Life after Death
The Story of Sharon Nachshoni
While most people who pass on won't return to the world of
mortals until Mashiach arrives, 28-year-old Nachshoni*, a high-level military
intelligence officer, died and lived to tell about it.
His isn't the first story of a post-death experience. In recent years it seems
more and more people who have been declared clinically dead have survived to
tell of their other-worldly experiences, reporting such similar visions as a
strong white light at the end of a tunnel and an encompassing feeling of peace
and warmth. Yet Sharon Nachshoni's story is so detailed, his vision so vivid,
that it changed his entire outlook on life and has served as an inspiration to
the hundreds, perhaps thousands, who have heard him tell it.
Until two years ago, Sharon Nachshoni was climbing the ladder of military
intelligence, serving as squad commander of an anti-terror undercover unit in
Judea and Samaria and having served as chief of security for secret
intelligence delegations in Eastern Europe. His religious affiliation, like so
many Sephardi Israelis, was traditional. He honored rabbis and gave charity to
yeshivot, but his personal commitment to everyday Judaism wasn't yet developed.
Until the day of the accident in June 1997. That morning, Nachshoni, father of
three, left his home in Rechovot to help prepare a secret salvation strategy
for the Army's upcoming partial withdrawal from Hebron. Five minutes on the
road, and his left front wheel blew out, leaving the car to spin out of control
into the opposite lane, where it was demolished by an oncoming truck. When the
rescue workers finally extricated Sharon's body from the wreckage, it looked
more like a heap of flesh and blood. His left arm and his hips were crushed. The
car's engine had smashed his legs, his jaws were broken, his nose was torn off
and all his teeth were knocked out. One of the medics gathered them up and put
them in a cup. His lungs were so badly injured that he stopped breathing and
lost consciousness. By the time he was laid out on a stretcher, his pulse and
breathing had stopped. The ambulance team covered him with a sheet and filled
out the form - "Dead at the scene of the accident."
The accident caused a major traffic tie-up, and one vehicle stuck in the jam
was Egged Bus 212, going from Ashdod to Rechovot. A young man came off the bus
and said he was an army medic. On his shirt was written, "Medical
Officer." The rescue workers pointed him in the direction of the other
injured waiting to be evacuated, but he went over to the body under the sheet
and said, "What's with this one?" "Oh, he's dead," they
answered. Yet the medical officer wanted to investigate for himself. He pulled
off the blanket, and with the help of a few crude tools including a ball-point
pen, he performed an emergency tracheotomy and cleared Sharon's lungs of the
blood and fluid so that air could get in. Suddenly Sharon began to gurgle and
breathe. The rescue workers saw the change in his status and immediately put
him on one of the ambulances at the scene. However, the medical officer
disappeared, and to this day no one has been able to discover who he was,
despite newspaper and radio ads looking for him.
While all this was happening below, Sharon Nachshoni was experiencing something
altogether different above. As he lay dead on the pavement, his soul was
standing before the Heavenly Court in judgment, and although only one part of
the dramatic scene is still etched in his memory, when he eventually regained
consciousness, he gave an exact description of what he saw to his sister and
brother-in-law, who recorded and verified the details. His wife Avivit, who at
this point had no idea that he had been declared clinically dead, said she
noticed the change in him even as he was being wheeled into the emergency room.
He could barely breath, yet he kept mumbling, "I saw Grandfather.
Grandfather pushed me." And as he drifted in and out of consciousness
after the initial nine-hour-long surgery, with massive effort he whispered, "Where
is Aunt Miriam?" Aunt Miriam was a righteous woman who spent her days
doing chessed for others. Her health situation had been declining rapidly and
Sharon had visited her the day before the accident. She passed away just hours
before the accident, but, not wanting to upset Sharon, his family told him she
was fine.
"They didn't understand," Sharon explained. "I wanted to know if
she was really dead. I saw her in the hall of the Heavenly Court."
