I'm a bit confused regarding Judaism and the idea of ghosts. There seems to be a lot of back and forth IF I understand correctly. I also once saw a post on Tumblr from a Jewish poster that was a short couple of lines about how Judaism knows to "be nice to ghosts". At this point, I'm just kind of confused as to how someone who practices Reform Judaism might regard the idea of ghosts.
in general , i feel like ghosts and religion don’t always mesh perfectly. maybe there is an Official™ stance for judaism , but as far as i’m aware , it’s up in the air. personally , the way i connect my understandings of ghosts with judaism can be found in one of my favorite prayers: the avot v'imahot portion of the amidah. in it , we recollect the names of our matriarch and patriarchs , remembering that they were all G-d’s as we are. the prayer translates to the following:
Blessed are You, Adonai our G-d,G-d of our fathers and mothers,G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, and G-d of Jacob,G-d of Sarah, G-d of Rebecca, G-d of Rachel, and G-d of Leah,the great, mighty and awesome G-d, transcendent G-dwho bestows lovingkindness, creates everything out of love,remembers the love of our fathers and mothers,and brings redemption to their children’s children for the sake of the Divine Name.Remember us for life, O Sovereign who delights in life,and inscribe us in the Book of Life, for Your sake, Living G-d.Sovereign, Deliverer, Helper and Shield,Blessed are You, Adonai, Sarah’s Helper, Abraham’s Shield.
while it may not reek of ghosts , there is a presence in it. this presence that while we carry g-d in our hearts and mind , we also carry those who came before us , we carry our ancestors there as well. through g-d , we hold those who came before us and that their spirit , their love , their life only connects us closer to g-d. personally , i don’t believe in real ghosts. haunted houses are only filled with memory , with stories. judaism is a religion built on the passing down of stories and paving our history from those who came before.
also , in typical me fashion , here are a couple more links to people writing about judaism and ghosts. x / x / x
