What is Gehinnom?

Gehinnom is like a big, hot kitchen where bad things go to get cooked until they're ready to come back as better versions of themselves.

Imagine you have a toy that breaks, instead of throwing it away, you put it in the oven so it can be fixed. That's kind of what happens in Gehinnom. It’s a place where people (or sometimes even things) go when they’ve made mistakes or been mean, and they get a little bake time to learn from their errors.

What Gehinnom Feels Like

Gehinnom is hot, like standing too close to the stove while Mom is cooking. It’s also kind of loud, imagine all your favorite cartoons playing at once, but with a bit of a mean twist.

Sometimes it feels like being in the sun for too long on a really hot day, or like getting a big hug from a squishy pillow that's been left in the hallway.

Why People Go There

People go to Gehinnom when they're not quite ready to be good again. It’s not forever, it’s more like being sent to time-out but with a side of sizzling fun. After a while, they get to come back and try again, maybe even with some new tricks up their sleeves!

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Examples

  1. A child is told that if they are not good, they will go to Gehinnom, where fire burns away their badness.
  2. Gehinnom is like a fiery version of a time-out for the soul.
  3. After dying, someone might spend some time in Gehinnom before going to heaven.

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Categories: Science · Judaism· Afterlife· Mythology