Reincarnation

Beliefs

The concept of souls being reborn in other bodies or things after death is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible or in classical rabbinic texts like the Mishnah and Talmud but is discussed in later kabbalistic texts and works of Jewish thought. Some of these texts debate the existence of reincarnation, while others explain the purpose of reincarnation, how some biblical figures were reincarnations of other biblical figures, and how certain commandments in the Torah help facilitate the process of reincarnation.

Notable Sources

All Sources

Prompt Burial And Reincarnation

KABBALAH

Prompt burial in accordance with Jewish law is considered crucial for the soul's transition and the possibility of reincarnation. The Zohar, a foundational work of Jewish mysticism, explains the importance of proper burial.

After the soul has left the body and the body remains without breath, it is forbidden to keep it unburied. For a dead body which is left unburied for twenty-four hours causes a weakness in the limbs of the Chariot and prevents God’s design from being fulfilled; for perhaps God decreed that he should undergo a transmigration at once on the day that he died, which would be better for him, but as long as the body is not buried the soul cannot go into the presence of the Holy One nor be transferred into another body…

Zohar, Emor 2:7

The Compassionate Cycle of Reincarnation

KABBALAH

Reincarnation offers a compassionate path for souls to achieve completion and fulfillment through multiple lifetimes. Rabbi Moses Cordovero, a 16th-century kabbalist, explores the justice and purpose behind reincarnation in his work on Jewish mysticism.

And also, will God rob a man [alluding to Malachi 3:9]? Granted that this evil man, from his evil impulse, questions the righteous deeds that he has done. However the poor pure soul that merited a little of the garment, why should it be stripped naked like the day it was born after it has received its punishment? As this is not the letter of the law. For it is actually the way of souls that this one completes a little, and this one completes a little until the soul is completed to be one man [from many] bodies…

Pardes Rimmonim 31:7:4-5

The Mystical Secrets of Forbidden Unions

COMMENTARY

Biblical commentators set out to explain the reasoning behind the Torah's prohibition on certain sexual relationships. Ramban, a 13th-century Spanish scholar, suggests a mystical explanation that hints at a connection to the concept of reincarnation.

NONE OF YOU SHALL APPROACH TO ANY THAT IS NEAR OF KIN TO HIM, TO UNCOVER THEIR NAKEDNESS. The reason for the prohibition of sexual relationships with one’s near of kin is not expressly written [in the Torah]. The Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in the Moreh Nebuchim that [this law seeks to inculcate the lessons that] we should limit sexual intercourse, hold it in contempt, and perform it rarely. Now these women which Scripture has forbidden amongst the relatives of one’s wife are forbidden because they are constantly together with him in his house…

Ramban on Leviticus 18:6:1

The Mystical Concept of Ibur

KABBALAH

In Sha'ar HaGilgulim, Rabbi Chaim Vital, a primary disciple of the Rabbi Isaac Luria, delves into the mystical concept of soul reincarnation and rectification. In this passage, he discusses the concept of 'Ibur,' where the soul of a righteous person temporarily enters another person's body.

Here, the Ibur can happen for two reasons. The first is, that through the Ibur of the Nefesh of a Tzaddik into this person, [the Tzaddik] helps him rectify his Nefesh. And through his merits, he [the person] is able to rise in the Olam Haba to the high level of this Tzaddik. The reason is that this Tzaddik helps him and raises him so that he can add on mitzvos and holiness, and this is the reason he enters the person. A second reason is to benefit the Tzaddik himself which enters into the person -- because when he raises the person up and helps him to add mitzvos and rectifications…

Sha'ar HaGilgulim 2:13

Reincarnation and Spiritual Refinement

MUSAR

In the 17th-century work Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz delves into the mystical idea of reincarnation and its impact on spiritual refinement. In this text, he claims the killing of the Egyptian by Moses was a significant spiritual event that resolved the ancient jealousy between Cain and Abel.

The problem is that if the daughters wanted to describe the cause of their rescue, why did they not mention the immediate cause, i.e. the fact that Datan and Aviram had informed against Moses to Pharaoh thus forcing Moses to flee for his life? Or take the even more immediate cause, Pharaoh's decree to have Moses executed? The answer is that the killing of the Egyptian was not an occurrence of secondary importance; rather it was a primary occurrence. It was the lower life form, נפש, of Cain that was killed when Moses struck that Egyptian…

Shenei Luchot HaBerit, Torah Shebikhtav, Shemot, Torah Ohr 16

Reincarnation to Fulfill Destiny

CHASIDUT

The Sefat Emet, a collection of teachings by Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter of Ger, explores the mystical notion of souls reincarnating to complete their divine missions. In this story he tells the story of how the souls of Nadav and Avihu enter into Pinchas.

