What I don't think does persist is our ability to perceive, remember and be self-aware.
Well this is the reason most "spiritual paths" to use a simplistic label....
teach that we must become "saved"; by saved, I mean we must enter through some form of spiritual transformation....
Without this transformation we indeed do not "remember" or are self aware...the personality dies, now of course it gets complex with rebirth and reincarnation (which are not the same thing) which is also found in Judaism, those silly Jews have changed their mind about death many times over the centuries...
...
Afterlife
by Ilil Arbel, Ph.D.
This article is based on a large number Talmudic legends, and on
statements from the Zohar.
From its inception, Judaism did not dwell on the afterlife. The Jew
followed the will of God for its own sake, not for reward in Heaven
or for fear of punishment in Hell. It is inevitable, though, that a
religion as old as Judaism would develop some thoughts regarding the
afterlife, particularly since association with people of other
religions exposed the Jews to many theories. However, the
disinclination to stress the afterlife resulted in diverse opinions
that were never combined into one dominant theory. Some of these
thoughts even contradict one another, and they served as a base to
fascinating myth and folklore.
The Structure of the Soul
A human being on earth unites two parts -- a body and a soul. Each
part is extremely complex in structure and consists of multiple
components. While the body's structure is reasonably well understood,
the structure of the soul is a mystery many tried to analyze. One
Talmudic opinion divides it into three major segments:
Nefesh: the lower, animal part, related to the instincts and to the
reactions of the body.
Ruach: the spirit, or the middle soul, linked to the understanding of
morality and the ability to differentiate between good and evil.
Neshama: the higher soul, linked to the intellect, and separating
humanity from all other life forms. It allows the person to be aware
of God, and to participate in the afterlife.
According to the Zohar, which leans toward a mystical view of the
universe, two additional soul parts may be developed by very few,
select individuals who have the capacity of sublime levels of
intuitive cognition:
Chayyah -- the part of the soul that is aware of the divine life
force.
Yehidah -- the highest part of the soul, capable of achieving full
union with God.
When the body dies, the soul components come apart, and each segment
follows a separate road. The lower parts must undergo purification;
the higher parts aim to join with God. Nefesh remains with the body
for about twelve months, guarding the grave and occasionally roaming
the earth for the purpose of learning. Ruach goes to Gehinnom
(Purgatory), to purge itself from the sins the person committed in
life, and prepare for the future life of the soul. Neshama goes to
the lower Gan Eden (Paradise), Chayyah and Yehida return to Upper Gan
Eden.
The Stages of the Journey
In rabbinic teachings, Olam Haba took many shapes and forms. To some,
it is simply our own fully physical world, made better after the
coming of the Messiah. To others it means Paradise, a spiritual
place. Often, a journey is described, where the soul will encounter
certain stages:
Hibbut ha-kever (the suffering of the grave)
A Jew who truly believes in God has little fear of dying. He sees
death as a simple transition from one life to another. God will be
the same there as He is here, and that is all that matters because in
either life the one goal is to serve Him. The separation of body and
soul is as simple, according to Talmudic transition, as removing a
hair out of a glass of milk.
To the less than perfectly pure, the separation can be more
difficult. The soul of the worldly Jew strongly identifies with the
body -- an erroneous but powerful notion that makes watching the body
undergo decay and be eaten by worms extremely unpleasant. However,
this mental agony serves a purpose; it awakens the soul from its
wrong assumptions and allows the separation from the body to occur.
Dumah (the angel of silence)
....................
The Option of Reincarnation
Once in the Olam Haba, the soul cannot acquire new good deeds or
blessings, only the enrichment of the understanding of the life it
led on earth. After the soul learned all that Heaven can teach it
following a particular life, it may apply for reincarnation so that
it can learn from new circumstances or acquire additional good deeds.
But helping oneself is not the only reason to come back to earth.
Some souls are so loving, they wish to go back to earth to help
others. Some want to correct any wrong doing they committed.
Reincarnation is entirely voluntary, and the soul can apply for this
privilege at any time -- before or after Gehinnom, anytime in Gan
Eden -- until they have created a spiritual body for itself. The
spiritual body is the last step before the ultimate goal -- total
merging with God.
The dead may come back to earth without full reincarnation by
temporarily entering the body of a living human being. Ibbur, a
benign form of such union, is done to help the living person, or for
performing a few good deeds. Dybbuk, on the other hand, is a negative
form of possession, which is experienced when the soul gives way to
negative feelings of revenge and unhappiness. In this case, a rabbi
must educate the possessing spirit and persuade it to find peace and
leave the world of the living.
extract from: Afterlife « Prayers and Reflections
