Acharei Mot

—Outer Body Experience—

Adapted by Rabbi Yossi Marcus

“When they came close before the L-rd and died…” (Leviticus 16:1)

[One of the most enigmatic events in the Torah is that of the deaths of Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. What exactly did they do? Why did they do it? The Torah itself says only that they offered “an alien fire, that He hand not commanded them.” According to the commentators their death was a punishment for various sins, such as entering the temple after having consumed wine.

A closer look, however, reveals that these two men were of great spiritual stature, even greater than Moshe and Aharon. As the Midrash says (cited in Rashi): “Moshe said to Aharon, ‘I knew that the Temple would be sanctified by one of G-d’s intimates, but I thought it would happen through me or you. Now I see that they are greater than us!’”

The kabbalistic explanation is as follows:

The word ketores, incense, connotes union (as in kesher, knot). Unlike the outer altar, which was “outside” and whose purpose was to elevate and “bring close” the animalistic and outside (korban means to bring close)—the inner altar and the incense offering dealt with and intensified what was already inside the realm of holiness: the soul’s inner bond with G-d. 

Nadav and Avihu took the ketores experience to the extreme. They reached a state of oneness with G-d where they were no longer a separate entity from Him cleaving to Him. They achieved a oneness that gave them an intuitive knowledge of the Divine will. Thus they offered an offering “that He had not commanded,” for a commandment is only necessary for an individual who is outside the Divine reality. They reached a level of oneness that granted them awareness of the Divine will, thereby precluding the need for commandment. Indeed they entered the temple after having “consumed wine.” Wine is often used as a metaphor for the secrets of the Torah: “Wine enters, secrets emerge” (Eiruvin 65a). They were “drunk” with spiritual insight, overwhelmed with Divine inspiration.

As Or Hachaim explains, their death is seen not as a punishment but as a “divine kiss, like that experienced by the perfectly righteous.”[1] (Likutei Sichos, 31:178-80 and 32:100-3. See Beacon’s on the Talmud Sea (SIE) pp. 152-3 and Beyond the Letter of the Law (VHH) pp. 220-224.)

This week we present a glimpse into the idea of outer-body experience in Talmud, Kabbala and Chasidism—both those that ended in death and those that ended in return.]

***

The fifth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom Dovber, writes:

Sudden death, Heaven protect us, is caused by a revelation of light from the soul that the body’s vessels are unable to receive and contain due to the abundance of light. This is also the condition of “Death by Kissing,”[2] where there is a revelation of such intense light from above that the body’s vessels cannot contain it. The soul then ascends and becomes enveloped in and attached to [the light] on high. This is also what occurred with the “three elders who died in the idra” (Yom Tov shel Rosh Hashanah 5659).

[The idra (granary [?]) was the place where Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his colleagues would gather to discuss mystic matters.]

Rabbi Sholom Dovber refers to a story in the Zohar (3:144a) about an intense mystic journey turned fatal experienced by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and his circle:

When these [mystic] matters were revealed [by Rabbi Shimon], heaven and earth shook and a voice declared: “Sublime matters have been revealed below!” And while these [men] were basking in those matters, their souls departed with a kiss…and the angels took them… Ten entered [the idra], and seven left….

Before the chaverim (members of the mystic circle) left the Chamber, Rabbi Yose Ben Yaakov, Rabbi Chizkiah, and Rabbi Yeisa died….

Rabbi Shimon cried out: “Perhaps, G-d forbid, it is decreed that we be punished, for through us has been revealed what has not been revealed since the day Moses stood at Mt. Sinai!”

…He then heard a voice: “Fortunate are you Rabbi Shimon…for to you has been revealed what has not been revealed to all the supernal hosts… Rabbi Shimon said: “How fortunate are these three [that passed away]…”

They [the survivors] arose and went…the faces of all of them shone and people were unable to look at them…”         

Rabbi Sholom Dovber continues:

Such a revelation [that causes death] can at times be triggered by the body’s vessels, i.e., when the body’s vessels are overly stimulated in a state of yearning. This elicits a light that cannot be manifest in the body’s vessels.

This is similar to the death of Aaron’s sons, “when they came close before the L-rd” (Leviticus 16:1) in a state of yearning, [but died] due to the inadequacy of their vessels.

In fact [the act of Aharon’s sons] was considered a sin, since “not for chaos did He create [the world]; He formed it to be settled” (Isaiah 45:18).

[The death of Nadav and Avihu is considered “sinful,” whereas “death by Divine kiss” is generally seen as a positive experience. (Note also that the “the three elders” are praised by Rabbi Shimon.)