It is found in the holy Zohar that the souls of Nadav and Avihu were transferred into Phinehas. For behold, it is written there (Leviticus 10:6), and your brothers, the entire House of Israel, are to weep over the burning, etc.. Yet we did not see explicitly that the House of Israel wept about the death of Nadav and Abihu. But it is possible that it hints to this story, as it is written, before the eyes of Moses, etc. the entire congregation of Israel, who were weeping (Numbers 25:6)…

Sefat Emet, Numbers, Pinchas 23:2

Reincarnation And Levirate Marriage

COMMENTARY

According to kabbalistic teachings, the refusal to perform yibbum (levirate marriage) is seen as an act of cruelty towards the deceased's soul. Rabbi Bachya ben Asher, a 13th-century Spanish commentator, explores the symbolic meanings and spiritual implications of the yibbum rituals.

A Kabbalistic approach: the institution of the levirate marriage is of great value to the soul of the departed. It is a known fact that a soul derives added enjoyment when it is allowed to resurface (be re-incarnated) as a member of the family it had once belonged to seeing it already feels that it belongs. This is why the Torah writes in its introduction of this subject: “when brothers dwell together” (verse 4). Our sages (Yevamot 17) interpret these words as meaning that the rule of the levirate marriage applies only if both brothers lived on earth at one and the same time, however, briefly…

Rabbeinu Bahya, Devarim 25:9:4

Questioning Reincarnation

JEWISH THOUGHT

Joseph Albo critically examines the kabbalistic belief in reincarnation, questioning the logic and necessity of a soul returning to another body after achieving free agency. In his 15th-century philosophical work, Sefer HaIkkarim, Rabbi Joseph Albo challenges the concept of gilgul, or soul transmigration, which is a debated topic within Jewish thought.

From this the Cabalists derived the doctrine of transmigration. Since the true opinion is, according to the Torah,—so they argued—that the soul is not a material power but an independent substance, as we said before, then just as the spiritual substance entered the human body when it was created, it is possible that after having functioned in one human body, it may return and live in another. But this is not correct. The divine Wisdom did indeed decree that the spiritual substance, which by its nature is not a free agent…

Sefer HaIkkarim, Maamar 4 29:15

The Reincarnation of Jeremiah

MUSAR

The 17th-century ethical and mystical work, Kav HaYashar, recounts the journey of Rabbi Avraham, author of Tikkunei Shabbos, to spiritual rectification at the Western Wall. This passage refers to Rabbi Avraham as the reincarnation of the prophet Jeremiah.

The Ari, z”l, used to speak with enthusiasm about Rabbi Avraham’s piety, saying that he was reincarnation of the prophet Yirmeyahu. One time the Ari said to him, “You must know that your days are completed and the time has come for you to die unless you perform the rectification procedure that I will teach you. But if you do perform it, then you will live for another twenty-two years. Your rectification is to go to Jerusalem to pray by the Western Wall and pour out your supplications. Then you will merit to behold the Shechinah…

Kav HaYashar 93:8

The Reason for Reincarnation

CHASIDUT

In the late 18th-century foundational text of Chabad Chasidic philosophy, the Tanya, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi explains the necessity of reincarnation for the completion and correction of the soul. This passage asserts that every soul must be reincarnated multiple times to fulfill all 613 commandments of the Torah completely.

However, it is well known that the Arizal stated that every person of Israel needs to be reincarnated many times until he has fulfilled all 613 commandments of the Torah in thought, speech, and action. This is in order to complete the garments of his soul and to correct them, so that there will not be a missing garment…. [Excepted are the commandments incumbent upon the king, because he discharges all of Israel, as he is the omneity of them all.] The reason is in order to garb all the 613 aspects and powers in one’s soul, so that “Not one of them shall be lacking.”

Tanya, Part IV; Iggeret HaKodesh 29:4

Soul's Path to Fulfillment

KABBALAH

The soul achieves completion through the fulfillment of the 613 commandments, with only the parts needing rectification returning for another chance. In his 18th-century work, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) delves into how the soul's journey is designed for spiritual rectification and growth.

