Do you pray for the Dead?

[Mountainmanbob]

Seems the Bible says once to die and then to be with the Lord.

That message would be for the ones heading to heaven.

For the others once to die and then to be in the hot place.

After their deaths prayers for these two would seem meaningless?

Although I do thank God often for ones that He has put into my life that have passed on.

M-Bob

 

[Dave-W]

If yes, then what is the purpose and where do you get it from?
Thanks for your time.

No I do not.

I do say Kaddish for my family who has gone on. It is a remembrance of the good in my life that they were.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

No I do not.

I do say Kaddish for my family who has gone on. It is a remembrance of the good in my life that they were.

I had to look that one up.
M-Bob

Kad·dish
/ˈkädiSH/
noun
an ancient Jewish prayer sequence regularly recited in the synagogue service, including thanksgiving and praise and concluding with a prayer for universal peace.
a form of Kaddish recited for the dead.

 

[Dave-W]

I had to look that one up.

Kaddish is part of the base of the Lord’s Prayer aka the Our Father.

While it is said in memory of the dead, it is not a prayer FOR the dead.

It is from Jewish tradition and Jews as a whole do not think about an afterlife.

 

[Shimshon]

I had to look that one up.
M-Bob

You may want to look up this too.

Kel Malei Rachamim Prayer for the soul of the departed (the dead)
​

O G‑d, full of compassion, Who dwells on high, grant true rest upon the wings of the Shechinah (Divine Presence), in the exalted spheres of the holy and pure, who shine as the resplendence of the firmament, to the soul of


(mention his Hebrew name and that of his father)

who has gone to his [supernal] world, for charity has been donated in remembrance of his soul; may his place of rest be in Gan Eden. Therefore, may the All-Merciful One shelter him with the cover of His wings forever, and bind his soul in the bond of life. The Lord is his heritage; may he rest in his resting-place in peace; and let us say: Amen.

​

 

[tampasteve]

It would probably do us well to remember that most/many practicing Jews do not see "hell" or "heaven/paradise" the way Christians do, so prayers for the dead are not quite the same idea as from a Christian perspective.

 

[Not David]

Most MJ do not accept the books of Maccabees to be scripture. They are not included in the Tanach but would be part of the Jewish Apocrypha and viewed in much the same way as Protestants view the Apocrypha. That said, there are MJ Catholics that would accept it, but they are in the minority.

It could not be considered Scriptures but it informs of a practice done by Jews before Christ.

 

[Not David]

It would probably do us well to remember that most/many practicing Jews do not see "hell" or "heaven/paradise" the way Christians do, so prayers for the dead are not quite the same idea as from a Christian perspective.

Could you explain further?

 

[tampasteve]

It could not be considered Scriptures but it informs of a practice done by Jews before Christ.

Since it's not scripture, oral or written, we can't assume it was more or less universal. But yes, we can see that at least some Jews were praying in this manner at that time.

 

[tampasteve]

Could you explain further?

Essentially the Christian concept of Heaven and Hell are not universally agreed upon in Judaism, there is room for debate as to if there is a Hell, and how bad it might be. Further, the concept of a HaSatan figure as understood by Christians is also varying from an agent of God, a prosecutor if you will, to similar to the Christian devil. Here is a pretty good overview:
Heaven and Hell in Jewish Tradition | My Jewish Learning

Messianic Jews beliefs on the subject vary as well.