Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times It is known as the final journey, and what happens on it is a question that many ponder. Philosophers, scientists, and great men have explored this question since the dawn of time. What happens to the soul after death? The Torah sources teach us that the soul is immortal. This is a foundation of Torah-true Judaism. This can be seen from the emphasis that is placed upon Shabbos observance. Although we keep Shabbos mainly because the Torah tells us to do so, it is also the flagship of Jewish belief. We stop all forms of creative acts because G d ceased and desisted from creative acts and rested on the seventh day. With our resting as well, we declare to the world that we believe in the Creator, that He is the essence of all that is good, and that He rewards good and punishes evil. In order to receive this reward and punishment, the soul must be immortal. The neshamah, or soul, becomes attached to the guf, the body, while yet in the womb. The Talmud (Niddah 30b) derives this from the verse in Iyov (29:3) “When He lit His candle over my head; by His light I would go through the darkness.” The Talmud further explains that the soul is taught the entire Torah during the nine months in the womb and that these days are replete with remarkable goodness. The soul is likened to a lamp, as described in the verse “Ner Hashem nishmas ha’adam—a lamp of G d is the soul of man (Mishlei 20:27) and “For You light my lamp, Hashem; My G d brightens my darkness” (Tehillim 18:29). The Soul Departing The Midrashei HaZohar on Koheles (p. 1196) explains that 30 days before the death of the person, the neshamah begins to fade away. However, it remains with the body until the moment of death, yetzias ha’neshamah. When the soul departs, it is compared to the extinguishing of a lamp (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 6:1). The connection that binds the soul to the body is quite strong. The Gemara in Avodah Zarah (20b) tells us that in order to sever that connection, the Malach HaMaves, the Angel of Death, frightens the person to death, causing the soul to detach from the body. If the person had developed a close connection to Hashem in his or her lifetime, then there is ein macharid—there is no frightening on the part of the Malach HaMaves. Rather, the departing of the soul occurs because of its desire to attach to the Shechinah, which arrives as well. The Megaleh Amukos (Parashas Emor, ofen 17) cites the Sefer HaTemunah, a Kabbalistic work, that when the soul departs the body, it sings the hymn of Mizmor Shir L’Yom HaShabbos. It is likely that this refers only to those on a high spiritual level. Such people merit to see the Shechinah at the time that the soul departs (Avodas Yisroel of Rav Yisroel of Kozhnitz, Parashas Parah). Sometimes the severing of the two is painful and sometimes it is not, depending upon the spiritual level of the deceased (see Ohr HaChaim Parashas Bechukosai 26 and Gemara in Berachos 8a). The time when the soul departs is not insignificant. In Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer (34), it […]

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