Biblical Gehinom

[rabbiyitz]

Where in the Tanakh [Hebrew Bible] does it say that there is a place of purification for the souls? Is this Biblical or purely Rabbinical?

An abreviated Tractate Gehinom. (This was borrowed from the ethics classic "Reishis Chochma," chapter 13 of the book "Gate of Fear" which has a section by that name.)

In Kings 2, Chapter 23, Verse 10, it speaks of a valley outside of Jerusalem which belonged to a man named Ben Hinom. The Hebrew word for valley is "gai"; thus "Gai Ben Hinom," the Valley of Ben Hinom. This valley was also referred to as Tiftah (derived from the word Pitui which menas enticement), or Tofes which is derived from the word Tof, which means drum.

During a period of time when idol worship infiltrated into the land, this valley was the site of a statue of an idol called Molech which is mentioned in the Torah also. The way this idol was worshipped was that a fire was set inside the brass hollow idol which had the face of a calf and the body of a man with outstretched arms. Parents brought one of their children as a sacrifice. The priests of the idol would take the baby from the parents and place it on the outstretched arms of the Molech, and the baby would be burned up by the heat of the fire. There were platforms where drummers stood beating the drums to drown out the cries of the babies. Thus the name Tofes and the concept of being consumed by fire.

The term Gehinom or "Gai Ben Hinom" is also found in other places in Kings and Chronicles.

The other references to Gehinom, as we know it to be a spiritual place for souls who merit to undergo a temporary period of purification from their unrepentant sins, are mentioned only in the Oral Torah. Our Rabbis teach that this place has seven names, and these names are derived from various verses in Tanach: Sheol (Jonah 2:3); Avadon (Psalms 88:12); Beer Shachas (Psalms 55:24); Bor, Sheon and Teet Hayaven (Psalms 40:3); Tzalmaves (Psalms 107:10); and Eretz Tachtis. The Talmud in Tractate Nedarim says that seven things were created previous to this world: Torah, Repentance, Gan Eden (the heavenly paradise), Gehinom (the purgatory), the Heavenly Throne, the Bais HaMikdosh (Holy Temple), and the name of Moshiach (the Messiah who will be born as a patrilinear descendent from kings David and Solomon). The Talmud in Tractate Pesachim teaches that the spiritual fire of Gehinom was created on the second day of creation.

Without going into detail, the Zohar teaches that there are seven levels of Gehinom and each level deals with a different category of sin.