Gehinnom

Gehinnom refers, generally, to a limited-time experience (Edyos 2:10) in the afterlife where the soul is purged of its blemishes. The name “Gehinnom” comes from the valley to the south of Jerusalem, known as the Valley (Gei) of the son of Hinnom, where children were at one time sacrificed to the idolatrous cult, Molech. For this reason the valley was deemed accursed, and Gehinnom thus became a synonym for Purgatory.