For as Or Hachaim explains:

“The righteous die when the divine kiss approaches them, while Nadav and Avihu died by their approaching it…”[3]]

Rabbi Sholom Dovber continues:

Thus a vessel is only considered genuinely selfless when it is in tune with Heaven’s true intention. Its yearning should be in a way that will elicit a lofty light that will find expression in a manner of shov. 

[Rabbi Sholom Dovber refers here to the concept of ratzo and shov—yearning and return—the constant pull of the soul towards heaven (ratzo) and its mandate to remain earthbound to fulfill its mission (shov).

So yearning to transcend the physical is not only permissible, it is necessary. But the yearning must be premised on shov, “return,” and imbued with bittul, selflessness.

The Talmud (Chagigah 14b) relates that four sages “entered” the sublime sphere called Pardes, “Orchard,” but only Rabbi Akiva emerged spiritually and emotionally intact. In the words of the Talmud, “Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and left in peace.” By describing the manner in which he entered (which does not seem to be pertinent to the story), the Talmud implies that his peaceful emergence was the result of his peaceful entrance. I.e., since his initial motivation for entering the Pardes was predicated on bittul and the intention of shov, his ratzo came to a positive conclusion (Likkutei Sichos vol. 3:990).]

Contemporary Escapes

Even in recent generations, many mystics experienced outer-body experiences but like Rabbi Akiva returned to their earthly state.

The sixth Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, related the following about his father, the great kabbalist and Chassidic master, Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneerson, known as “the Maimonides of Chasidism”:

“When Father and I were in Vienna our rooms were adjacent to each other, an open door stood between our rooms. Father gave me some manuscript to transcribe and sat on the couch. (This was at about five o’clock in the afternoon.) He had one foot up on the couch and one on the floor, a cigarette between his fingers. I approached him a few times and saw him sitting there motionless, his eyes open. He remained in that position until 3:45 in the morning. Then he awoke, looked hastily at the cigarette and threw it away. He took his watch and in amazement saw the time. He approached the window and then said to me, “It seems it is already evening and the time has come to daven maariv.” I told him that almost the entire night had already passed. I also had to remind him of the date (!) since he was completely removed from the world. We were then learning the commentary of Ramban on the Chumash and he began asking me in a roundabout way about what we were to study, and I realized that he was trying to determine what day it was.”[4]

The seventh Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel, once related this story adding that some say it was then that Rabbi Sholom Dovber contemplated the concepts that formed the foundation of the deepest and longest series of his discourses, the series known as Ayin Beis. The Rebbe added that Rabbi Sholom Dovber had then experienced a form of kelos hanefesh, where the soul leaves the body (Reshimot 8).

The Rebbe compared this to the experiences of Nadav and Avihu, and that of Rabbah and R. Zeira.

[The Talmud ((Megillah 7b)) relates that the Talmudic sage Rabbah once got very drunk on Purim and “slaughtered” Rabbi Zeira and later revived him from death. When Rabbah invited Rabbi Zeira the next year, the latter declined the invitation, saying: ”It is not every time that a miracle occurs.”

The commentators struggle to explain this mysterious story. However, in Chasidic literature the story is seen as an example of kelot hanefesh, where the soul escapes from the body due to an overwhelmingly spiritual and mystic experience. In this case, Rabbah (which means “big” or “great” and thus connotes a large capacity for ecstatic experience while remaining earthbound) revealed too much to Rabbi Zeira (which means “small”) and thereby caused the death of the latter. (See Beacons on the Talmud’s Sea (S.I.E.) pp. 149-156, or http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/beacons-on-the-talmud-sea/15.htm.]

As other examples of such experiences in recent generations, the Rebbe cited an incident that occurred with the Alter Rebbe who after studying a particularly sublime kabalistic concept with Rabbi Avraham “the Angel” (son of the Maggid of Mezrich), immediately went and ate a “bagel with butter.” He felt that without it his soul would have left his body. (See http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/30/13.htm)

(As another example of such transcendence achieved by the chasidic masters, the Rebbe related that when the Rebbe of Modzhitz had to undergo surgery, he sang a niggun (Chassidic introspective tune) and entered its “depth” and was therefore oblivious to any pain.)

For people of our caliber, we can strive to attain at least some degree of aloofness from physical consciousness even if only in midget-like imitation of these great mystics.  (See Likkutei Sichos 27:273-6.)

[Translated and compiled by Rabbi Yosef Marcus]