Le TIKOUN de la NECHAMAH se fait par le GUILGOUL (réincarnation) et le IBOUR (greffe). Comment ? Le service de la NECHAMAH se fait par les 613 MITSVOT et leur accomplissement total l’élève jusqu’à son repos et si elle n’y parvient pas elle revient [dans le monde] en se réincarnant. Pas toute l’âme se réincarne mais seulement la partie qui nécessite un TIKOUN. Qu’est-ce qu’un GUILGOUL ? Qu’est-ce qu’un IBOUR ? Le GUILGOUL s'étend de la naissance à la mort. Le IBOUR peut commencer et se terminer à tout moment…

Asarah Perakim LeRamchal 10:2-3

Good, Evil, and the Reincarnated Soul

CHASIDUT

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, in his early 19th-century work Likutei Moharan, delves into the mystical concept of reincarnation and the soul's potential for both righteousness and wickedness. According to this passage, reincarnation offers the potential for both spiritual improvement and decay depending on an individual's inclinations and actions.

Occasionally, the tzaddik rectifies the soul that is reincarnated in him; and similarly, the wicked man corrupts the holy soul that is reincarnated in him. But of the beginning, when the soul arrives, the verse states, “there are tzaddikim….” For when an evil soul from evil yearnings first reaches him, thoughts of sinning certainly occur to him. But afterwards, it is possible that they will cause him to sin, and it is possible that he will rectify the soul. Similarly, “there are wicked men….” When a holy soul from holy yearnings first reaches him, thoughts of repenting certainly occur to him…

Likutei Moharan 31:15:5

Reincarnation and the Holy Temple

CHASIDUT

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s teachings in Likutei Etzot emphasizes the practice of Tikkun Chatzot, a midnight prayer mourning the destruction of the Temple. In his pleas for the recital of this prayer, he suggests that any person might have been responsible for the destruction of the Temple in a previous incarnation.

The exile has already lasted so long. God is only waiting for the moment to return to us and rebuild the Holy Temple. It could happen at any time. Our task is to see that from our side we do nothing to obstruct the rebuilding of the Temple. On the contrary, we must make every effort to hasten it. This is why we should be so careful to get up each night at midnight and mourn for the destruction of the Holy Temple. Perhaps in a previous incarnation we ourselves were responsible for something which brought about the destruction of the Temple…

Likkutei Etzot, Midnight 4

Unveiling Past Lives

JEWISH THOUGHT

The afflictions and occurrences in a life may be directly related to the actions of the soul in previous incarnations. In his 18th-century work, Derekh Hashem, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) explains how the Supreme Wisdom ensures that each soul has the opportunity to rectify past wrongs and achieve perfection through multiple lifetimes.

Afflictions to a man from the reincarnation of his soul: There is [yet] another principle found in the direction of the matters of this world. And that is that the Supreme Wisdom arranged to expand salvation more, as we have mentioned, such that one soul comes to this world at various times in different bodies. And behold through this, it may repair at a different time what it corrupted in a [previous] time; or perfect what it did not perfect. However at the end of all the incarnations in the judgement in the future to come, the trial will surely be regarding [the soul]…

Derekh Hashem, Part Two, On Personal Providence 10

The Infinite Journey of Souls

KABBALAH

The continuous and limitless nature of the soul's reincarnation means that each soul brings a unique aspect of the Torah, contributing to an ever-increasing understanding and knowledge without end. Rabbi Avraham Azulai’s 17th-century kabbalistic work, Chesed LeAvraham, offers insights into the nature of souls and their reincarnation.

The secret in this is that it is known that the Torah, the souls, and time are the sefirot that revolve upwards in one matter and share one attribution. For time is the secret of the rotation of the sefirot, with a certain count of sefirot during the day, a different count during the night, and another count on the Sabbath. The time from the creation of the world until the rotation of the sefirot is not the time that continues to revolve; rather, it is only new aspects, as the order of times has no end…

Chesed LeAvraham, Even Shetiya, Maayan 2 36:4

Correcting Past Lives Through Prayer

CHASIDUT

Genuine prayer and personal spiritual effort can correct the damage caused by sins across different incarnations. Rabbi Nathan of Breslov’s collection of prayers, Likutei Tefilot, is designed to help individuals seek spiritual growth and divine assistance.

Help me come to genuine prayer, so that the light of true wisdom will be opened up for me and I will be able to clarify the Halakhah and come to the right decisions. I will then have the power to sift out the good from the bad in all the worlds and correct all the damage caused by my sins, whether in this incarnation or another. Fulfil all the requests of my heart for good, and let me see everything I need and ask for come to fruition.

Likutei Tefilot, Volume I 8:20

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