Rabbi Nosson Nota Shapira zt"l
Rabbi in Krakow
Author: Megale Amukos
13 Av 5393 (1633)
The surviving butcher waited until the night after the 30 days for his friend to appear. He had expected to see him black and broken, just as he had known him up until his death - a destroyed person from years of suffering due to the Tikunim he had accepted upon himself, yet he shone so bright it was hard to look at him. His voice was clear and sweet, hardly recognizable from the rough, gravelly voice his friend was used to hearing.
The departed butcher began, "You don't know who the Baal Megale Amukos is and to what extent his ruling is respected here; all gates of heaven are open before him, he's like the son of the Owner of Heaven and all rejoice to do his will and what he decrees is immovable."
The departed friend continued, "It was not senseless fear we had while we were alive, repenting in Heaven is not a possibility. When my soul left my body, immediately I was surrounded by groups of destroying angels, more numerous than the sand of the sea. Their appearance was so terrifying that from fear alone one could die a thousand times! They had faces of many terrifying creatures, all holding spears aimed at me, pushing me down to Gei Tzalmaves (worse than hell).
"But this fear was only for one moment. Immediately, four Malachei Rachamim (Angels of mercy) surrounded me. One above, one below, and one on each side. They didn't leave me for a second and protected me till after the Tahara (purification of the physical body). The Malachei Chavala (Angels of destructions) were hissing at me with tongues of fire but the Malachei Rachamim were like an impregnable wall of protection.
When they put me in the aron (casket) even more angles came down to protect me on the way to the cemetery, because just then, infinite numbers of mazikim (harmful spirits) came to push me to the Harei Choshech (mountains of darkness). When they lowered my body to the grave, before covering me with dirt, the mazikim made a tremendous effort to attack me, but I was protected by the Malachei Rachamim.
After the funeral, when all returned home the four Malachei Rachamim stayed with me. Then there appeared four more angles to take my soul before the Beis Din Shel Maala (the Heavenly Court).
They took me upwards and I felt like I was flying. Very quickly, I reached a world of bright light, which the human mind cannot contemplate, even a fraction. The four Angles escorted me to a gigantic palace with walls of pure snow. Inside were pillars of fine gold and windows made of huge diamonds casting light of the color of a rainbow for huge distances. I stood dumbfounded in amazement!
