Fear of Dying
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4 NIV
No more death – Are you afraid to die? Before you answer with the “hoped-for next world eternal existence of the soul” paradigm, remember that dying has been the human problem since the beginning (or shortly after). Salvation (and heaven) is an answer to dying, not sinning. In the Tanakh, sin is resolved by death. In a world where there is no “after” life, once the sinner dies, the account is closed. The problem in the Bible isn’t dying; it’s dying before you pay. It’s the problem of the wicked getting away with it. It’s the problem of justice. What can you really do to a dead man? And since the Bible specifically states that children do not pay for the sins of the fathers, that leaves only one other solution—payment in another life, a solution that is not found in the Tanakh. Greek ingenuity came up with this answer, helped along by Parmenides’ postulate of the eternal existence of the soul. It’s pretty clear that the dead body can’t pay. It’s dust and ashes. But if the “soul” survives, ah, then we have something that can be punished or rewarded. This Parmenidean/platonic idea made its way into the thinking of the Mediterranean world via Hellenism, and pretty soon both Jewish and pagan cultures embraced concepts of heaven and hell, concepts that easily migrated into the Christian Church. The wicked will pay, if not here and now then later, in the next world. And for that to happen, there has to be a “next world.” Voilà: the apocalypse of John.
But this isn’t quite kosher. As Soloveitchik says, “Halakhic man is afraid of death; the dread of dissolution oftentimes seizes hold of him.”[1] His point isn’t that there is no heaven or hell. He was a contemporary orthodox rabbi. There is an ‘olam ha’ba (the world coming). No, his point is that death is terrifying, even if there is another world. Why? Why should we be afraid of death if we have the promise of life afterward? Well, for the moment this is the only life we have, and death ends it. Our achievements, our purposes, our identity, our hopes and dreams are all here and now. Soloveitchik continues:
Death stalks him, nihility hunts him; the creation, out of an indifference that is sometimes clothed in the guise of terrifying hatred, shows him a taunting visage, mocks his heart’s desires, derides his lofty hope and frustrates his initiatives. In the universe, grief exceeds joy, disappointment dominates over fulfillment, opacity overcomes illumination and understanding. Man wishes to triumph over death, to turn senseless fate into a spiritual destiny with a clear direction, and to achieve both a joyful temporal existence and eternal life. He yearns for God so as to take shelter under His wings and repose in His shadow, where he will find what His heart desires.”[2]
What is the solution? A God of mercy! A God who will quell the fears, offer solace, show love and affection. “Comfort me, O Lord, and let me not die unfulfilled.” I run to God for escape from the fear of death. What I don’t realize is that I am running to a God who expects something in return.
“The terror of the shadow of death and the desire for repose draw man toward God. At this stage, man is still unaware of the demand that accompanies his drawing closer to God, namely, to follow a particular way of life; he is unaware of the commandments. In this state, man is unafraid and unworried that God may dictate, demand, force, reprove, and punish. He sees God only as the merciful Father embracing His son and granting him a wealth of kisses showing love and special affection.”[3]
This is the difference between the salvation of Christianity (free grace) and the rescue of Judaism (Torah observance). The Christian message is certainly more appealing to the man who only wants escape, but it is, unfortunately, a truncated story. Perhaps a half-truth is still truth, but the day will come when the other half was necessary—and missing. Perhaps Jack Nicholson’s comment in the movie The Departed was prescient: “We all die. Live accordingly.”
Topical Index: death, heaven, Halakhah, Soloveitchik, Revelation 21:4
[1] Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Halakhic Man (JPS, 1983), p. 36.
[2] Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, And From There You Shall Seek, trans. Naomi Goldblum (Ktav Publishing House, 2008), pp. 47-48.
[3] Ibid.
