Comments on Life After Death

Yesterday, I posted an excellent article by Sara Yoheved Rigler from Aish.com about Proof of Heaven and a comparison of this world to the world we experience after death.

This article reiterates themes that I have been covering for the past 13 months on this blog.  Since I have received thousands of comments from readers around the world (151 countries as of today), I thought I would emphasize some of the points made in this article and especially to stress what it means to every living person on this planet.

First of all, I wish to stress the important work of Dr. Eban Alexander.  I received comments when I discussed the subject of Out of Body and Near death experiences Near Death Experience 25 April 2012, that let me know that there is much skepticism about its validity.  We human beings tend to explain away anything with which we are uncomfortable, but I found that those who had not looked into the subject in depth and only had an opinion (a gut feeling, so to speak) were the ones who were skeptical.  Those who reviewed the subject in depth or even had such an experience (or as in my case having met individual who had the experience), became convinced that it is the absolute truth.  Since I have seen estimates of about 30 million people who claim to have experienced such a phenomenon, I can tell you we are not talking a random account.  The more important fact that comes out of the large number of individuals who had such an event is the total consistency of what they actually experienced.  They come back with the same details about what they saw, who they met and, even what was the purpose of their experience.  There are books written on the subject for those of you wanting much more detail.  The statement that had the biggest impact on me of the individuals that I personally met and interviewed was: “Leaving the body took them to a reality that was far more real than this world.”  In other word, this world of allusion is like a dream state and the heavenly realm is what is real.  This life serves only as the corridor (as it says in the article from Pirkei Avos – Ethics of the Fathers) for the purpose of preparation, setting ourselves up with the real life for eternity.  It is a very difficult concept for us free-will human beings with our flawed logic to accept, but once we realize the truth (that Hashem has given us), we can use it to setup the best eternal life for ourselves and our loved ones forever and ever.

I have been saying this repeatedly for the past 13 months: this world is for the purpose of perfecting ourselves to maximize the life that we will experience forever and ever.  All the trivia that we enjoy in this world is part of the testing system that gives us this level of perfection.  It is imperative to follow the instructions of our handbook of life (the Torah).  It is essential to realize that the absolute best way to succeed is by following the instructions we received from Hashem, the Owner of the Universe, the Creator of us all and the only One Who knows what is best for us.  It is our purpose in this world and all else is futile.

I know I repeat myself, I repeat myself.  Why am I so adamant about helping everyone do the right thing?  I know that time is running out and what we do as individuals over the coming days and weeks (I don’t believe too much longer), is vital to the results of our final report card – our eternal life.  Yes, we are taking finals for this course called “life;” and, the cramming that we do in these final days will bless us or curse us forever and ever.

I still have individuals who write to me saying that they don’t buy what I am saying (actually what the Torah is saying) and continue to say: “we will see what happens and who was correct.”  I call these individuals “gamblers” who will find out the hard way what losers they will be; and, how they will kick themselves forever and ever.  Almost invariably these individuals talk about subjects that I have already covered.  They make it obvious that they haven’t read my blog to any extent, but would prefer to tell me their opinion of what the truth is.  An individual who has not studied Jewish scriptures is an uninformed individual.  Their tanks are running on empty; but, they still try to continue on the road of life.  When they come to a complete stop and wonder what is wrong, they will see how little studying would have taken them a long way.  Instead they live a life of fantasy with no answers and, even worse, not a happy future.

Like Out of Body and Near death experiences, if you don’t look at the facts and, as a result, draw your own incorrect conclusions, then you may feel temporarily satisfied.  The fact is whatever an individual concludes as the truth, if it isn’t correct, the absolute truth does not go away.  In fact it will haunt that person for eternity.  How do I know that Hashem’s instructions will give us happiness and a totally successful eternity?  Two answers.  One is that all that has happened throughout history, all events, can be found in scriptures with excruciating detail.  In other words, the track record of the past 2, 3, 4, 5 thousand years was so accurate that we can take it for absolute truth.  What has happened, is happening in the world today and will happen in the near future is recorded accurately in scriptures.  There is no mystery about what Hashem has told us; but, more importantly, all the instructions that He gave us can be relied upon as a guarantee for our successful future.  The other answer is that I am a people watcher.  I have been observing 10’s of thousands of individuals for more than a half century (including everything that has happened in my life), and can report without any doubt that what the Torah tells us including the instructions for success, are totally valid.  It works!!!!!  The gambler that I mentioned above is merely an individual who did not observe the absolute truth and what it means to us, and therefore, is poised to throw it all away – partially out of laziness, partially out of stubbornness, but mostly out of ignorance.  Why do we argue with success?

We are all, measure for measure, on our own.  Whatever actions we decide to do will result in a positive or negative reaction, but everything is important and recorded.  The results are presented to us at the time of judgment (when we received our final report card), and we are shown what our “forever and ever” will entail.   Now is the time to do the right thing and reserve our place of joy and happiness for all eternity.  Drawing oneself closer to Hashem forever is a level of joy beyond comprehension for us human beings.  There is no way to describe it but, I guarantee, the gambler who doesn’t believe it will suffer forever.  Don’t gamble with your life; nor, should you gamble with the lives of your loved ones – everyone who depends upon you for guidance.    Now is the time and time is running out.