Title: Remarkable Insights about Death and the Afterlife
By Rabbi Yehoshua Alt
Although the book is called Remarkable Insights about Death and the Afterlife, Rabbi Alt begins his book with the inherent value of life and how we have to make the most of it. If life is a corridor to the next world we must pass through it accordingly, and one’s eternity is inexorably linked to how one lived and how one died. The connection between this world and the next is a main thread of this book.
The book contains references to many Jewish scholars and writings with many interesting stories spanning the centuries and millennia, to illustrate them. Many of these stories are included in the footnotes, which make them a requisite as opposed to auxiliary part of the book. I include below one such fascinating true narrative:
On the occasion of his 80th birthday, R’ Uri Zohar, who became a baal teshuva in the late 1970s following a successful career as an actor and director in Israel’s movie industry, agreed to a nationally televised interview conducted by one of Israel’s most aggressive interviewers. The interviewer questioned him, saying, “You were one of the most adored movie stars in Israel’s history and then you embraced religion, leaving behind all your friends and fans. Isn’t a fundamental aspect of your religion centered around how you treat others? How can you justify disappointing so many people?” In response, R’ Uri conveyed, “The truth is, I genuinely care and I do something for my former colleagues in the movie industry and my old friends that no one else does for them.” He then retrieved a small notebook from his pocket and continued, “Many of my actor friends did not follow the path of religion, and sadly, some have already passed away, leaving behind irreligious children. As a result, there is no one reciting kaddish for them on their yahrzeit. I make it a point to find out their Hebrew names and record their yahrzeit dates so that I can recite kaddish for them.” The camera zoomed in on his notebook and those watching saw the names inscribed therein. This moment sparked a sense of astonishment among non-religious Jews in Israel. A few years later, a woman from Tel Aviv, the daughter of a deceased actress who had no affiliation with religion, contacted R’ Uri to convey a message. “My mother appeared to me in a dream three times within a week and she said ‘My soul receives no elevation in Olam Haba except for one time each year, on my yahrzeit when Uri Zohar says kaddish for me.
However, my yahrzeit passed a few weeks ago and he didn’t say kaddish. He needs to rectify this.’” Upon checking his notebook, R’ Uri realized that in that particular year, his wife had experienced the loss of a relative on the same date, and the day had been occupied with the funeral and burial, causing him to overlook the actress’s yahrzeit.
This is Rabbi Alt’s seventh book and it comprises 70 meticulously crafted essays, eloquently articulating the Torah’s viewpoint regarding death and the afterlife, and the eternal value of a mitzvah in this world and the next. This work stands as an invaluable resource, facilitating readers in acquiring a deeper comprehension of this vital, ephemeral and unable to be fully understood topic.
The only drawback I found to this monumental work was the absence of a glossary. Although many terms are explained in context, a certain amount of prior erudition in Jewish sources is a prerequisite for the reader. But for someone with that background, the book is easy to understand, as it is interspersed with many stories, anecdotes and well, insights.
Everyone needs to know how to live the most meaningful life possible. Rabbi Alt’s book certainly facilitates this goal.
