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Are there non-Jews in Olam Haba (the world to come), either in Gehenom (Hell) or Gan Eden (Heaven)?

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    Please consider translating your terms or linking to translations.
    – Isaac Moses
    Apr 15, 2010 at 2:17

7 Answers 7

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Yes. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 105a; Rosh Hashanah 17a; See also Tosefos on Sanhedrin 13b) states that the wicked people of all nations will go to Gehenom (Hell), and that righteous people of all nations, Jew and non-Jew alike, will got to Gan Eden (Heaven).

The Rambam (Maimonides) writes that anyone who has acquired knowledge of God and follows the Sheva Mitzvot B'nei Noach (7 Noahide Laws) is considered "righteous," and will go to Heaven. (Hilkhot M'lakhim 8:14; Hilkhot Teshuva 3:5)

Rav Yisrael Lipschutz, the Tiferet Yisrael, writes that even the average among the gentiles makes it to Heaven. (Yakhin, Sanhedrin 10:2) As he says,

Even without the holy words of our sages who told us this [i.e., that pious gentiles merit olam ha-ba], we would know this from our intellect because “God is just (Tzaddik H') in all His ways and benevolent (chassid) in all His works (ma`asaw).” (Ps. 145:17) We see that many pious gentiles recognize the Creator, believe in the divinity of Scripture, act compassionately toward Israel, and that some have done great things for the entire world.

Could you imagine that these great deeds will not be rewarded in olam ha-ba? God does not withhold the reward of any creature. Even if you say that these pious ones who keep the seven Noachide commandments would not have the status of a ger toshav (resident alien) because they never made a formal acceptance before a court or because we do not accept gerei toshav in our day, since they do not act like Esau they have a portion in olam ha-ba. (Translated by Rav Yitzchak Blau)

For an extended an in-depth treatment of this topic, please see this article by R' Gil Student.

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  • How do you know he holds that the average gentile makes the cut? Maybe the many pious Gentiles only constitute a small minority. Jul 10, 2014 at 0:38
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    I think his description makes it clear. "Could you imagine that these great deeds will not be rewarded in olam ha-ba?" If one takes that seriously, I think this is the consequence. Normal people do a lot of good things in their lifetimes.
    – MichoelR
    Feb 2, 2021 at 13:56
  • @MichoelR I am with Michoel on this one. It's unfalsifiable, but it makes sense, and seems right, and just, and fair, and why would anyone davka assume that most non-Jews don't make it?
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Jul 20, 2023 at 8:21
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Yes, gentiles can go to the world to come.

This states that they can as long as they're not wicked.

Talmud, Tractate Avodah Zara 10b

Once he[Antonius] asked him[Rabbi]: 'Shall I enter the world to come?' 'Yes!' said Rabbi. 'But,' said Antoninus, 'is it not written, There will be no remnant to the house of Esau?' 'That,' he[Rabbi] replied. 'applies only to those whose evil deeds are like to those of Esau.'

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    Good answer. This is the only one I've seen so far that answers for non-Jews regardless of whether they believe in God or follow the other 7 laws. An atheist with good deeds ought to be able to enter Gan Eden or Olam Haba, due to the principle that everyone is rewarded according to their deeds...
    – Kordovero
    Jan 3, 2021 at 14:02
  • @Kordovero That doesn't make any sense. How would an Atheist know what "good" deeds are (because he doesn't have objective morality)? Would he know based on his logic? If so, if he concludes (as many Atheists have done) that bestiality is fine, would he still merit Olam ha-Ba? If not, it entails that he does need to follow the Noahide laws.
    – GGG
    Nov 30, 2021 at 17:49
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Yes, the Meiri in Beis HaBechirah (Masechet Sanhedrin 47a) says that every gentile have a share in the World to come as long he/she follows the 7 laws.

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HaRav Yosef Mizrahi Shelit"a says non-Jews have olam haba if they keep the seven laws.

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Rashi in Parshas Noach regarding the punishment of the Dor Haflaga, Chapter 11, verse 9:

"...and from there… scattered them": This teaches [us] that they have no share in the world to come (Mishnah Sanh. 107b).

Which implies that otherwise they would get Olam Haba, and they weren't Jewish.

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It was August 1985. I had just finished medical school and was looking for an internship in a hospital in Mexico City where I would not be required to work on Shabbat. I made my petition to Dr. Solorzano, the medical director of the juarez hospital. He accepted immediately and said, " your jefe is my jefe!" Unfortunately he died in the earthquake in sept of 1985. Rabbi David Shwekey said that now that he had the mitzvah in hand , Hashem took him to gan eden. Therefore we can understand that some Christians can merit gan eden –

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My daughter came home from school one day to ask my wife whether my parents (who aren't Jewish) would go to heaven when they die. She happened to see Rabbi Kalman Winter, z'tl, the next day, and posed that question. He said: "You tell your daughter that although her grandparents are not Jewish, there is a place for them in Haolam Haba, especially for the merits her father did since he became Jewish, and for the mitzvos that she does in her life."

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    This answer seems to mainly address the special case of a gentile who happens to have a child who converts.
    – Isaac Moses
    Jan 7, 2013 at 18:40

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