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DEATH AND BEYOND
B.S.D.
Rabbi Chaim Dovid HaLevi
 INTRODUCTION
The ZOHAR HaKodesh describes the journeys of the various dimensions of the soul as they separate from the physical body at the point of death. Personal reports of the death experience have in the past been limited to a few isolated accounts. However, that has changed as new information on near death experiences have become more readily available. For example, experiences of people pronounced clinically dead have recently been reported by Dr. Raymond Moody. This has stimulated general interest and specific questions have been asked as to how to relate to this information from a Torah point of view. Rabbi Chaim Dovid. Ha Levi of Tel Aviv has responded to this need by setting forth certain guidelines in his book "Aseh Lecha Rav". Since this is however unavailable to much of English-speaking Jewry, it is the purpose of this article to provide a working framework to better understand the subjective experiences of death which have been documented in secular knowledge.
CLINICAL REPORTS ON THE EXPERIENCE OF DYING
Dr. Moody constructs a general description of the initial stages of death from speaking to people declared clinically dead. A common theme seems to take place. "A man is dying and as he reaches the point of his greatest physical stress, he hears himself pronounced dead by his doctor. He begins to hear an uncomfortable noise, a loud ringing or buzzing sound and at the same time feels himself moving very rapidly through a long tunnel. After this, he suddenly finds himself outside of his own physical body, but still in the immediate physical environment, and he sees his own body from a distance, as though he is a spectator... in a state of emotional upheaval... other things begin to happen. Other people come to meet and help him. He sees glimpses of the spirit of relatives and friends who have already died, as a loving warm spirit of a kind he has never encountered before-a being of light-appears before him. This being asks him a question, non-verbally, asking him to evaluate his life and helps him along by showing him a panoramic, instantaneous playback of all the major events of his life. At some point he finds himself approaching some sort of barrier or border, apparently representing the limit between earthly life and the next life. He is overwhelmed by intense feelings of joy, love and peace."
Most of those interviewed by Dr. Moody reported that they were at first desperate to return to their bodies, and shocked at the idea of their death. This feeling later changed; many losing the desire to return to their bodies. Some, particularly those who had encountered the "being of light", even resisted this return. However, there were those who did wish to return. In most cases their reason was that they had not as yet accomplished all required of them in this life. It is interesting that most of those who returned to this world stressed the importance of loving one's fellow man, and spiritual learning.
The experience of dying then, is thus characterized by the following phenomena: hearing a noise, moving through a tunnel, meeting relatives and friends, encountering a "being of light", seeing a replay of major life events and evaluating these, and approaching a barrier. The sequence in which these various phenomena were experienced was unclear to Dr. Moody's subjects. The reason that they were unable to specify a definite sequence is, in fact, that they experienced these different sensations with different elements of their spiritual make-up. To appreciate this and the ensuing discussion, it is necessary to have a clear picture of the nature and 'structure' of the human soul.
PREAMBLE ON THE SOUL
The soul consists of an inner aspect connected to the inner portions of the upper worlds, and an outer revealed aspect, which resides in the body. (The form of these interconnections is complex and will not be dealt with here). The, inner light of the soul is not revealed to a person in this world; since its lofty level would take away his free will. For free choice is possible only where there are ostensibly feasible alternatives, which can only arise in the veils of spiritual fog. Thus the ordinary average man has no revelation of his inner soul during his life in this world, only at death can he access these loftier levels of the soul. The righteous have a certain contact with their inner soul in this world in that they receive guidance from it. However, its actual existence is hidden from them also; if not, true freedom of choice would be removed from them.
At the time of death the righteous merit that their inner soul unite with their outer soul completely. The Gemora says that dying, for the righteous, may be compared to "pulling a hair out of milk" (Moed Koton 28b) so unobtrusive is the body. The process of death occurs here through the combining of the soul with the Divine Presence, with no "resistance" on the part of the body.
Those who have separated themselves from G-d, however, depart this world with great difficulty. "Like a knotted rope which can only be pulled out of the ship's mast with great effort" (Rashi, ibid). For to the extent that they have screened themselves from G-d, to that extent has their soul become intertwined with the body. Therefore, it suffers great anguish when extricated from the body, and even after death yearns to return to the body (see Michtav Me' Eliyahu pp 28 - 31).
STRUCTURE OF THE SOUL
Each human soul consists of three interconnected dimensions, the Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama, (there are also two accompanying "auras"-the Chaya and Yechida). These three dimensions are not faculties distinct from the soul's substance, they are dimensions of the soul's essence itself. The Neshama is the highest (most "refined"), followed by the Ruach, and then the Nefesh. Each of these three dimensions of the soul, Neshama, Ruach and Nefesh, ascends separately at death to re-unite with its particular source in heaven(see Zohar Lech Lecha 81b).
