Does the Soul Survive? (2nd Edition): A Jewish Journey to Belief in Afterlife, Past Lives & Living with Purpose

Near-death experiences? Past-life regression? Reincarnation? Are these sorts of things Jewish?

"Belief in survival of the soul goes against the scientific model, which assumes that all phenomena are physical, are grounded in time, can be measured and have a rational explanation. Although there is no proof of heaven, there is evidence worthy of careful examination.... I invite you to read the many stories ahead that convey my own deliberations in the jury box and encourage you to come to your own conclusions."
—from the Preface

Includes discussion guide for book clubs and study groups.

With candor, questioning and sharp-eyed scholarship, Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz recounts personal experiences and the firsthand accounts others have shared with him, which propelled his own journey from skeptic to believer that, indeed, the soul does survive bodily death.

From near-death experiences to reincarnation, past-life memory to the work of mediums, Rabbi Spitz explores what we are really able to know about the afterlife, and draws on Jewish texts to share that belief in these concepts—so often approached with reluctance—is in fact true to Jewish tradition.

In this updated second edition, Rabbi Spitz looks squarely at both sides of the issues, addressing, for example, the discrepancies in afterlife and reincarnation accounts. A new preface explains the impact the book had when first published and the ongoing conversation about the nature of our existence that has resulted.