Reincarnation

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim

Reincarnation—not found in Torah—refers to the belief in the dead returning to Earth alive, as another person, as a last time fix of the person’s imperfections from a previous life. Resurrection—the Torah principle—refers to a one-time event when God will revive the dead as the people they were. 

While Jews may believe in reincarnation, they also believe red bendels possess powers. We don't follow the masses; we follow only what is reasonable, proven, or found in Torah. Saadia Gaon outright rejected reincarnation with many arguments. 

Furthermore, as reincarnation is not demonstrable, it is limited to the realm of belief, and thus, cannot be proven. Therefore, the thrust of accepting it is found in man's emotional makeup, which must be questioned.

The theory too is not sensical, as it rejects free will in that a given person is required to be reincarnated from another person, and could not achieve human perfection by his own free will. Furthermore, the reincarnated person is now said to be acting as a new person, juggling who the living person truly is. Meaning, the reincarnated person and the new person are one and the same...somehow. A confusing opinion, like the trinity being both one and three.

Finally, Isaiah states that “no eye has seen the next world except for God.” Therefore, man knows nothing concerning existence after death.

As there are opposing views, how do we decide if a view is correct? Both cannot be correct. Merely quoting a person or rabbi who supports reincarnation does not prove reincarnation exists, nor is one confirming a truth by such quotations. We are coerced to either the use of our minds to arrive at a conclusion, or to abstain from making one.