Over the next few hours, in and out of consciousness, Sharon's questions
continued, his requests baffling his family. He told his wife to take down a
plaque that was hanging on a wall in recognition of a contribution he had given
to a yeshiva and to put it away in a drawer. He asked his mother if he had ever
made a pledge he didn't keep in the end. She replied that six years before he
had pledged to donate an Aron Kodesh to a certain synagogue following a
previous car accident. "I must finance it as soon as possible," he
told his mother in desperation. Later he looked up, smiled, and said,
"Hashem, I love you." His behavior was baffling, but his family
attributed it to the severe injuries he'd suffered in the accident. At that
point they didn't know he had been declared clinically dead. They only found
out after he was moved out of the recovery suite into the intensive care ward,
when his wife and sister took a peek into his file, which was lying open on the
bed. "He was actually dead!" they realized. What had transpired
during those minutes?
Meanwhile, Sharon spent months in the hospital, undergoing surgery after
surgery as doctors pieced him back together. He remembers nothing of those
months, being under heavy sedation and high doses of morphine so that his body
would have a chance to heal without the interference of the intolerable pain he
would have felt had he been awake. He is considered a medical miracle, and he
has been the subject of various medical symposia over the last two years. The
surgeon who operated on his head even became a ba'al teshuva after witnessing Sharon's
amazing survival. By the time he was moved to the rehabilitation wing of Tel
Hashomer Hospital, he was surely alive, but doctors didn't give him much hope
of further recovery. His left hand was totally nonfunctional, he couldn't move
his legs and his body was massively scarred. In place of his shattered bones,
in the course of 17 operations doctors had implanted pieces of metal to connect
whatever bones were still viable, and his daily dose of physical suffering was
more than most humans could bear. But he bore it with grace, as the Heavenly
Court had told him he would have much suffering in the physical world if he
chose to return to life. One evening during those long months, his
brother-in-law shared a quiet visit with him. "You've experienced something
only very few merit," his brother-in-law said. "Something happened to
you when you were hovering between this world and the next. Please tell what
you saw."
Sharon had hinted at his metaphysical experience before, but he was always
afraid to divulge what had happened Up There. Perhaps no one would believe him.
Perhaps they'd think he'd gone crazy. Besides, he spent his days drifting in
and out of consciousness. This time, during a period of lucidity, his
brother-in-law pressed on. "No more boundaries," he implored.
"Tell who you saw, what it was like. It will strengthen others in their
fear of Heaven."
Sharon began. His brother-in-law, Shachar Ashbal, who learns in a kollel in
Binyamina, was there with Sharon's sister. Together they heard the story, which
Sharon no longer recalls. He doesn't even remember the conversation, but
Shachar Ashbal made sure to get the whole thing on tape.
Right after the accident, Sharon Nachshoni entered a large hall, which was full
of people who had died, some many years ago, some whom Sharon still remembered.
Everyone seemed happy and showered Sharon with love and warmth, especially his
grandfather. The hall itself seemed to be unbounded, with no beginning and no
end, and he was able to identify everyone, even those he didn't know. (His
brother-in-law wrote down all the names, most of them people he didn't know,
and indeed he later discovered that those people did exist, many of whom died
before Sharon was born.) Everyone wore fine clothing and looked as they did at
the time of their death. Sharon looked for his grandfather, a very dignified
man, but only found his uncle, his father's brother. "Where is
Grandfather?" he asked. His uncle said, "Grandfather went with our
other brother to speak on your behalf."
Suddenly Sharon felt himself being pushed in the direction of the stage. He was
embarrassed, because everyone was dressed in their finery and his clothes were
torn and bloody from the accident. As he approached the stage he saw three
powerful lights. The middle one was the strongest, and it was so blinding that
Sharon couldn't look at it. The side lights were not as strong, one serving as
the voice of "good" and the other as the voice of "bad."
Next to the stage, standing next to the side of "good," were four
Israeli mekubalim: Rav Yitzchak Kadouri, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, Rav David
Batzri and Rav Yoram Abergil. ("I wouldn't say that our rabbis jump
between Olam Ha'Zeh and Olam Ha'Ba, but it is brought down in the Gemara that
tzaddikim of the generation influence both the lower and upper worlds,"
Sharon clarified for Country Yossi Family Magazine.) Suddenly the voice of
"bad" boomed out, "Either you or the aunt must stay." It
was referring to Aunt Miriam, whom he had seen just the day before, and she
looked as frail as when he had last seen her. "I'm willing to stay,"
he heard her say, and then she was no longer next to him, but far away,
standing in judgment like himself. As the light of "bad" began its
speech, Sharon saw the movie of his life pass before him. The entire hall was
watching. They judged him on his concentration during prayer, lashon hara, open
and concealed hatred, promises made and not kept (the Aron Kodesh) and theft.
