Alive Dead Alive
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

January 7, 2025, Israel

RebbeChabad

What happens after we die? Is there life after death? This is a question that has occupied mankind from its' earliest days. People wanted to live forever. For some, this meant creating stone statutes of themselves, the Romans were known for this. For others it meant finding some system of belief that guaranteed salvation in the afterlife. This was one of the early draws of Christianity, they promised a glorious afterlife, many Pagans flocked to their ranks. There was a clear and defined path to salvation. 

In our modern society this takes another form, all sorts of diets and potions that promise us a very long life, at least in this life, that too is a form of desiring life. It takes another form as well, the worship of all things young, older people doing plastic surgery, dressing in embarrassing clothing, all forms of makeup and cover up to hide the signs of aging. In more traditional societies such as the Beta Israel of Ethiopia, the opposite is true, old aged is revered and the elders as seen as wise. The older generation embraces the aging process. 

Be that as it may, the question of life after death is still a controversial one. More and more evidance comes out yearly of out-of-body experiences, seeing "the light" and being drawn to a great energy. While these findings are indisputable, their interpretation is still a source of debate and divisiveness. 

To each his own, eventually, when we move on from this life, the truth will be known to all of us. I heard a talk from a Chasid, a pious one, or a follower of a Chassidic Rebbe, this was from the "court" of the Chabad Lubavitch movement. The speaker spoke of the Rebbe and a talk he heard over 50 years ago, in which the Rebbe talked about life after death. 

Now far be it from me to understand or explain the depth of the great rabbi's thoughts, and a good part of the talk was in Yiddish, but I do want to share some ideas. 

How do we view the world? Some see only the physical while to others the physical is just the tip of the iceberg, hardly even important. The truth, the reality is on a much deeper, and higher, level. The rebbe clearly saw the world as a spiritual domain and what we see with our physical eyes is just a minor part of the reality of the whole. He spoke of his father-in-law who was sent to prison by the Russian communists, Did you think the Russians sent him to prison? Of course it was decided from Above (Heaven) that he must for some reason, be in prison. The Russians? What power do they have? What are they? Do you think that is how the world works? The world belongs to us, and we must embrace it and take it, the world is a spiritual entity,

Things are not always what they seem, if ever...

The Rebbe also spoke about eternal life, but he made it clear he did not refer to the physical. For what is the physical? He said that as long as your disciples, your followers, your students walk this earth and follow the lessons you taught them, you ARE alive. As long as your ideas are still living in this earth, you are alive. 

Jews have never built great monuments, and it is strictly against our religious laws to make statues or any "graven image", so we do not have statues of Moses or any of our great rabbis. We believe that they live on via their words, their lessons. When we want to honor a deceased rabbi we speak their words, their lessons, their wisdom. 

We use a verse from the song of songs

וְחִכֵּ֕ךְ כְּיֵ֥ין הַטּ֛וֹב הוֹלֵ֥ךְ לְדוֹדִ֖י לְמֵישָׁרִ֑ים דּוֹבֵ֖ב שִׂפְתֵ֥י יְשֵׁנִֽים: (שיר השירים פרק ז פסוק י)

"And your palate is like the best wine, that glides down smoothly to my beloved, making the lips of the sleeping speak." (Song of Songs, Chapter 7)

The rabbis of the Talmud interpret the words "making the lips of the sleeping speak." as an illusion to the dead, whose words live on even when they sleep eternally.

"So too the scholars - when one quotes their teachings, their lips are moving from the grave." (Talmud, Bechorot, 31B)

בכורות לא ע"ב) אף תלמידי חכמים - כיון שאדם אומר דבר שמועה מפיו דובבות שפתיו בקבר)

Our legacy are our words. Is there life after death? First, we must ask is there life before death? If you created something of value, there is life after death.

MosheLA2023

Moshe Katz, training continuously for nearly 4 decades, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt hall of fame, USA and Europe.

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