at this initial level we must see G-d through our own egos, our ideas of foundation and birth and glory and victory and beauty and judgement and mercy and knowledge and understanding and wisdom and we make up names and meditate ourselves up the ladder. I think at each level you have to say "Shema, G-d is One." We have egos, and that separates us from each other. Reply

Mary North Highlands November 19, 2014

All things are possible if you can believe.. you can call it ancestral memory or reincarnation.. the fact is it exists.. I can remember five of my past life experiences.. now am I remembering something that was apart of my ancestral passed or something that was the me of the passed... the thing is they are not the me I am now but what existed in the past of my heritage.. They lived there lives according to their time and I live mine according to my time line.. As you look into you.. you should see all the way back to Adam it was there that the oneness was all in all.. the potential you existed then and you exist now.. and in the future all will exist as one once more.. Reply

Darmaan Khan November 19, 2014

My next question is that Does God also have a self or ego because in all the sacred books like Torah and Quran etc he also mentions and claims every thing which certainly is his, but when he says: "My people!" or "who i am, i am" etc so he talks in the same way that we the human beings do. Should it mean God also has an ego and self?
And if ego is the real mankind(which is not) then who is that when i claim even my self and ego? and who is that who claims "i am as i am?". Reply

Anonymous November 19, 2014

i am a pakistani and not jewish but interested to know from everywhere that can satisfy me. i have a few question from the philosopher Rabbi?
1. why do CHABAD writes God as G-d?
2. i could get only 25% from this video due to my poor listening skills, anyhow what i got gives way to lot of sub-questions for example if a dead body has no thinking, experience and memory as well and therefore the "I" or "me" inside him go away, okay to this extent but what about that person who remains unconsciousness for years in coma but his self or ego still needs food, water and shivers with cold etc and if he comes to conscience again then how will he beileve that he remained in such a condition for so long because his memory was temporarily died but not his brain as it was aware of feeling the need of food and temperature for him? And if he dies in coma then will not it be a second death? the first from going into coma and the second from dying in coma? Isn't it a dual death to his self? Reply

Jaimee Canada November 17, 2014

I have yet to listen to the Rabbi. However, I am intuitively a believer of reincarnation. I am not a weirdo, as a matter of fact to see me you would not think of me to believe. I do. I have 100% experienced reincarnation n have factually reason that it is "real".
I struggle with; how to understand the lesson; letting go of the reincarnated person to move forward onto the next soul to learn. Does any of this make sense to anyone.
JR in Canada /US Reply

Hypatia Atheiria lincoln UK November 17, 2014

reincarnation I have a problem with reincarnation, whether you take humans as coming from an original couple or you take it as humans appearing slowly via evolution, there is a problem, if humans came from a 'first couple' then they can be said to have 'souls' now their children would also have to have their own 'souls' the parents not yet being dead so if reincarnation is real than at some point someone had to be born without a soul so that the previous soul could pass to them so therefore reincarnation has to assume that at least one human is born souless but that would not work - if humans have 'souls' then surely all humans have them but for reincarnation to work- some 'souls' have to be expunged by the reincarnating soul what happens to the new 'soul when the reincarnating soul kicks it out?

the same problem is also manifested if humans evolved Reply

Charlene June 13, 2017

in response to Hypatia Atheiria:

Not necessarily. If any the children of the "first couple" died before their parent(s), that would be a solution to the problem you pose, I think. Reply

vincent meijer The Haque November 13, 2014

couple of questions There is this well known question of a woman who was married to 2 men, who will she be with after the resurection of the dead? ( I remember the question but I forgot the answer.)
Is this only about Jewish souls? What about the souls of bad non Jewish people who were bad to the Jewish people, I thought Onkolos saw the soul of Hadrian being tortured in Gehinom. So there is such a thing, will Hadrians' soul ever be reincarnated? Where and why did his soul originate? Or is his soul now just awaiting final judgement? Is a non Jewish person even allowed to watch a video like this? What about the soulcorrection of a person with a jewish father? Where did his soul originate ? Reply

karen November 12, 2014

I believe that reincarnation is reborn of body and spirit and the soul is either fallen or dead but will resurrect in the end. What is a body reincarnated but with a dead soul being born every time, is this true? Reply

Llewellyn V. Lee London, UK November 12, 2014

I greatly enjoyed this talk The in-depth discussion of the Adam Kadmon was fascinating!!

Also very much enjoyed your short discussion about kashrut foods. Particularly, about how when eating meat one must be very careful, because of the possibility of ingesting sparks of living souls that haven't yet been elevated.

"The Torah could be given only to eaters of manna" (Midrash Mechitta, Beshalach 17).

Also very much enjoyed the bit about how colour vibration is related to human traits: blue (chesed), etc.

Tikkun, however, i've heard translated as several different meanings: "correction", or, as you have, "perfection" ... might it be also perceived as "completion"?

Reply

Tom McCaffrey Ireland November 12, 2014

We must be respectful of the learned Rabbi in making a comment. There is always the possibility of human reasoning interpreting a contradiction of accepted teaching, but it does appear there is only one life to be lived on this Earth and an afterlife in the Heavenly Courts. We will all be judged at the time of the Resurrection. Reply

Anonymous New York November 12, 2014

Many of these questions are answered Many of these very important questions are answered in Rav Pinson's books on these topics. 1) Reincarnation & Judaism: The Journey of the Soul. 2) Jewish Wisdom on the Afterlife. 3) Reclaiming the Self: The Path to Teshusvah. Reply

Allan Koven Anaheim, Ca. November 12, 2014

There is just no way you can know. It is all conjecture and none of it makes sense as HaShem knows all we will do. It is all determined before our birth. Why feed this
philosophy to the Jewish people. To get them to do good? Silly and unproductive. Reply

Paul Bourgeois November 12, 2014

Just thinking as I go. Adom Kadmon represents Unity. This is "echod"/one. This is our connection to G-d, as in the Shema. Adam and Eve Eating from the tree of Knowledge represents Duality/analytical thought/separation. The identification of an Adam and an Eve means that now the Adom Kadmon soul is separated into 613 then billions and billions of souls. But at the level of G-d all souls are one. Reply

ATM SF Bay Area November 12, 2014

One thing One thing. According to Buddhist and Hindu thought, reincarnation is not desirable. It would be a sign of failing to get off the wheel of life. Reply

Alan Klein Monroe Township, New Jersey November 12, 2014

I hope this isn't my seventh. I still have more work to do. Reply

Hal D November 11, 2014

I think reincarnation is possible. Do I believe in it? Not sure. I would never say it is not possible. Why would I limit G_d? We cannot begin to understand what is possible. Anyone saying it isn't biblical please clear up what bible you mean. Reply

What Is Reincarnation?: An Introduction to Jewish Beliefs About Past Lives

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