Identity and Information
Our true identity lies not in our physical form but in the information patterns that make up our consciousness—our memories, personality, and thought patterns. This understanding is supported by modern medical advances like organ transplants and theoretical possibilities like memory transfers, which demonstrate that personal identity transcends the physical body. These developments challenge us to reconsider what constitutes the “real you” beyond mere physical existence.
Divine Memory and Consciousness
When a person dies, while their physical body ceases to function, their essence continues to exist within God’s omniscient memory. This isn’t a static preservation but rather an active state where the personality retains its self-identity and volition. The information that comprises a person’s consciousness persists in the divine mind, maintaining its capacity for awareness and experience even after physical death.
Expanded Awareness After Death
After death, the soul experiences reality without the brain’s limiting functions. Freed from the brain’s role as a filter that reduces overwhelming input, consciousness expands dramatically. In this state, the soul perceives reality with unprecedented clarity, unable to hide from or rationalize away its actions during life. This creates profound joy when remembering virtuous deeds but becomes torment when faced with shameful ones.
The Transitional Period
The newly disembodied soul initially experiences confusion as it adjusts to existence without physical form. During this transition, most souls remain fixated on their former bodies, experiencing distress as they witness their own funeral and bodily decay. The intensity of this distress correlates with how attached the person was to material existence during life—those who focused on spiritual matters adjust more easily to their new state.
The Process of Divine Judgment
Divine judgment manifests through this heightened state of awareness, where souls experience the full impact of their earthly actions. For most, this period of judgment lasts twelve months, during which they gradually reconcile with their past deeds. This process of judgment operates through the soul’s own expanded awareness rather than through external punishment, making the experience intensely personal.
Summarized by claude.ai from this Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan article: https://aish.com/the-real-you-2/