After that he was asked three questions, those mentioned in the Talmud: Did you
deal in business faithfully? Did you set aside specific time for Torah study?
Did you hope for the Redemption? ("Shachar recorded me saying all these
things," explained Sharon, "but believe me, I had never heard of
these questions before. I had never learned a page of Gemara in my life.")
His voice was taken from him, and the light of "good" spoke instead.
It told the court how Sharon had given charity to yeshivot, but then the voice
of "bad" interjected that he had flaunted his contribution with a
plaque on the wall. Then they started checking his observance of mitzvot,
including those Sharon had never thought of as important. He was praised for
his Shabbat observance, however minimal, and for wearing a kippa. Then the four
mekubalim appeared, and although Sharon had never seen them before, they
testified on his behalf. Other witnesses appeared, including a widowed aunt
that Sharon had helped substantially without his family knowing. It was the
aunt's testimony that tipped the scales and enabled his soul to return to the
world. After the trial, the judge spoke from within the blinding light. The
judge asked Sharon if he would take upon himself three things, which Sharon
will not divulge. One thing he promised to do, and the other two he said he'd
try to do. Then came the time for Sharon to decide if he wanted to return to
his body in the mortal world. The judge stated that he would suffer much
physical pain in this world, but that the pain would expiate his sins and that
he should be grateful for it. Sharon then turned around and tried to run out,
and again he felt ashamed that everyone was looking at his bloodied clothes.
The hall then emptied out except for his grandmother, who ran after him to make
sure he left. His grandfather was also there, making sure he got out quickly.
As his grandmother faded from view, he saw himself hovering above his body as
the medics worked on him, and then his special vision stopped and he returned
to his mortal self.
"I've spoken to several others who have had after-death experiences,"
Sharon told Country Yossi Family Magazine, "and they've all had similar
stories of judgment. The only thing I remember of my own experience is my
grandfather pushing me. But I'm fortunate that it was recorded. Many people
have other-worldly experiences and they are lost because no one is there to
catch them when they are disclosed."
Soon after the accident, Sharon pleaded with his family to find Rav Yoram
Abergil. The Rav visited him in the hospital as he lay paralyzed, with doctors
giving little hope for any additional improvement The Rav's blessing became a
prophecy. He said that Sharon's right leg would totally heal and that his left
leg would remain with a slight limp. "You will yet walk," the mekubal
told Sharon Nachshoni.
Several months later, when Sharon was transferred to the rehab unit at Tel
Hashomer, the department head rather untactfully told him to forget any hope of
walking again. His injuries were too severe. He told him to get ready for a
wheelchair to be a permanent part of his new existence. Sharon, who held dear
the Rav's blessing, told the professor of his hope. The doctor became incensed
at the Rav's "irresponsibility" in creating such a false hope. Yet
two months later, when Sharon was up on his feet, the professor actually called
Rav Abergil and expressed his shock at the Rav's power.
Sharon's experience left him with a new understanding and commitment, which he
has translated both to his personal life and to what he sees as his mission in
the Jewish world. He lectures to audiences around the country, as both a
medical miracle and as someone who has "been there." "You should
know," he said, "in the Heavenly court they didn't ask what kind of
kippa I wore or where I sent my children to school. They were interested in
actions, period. In the end those same worms are going to eat everyone, and
everyone is going to have to give an accounting. There are three points I speak
about, and everything else is superfluous: to realize that Hashem runs the
world, to elevate and sanctify our everyday lives, and to increase our mitzvot
between man and man." Said his wife Avivit of the change to a strong Torah
lifestyle, "After going through what he and all of us went through, how
can you possibly not change?"
Sharon's fame, he says, was really accidental. People heard about his story as
a result of his intense efforts to find the medic who saved his life and
disappeared. He went on national television, and his story was published in the
national and religious press, but not a clue turned up. Some people say it was
Eliyahu Hanavi, but Sharon prefers not to make such a definitive statement. The
head of the surgery team who performed the preliminary operations later told
Sharon that he had never seen such a clever, precise lifesaving technique done
with the most sophisticated equipment, let alone with a ball-point pen.