STAGES OF SEPARATION
Even before death according to Gesher HaChayim (volume B, chapter 27) the soul begins to partially disengage itself from the body. (Signs of this process are accessible to the spiritually elevated). The Zohar describes the point of death as follows: "At the time when the judgment begins for a person a noise begins to be heard, which no-one but the person concerned can hear" (Vayechi 218b). The Zohar goes on to explain that when the judgment rests upon the dying person a higher spiritual light is bestowed upon him to an extent that he never attained during his lifetime. Since this spiritual light rests upon him, he is able to behold that which he was previously unable to see. When his spirit grows and he sees the divine, he then departs from this world. This is what is referred to in Psalm 104 (29): "Thou addest to their spirit and they die, and they [the physical body] return to the dust." The verse "For a human being will not see Me and live" (Exodus 33) also indicates that a person is ordinarily unable to see the Presence of G-d (Shechina) during his lifetime. The Medrash Rabbo states this explicitly: "In their life time they cannot see G-d; in their death they will see." (Naso, chapter 14).
G-d did choose to reveal Himself in the form of light (fire) to Moishe Rabbeinu, both at the Burning Bush (Exodus 3) and also at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19, 20 and 34). This fire is described by the Zohar as a white light which illuminates but does not consume matter, in contrast to earthly fire which consumes and changes form (Breishis 41a).
The Nefesh of every person who dies is exposed to this great spiritual light of the Shechina: "The time that a person is dying is the great day of judgment for him, he does not depart this world till he perceives the Presence of G-d" (Zohar, Vayeiro, 98a). This applies to every human being, even the (spiritually) lowly and the wicked as is hinted in Psalm 22 (30): "All those who descend to the dust will kneel before Him [behold the Shechina, G-d's presence] and their souls will not survive." (These are the wicked).
The reason for the presence of the Shechina is explained by the Zohar in Emor (88): "Since he (the dying person) sees the Shechina and his Nefesh wishes to cling to it, the Nefesh is drawn out of the body" (like the action of a magnet attracting metal).
The Gesher Ha Chayim points out that the immediately preceding words in the Zohar indicate: that the Nefesh is extremely reluctant to leave the body (since it is the part of the soul most intimately associated with the body; the more a person in life has identifies with the desires of the body during his lifetime the more intertwined the Nefesh will be with the body). The Shechina must therefore coax the Nefesh out of the body, as explained above.
The Shechina then is the "being of light radiating love and warmth" experienced by many of Dr. Moody's subjects. The "irresistible magnetic attraction" felt towards this being of light and the desire not to return to their bodies are now easily understandable.
The Zohar elaborates in Metzora (53a) : "The soul does not leave the body until the Shechina appears only then does the Nefesh depart from the body. If the soul is of a righteous person, it (the Nefesh is connected with the Shechina and cleaves to it, if not the Shechina departs and the Nefesh is left alone."
This Nefesh now yearns to return to the body, and suffers when it "realizes" that the body, its most desired object, is disintegrating (see Michtov Me' Eliyahu, pp 28 - 31). Our sages tell us that the initial sensations of death are pleasant; thereafter, once the Nefesh has been drawn out of the body the judgment begins-a judgment which examines the person's total earthly life. The Zohar in Naso (126b) relates that a person is shown his whole life before him. Seen against the clear picture of Emes (Truth) every deviation from this Eternal Truth in his lifetime is now experienced with intense intrinsic shame. This serves as part of the process of cleansing which will be undergone later.
Thus far the death experience has been explained from the point of view of the Nefesh, the least "re-fined" of the dimensions of the soul. What about the journey of the Ruach and Neshama? The Zohar (Lech Lecha, 81a) writes that after dying, a person hears noise - the 'Ruach and Neshama both enter the Cave of Machpela where the 'door" of Paradise is situated. The Ruach receives a "note" as a sign and encounters departed relatives and friends (Zohar, Vayechi, 218b). They accompany the Ruach to Paradise 'where it meets the "Cherubim and the flashing flame of the ever-turning' sword (which) guard, the way to the tree of life" (Genesis 3). If it merits, notice is taken of the note carried by the Ruach, the "door" is opened, and the Ruach enters. Otherwise it is rejected and proceeds to Gehinom.
The Neshama, once it enters the Cave of Machpela, meets with Adam HaRishon and the three Patriarchs who reside there. The Zohar (Breishis, 47b) describes the encounter of the Neshama with Adam HaRishon as follows: "No human being departs this world without (the Neshama) first meeting with Adam Ha Rishon. Adam asks the Neshama why she left the body. To the answer that death came to mankind because of Adam's sin of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam replies that death came to each person because of his own sins." (A sin is that which separates one from G-d.) After this dialogue (also mentioned in Midrash Rabbo Chukas, 9:18), Adam HaRishon and the three Patriarchs rejoice with the Neshama and open the "door" through which she enters Paradise to proceed to a more sublime state of existence.
The Neshama "knows" what is happening on earth after death. The Zohar (Vayechi, 219a) explains that for the first seven days after death the Neshama travels from the grave to the house of shiva, back to the grave and so on,' "mourning" for the body. During the first twelve months the Neshama moves from its heavenly abode to this world, back and forth. Thereafter it remains in its place in Olam HaBa awaiting the period of the Revival of the Dead (Gemora Shabbos 152b).
The near death experiences reported by many of Dr. Moody's subjects can now be appreciated on an entirely different level in light of the many sources discussed in the Zohar HaKodesh.
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