Do Orthodox Jews Believe in Reincarnation?

Do Orthodox Jews Believe in Reincarnation?

This one surprises a lot of people. When they think of reincarnation, they think of Hinduism or Buddhism, not Judaism. But the concept of reincarnation has a long and significant history in Jewish thought — particularly in the mystical tradition known as Kabbalah.

The short answer is: many Orthodox Jews do believe in reincarnation, but it is not a universal or required belief. Where you land on this question often depends on which stream of Orthodoxy you belong to.

Gilgul Neshamot: The Jewish Concept

The Hebrew term for reincarnation is gilgul neshamot (גלגול נשמות), which literally means "the cycling (or rolling) of souls." The idea is that a soul may return to this world in a new body to complete a spiritual mission it did not finish in a previous life, to repair (tikun) something it damaged, or to achieve a higher level of spiritual refinement.

This is not identical to reincarnation as understood in Eastern religions. In the Jewish mystical framework:

• Reincarnation is not an endless cycle — it has a purpose and an endpoint
• The soul returns to complete specific spiritual tasks
• A soul might reincarnate only once or several times, depending on what it needs to accomplish
• The ultimate goal is for the soul to achieve its full tikun (repair/rectification) and reach its place in the World to Come

Where Does This Idea Come From?

Gilgul neshamot is not mentioned explicitly in the Torah, Talmud, or Mishnah. It first appears prominently in the works of the early Kabbalists, particularly in the Zohar — the foundational text of Jewish mysticism, traditionally attributed to the 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai but compiled in the 13th century.

The concept was developed extensively by Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (the Arizal) in 16th-century Tzfat (Safed), Israel. The Arizal's teachings on reincarnation are collected in a work called Sha'ar HaGilgulim (Gate of Reincarnations), which describes in remarkable detail how souls cycle through different bodies and lifetimes.

Rabbi Chaim Vital, the Arizal's primary student, recorded these teachings and they became enormously influential in Jewish thought, especially among Sephardic and later Hasidic communities.

Who Believes and Who Does Not

Hasidic Jews generally accept gilgul neshamot as a fundamental part of their worldview. Hasidism is deeply rooted in Kabbalah, and concepts like reincarnation are woven into Hasidic teachings, stories, and everyday conversation. Many Hasidic tales involve souls returning to complete their mission or encountering people they knew in previous lives.

Sephardic communities have historically been more receptive to Kabbalistic ideas, and many Sephardic authorities accept the concept of gilgul. The Zohar and the teachings of the Arizal hold enormous weight in Sephardic tradition.

Yeshivish (Litvish) communities have a more mixed relationship with the idea. While many respect the Kabbalistic sources that discuss it, the Litvish tradition tends to emphasize Talmudic study over mysticism. Some Yeshivish Jews accept gilgul, others are neutral, and some are skeptical.

Rationalist Orthodox thinkers tend to reject or minimize the concept. The Rambam (Maimonides), the greatest Jewish rationalist philosopher, does not mention reincarnation in his writings, and some scholars believe he would have rejected it. Modern rationalist Orthodox thinkers often follow this approach, emphasizing that gilgul is not one of the Rambam's Thirteen Principles of Faith and is therefore not a required Jewish belief.

What It Is NOT

Jewish reincarnation should not be confused with several related but different ideas:

• It is not karma in the Hindu/Buddhist sense — Judaism does not teach that your circumstances in this life are punishment for a past life
• It is not transmigration into animals according to most authorities (though some Kabbalistic texts do discuss this as a rare occurrence)
• It is not a replacement for the afterlife — Judaism teaches that the soul goes to the World to Come (Olam Haba), and reincarnation is seen as a process that happens before the soul reaches its final destination

The Practical Impact

Even among Jews who believe in reincarnation, it does not dramatically change daily religious practice. You still keep the Torah">mitzvot, study Torah, and try to be a good person regardless of whether you think this is your first time around or your fifth.

Where gilgul does show up in practical Jewish life:

• Comfort in suffering: Some people find comfort in the idea that unexplained suffering might be connected to a soul's journey of repair across lifetimes
• Naming children: In some communities, naming a child after a deceased relative is connected to the idea that the relative's soul has some connection to the new child
• Certain prayers: The bedtime Shema includes a passage in which some people forgive anyone who may have wronged them in this life or a previous one

I find the concept of gilgul fascinating whether or not you take it literally. At its core, it teaches that every soul has a purpose, that our actions in this world matter deeply, and that the universe is oriented toward repair and completion. Those are beautiful ideas regardless of how you understand the mechanism behind them.