Does Sharon Nachshoni have plans for the future, perhaps to return to the field
of military intelligence in which he so excelled? "My last plan was a
12:30 meeting about the security in Hebron, which I never made it to. I look at
the iron rods coming out of my body, my face that has been pieced back together
... How can I make plans? For me, Hashem is the only Planner that counts."
A Holocaust Survivors Near-Death Story
This
is a true story about a Holocaust survivor and Bet Din of Shamayim.
Mr. Freedman, zt'l, survived the Holocaust but his wife and children perished
in the camp's ovens. After the war, he moved to Israel and began a new life
with the horrors of the camps as his only companion. He did not wish to marry again
and start a new family and was lonesome.
Even the money he earned meant nothing to him - his life was very empty and
meaningless. He had no reason or need to spend money and over the years, it
became a small fortune. He bought a house and had plenty more left over. He
never b'h left HaShem but his Emunah was mechanic and emotionless. He would go
to shul to pray daily but it was an empty prayer, without emotions.
The Rabbi of his shul was collecting tzdaka for his Yeshiva and he would go to
people with no family and wished them all the best and blessed them to live in
health 120 years. He explained to them that the Mitzvah of donating to Yeshivot
holy books, food, chairs, etc. is very important and Shamayim judges this
person favorably, even if the donator himself does not learn Torah. In
Shamayim, this Mitzvah is very powerful to help others learn Torah.
Since this man had no family, the Rabbi explained to him that if he does not
have a will and no family members, the State of Israel takes all his earned
money , home, cars and uses for Hevel Havalim such as theatre, broadways and
things that have no meaning. The man threw the Rabbi out of his home yelling at
him that his only companion are the horrors of the war and the Rabbi is killing
him before his time and there is NO way he is giving his money to Yeshivot. Two
days later, Mr. Freedman passed away, a'h.
There were very few people at the funeral and no one really knew him well
enough to make an Hesped. The Rabbi of the shul/Yeshiva attended the funeral
and he approached the body of Mr. Freedman and spoke badly about him. He said
that the niftar did not want to donate his money he can no longer use to the
Yeshiva and he was selfish, etc. The people listening were aghast. What did
this man do that he deserved such an Hesped? The Rabbi ignored them and
continued to slander the man. He then turned to the body of the niftar and said
to him "I hope that by embarrasing you, your judgement in Shamayim will
not be so harsh on you".
A few months passed and the Rabbi could not find peace. He felt guilty for what
he did and kept questioning himself if he had the right to slander Mr. Freeman.
He decided to go to the Kever of this neshama and ask for Mechila. When he
arrived at his kever, he lit a candle for Mr. Freedman's neshama, asked mechila
(forgiveness) and said Pirkei Tehilim for this neshama.
When he came home, he felt relieved but exhausted. He fell asleep and Mr.
Freedman appeared to him in the dream. He was dressed in pure white and was
"shining". He told him that when he died, he was taken to the Bet Din
and he was shaking like a leaf. They began to read his life and when they got
to the part of the Holocaust, they stopped. At that point, Tzaddikim came out
of Gan Eden to escort him inside Gan Eden.
Mr. Freedman explained in the dream to the Rav that people that went thru the
Holocaust, r'l, are judged different than others. Most holocaust survivors and
non-survivers go to Gan Eden and are treated like Tzaddikim. The Hell of the
Holocaust ERASED all sins and there's no need to go to Hell again. Suffering in
this world purifies the soul. These souls are treated in Gan Eden as pure
souls, Tzaddikim.
He told the Rav that although he is sitting with Admorim, Tzaddikim, Rebbes,
Mekubalim in high levels of Gan Eden, he has "shame". The Israel
gov't took all his earnings and possessions and used it for nonesense and this
brings him "shame". And to make matters worse, he didn't give his
earnings to Yeshivot when he had the opportunity. Mr. Freedman's neshama told
the Rav that the Rabbi's Hesped was also a chesed for him but he needs more to
remove the "shame" completely.
The Rabbi woke up and knew that it was dream of Emet. He wanted to do a
complete Chesed of Emet for Mr. Freedman's Neshama and collected donations and
with the money, the Rav bought Sefarim for his Yeshiva and dedicated it to Mr.
Freedman's neshama to erase any shame he felt.
Mr. Freedman's neshama never reappeared to the Rav and the Rav knew that Mr.
Freeman's "shame" was successfully removed.
For more on this subject please visit the following links:
http://www.jewishfuture.com/