In synagogues around the world this week, Jews read from the
Torah about the exodus from Egypt. The Egyptians believed you
could take it with you, that your material possessions
accompanied you into the next world. Much of Jewish practice is
essentially anti-Egyptian. It is life-oriented rather than
death-oriented. Religious Jews do not embalm and are buried in a
simple wooden coffin, in a simple shroud, about as far as you
can get from a pyramid. More importantly, Judaism emphasized
that what you take into the next world aren’t your material
possessions, but rather your deeds and their legacy. Whether you
are a believer or not, it is hard to overstate the importance of
this cultural belief in shaping our world.