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The Chafetz Chaim began by describing how he met an acquaintance one day while walking down the road:
The man asks amiably, "How are you, Rabbi Yisrael Meir?"
The Chafetz Chaim responds, "Thank God, I’m fine."
The acquaintance pats the rabbi on the shoulder and says, "You’re a strong man, Rabbi Meir, a good strong Jew….May the evil eye have no power over you!" Then he goes on his way.
The following day, the Chafetz Chaim meets another acquaintance. "Nu, Rabbi Yisrael Meir," says the man, "What’s new today?" The Chafetz Chaim coughs a bit and then answers weakly, "So-so…not so good, I didn’t get a wink of sleep all night."
Worried, the man says, "Yes, you do look a bit pale. Maybe you should rest a little." The Chafetz Chaim takes his advice, goes home and lies down on his bed.
But his infirmity only grows. He loses his appetite. They summon the town doctor. The doctor arrives quickly and checks the patient. He finds nothing wrong with him. Yet, in light of the patient’s weakness he tells the family, "I can do nothing to help the rabbi; all we can do is pray.
The Chafetz Chaim’s strength is leaving him. It becomes difficult for him to breath. His relatives are summoned, as are the members of the burial society to help him recite his final confession.
The hiding nephew is shaken to hear his uncle slowly recite the long confession, word after word, paragraph after paragraph, all the while encouraging himself, "Never give up faith! God can help….Even if a sharp knife rests on a person’s neck, he must not lose faith in God’s mercy."
Oh no! He has stopped breathing! All present cry out "Shema Yisrael!" They place the deceased on the ground and look for the shrouds. "Here is the prayer shawl," one exclaims. "Light the candles," another says. As they pick up the body for purification one of the members of the burial society pats the Chafetz Chaim on the back and says, "He was a strong Jew. Who would have thought that he would pass away so quickly…"
They carry out the purification, dress the body in white shrouds, and carry it to the cemetery. The attendant beats on the almost-empty tin coffin and recites, "Tzedaka Tatzil Mimavet" ("charity saves from death"). They lower him into the grave and cover him with dirt and gravel. His son, Aryeh Leib, recites kaddish. That’s it. The escorts exit the cemetery. Chafetz Chaim remains alone at the bottom of the pit. Life has reached its inevitable end. Absolute silence…
Suddenly there are knocks on the grave. Who is it? Who’s there? A loud voice answers, "Yisrael Meir, come to the Heavenly Tribune to present your case."
Two angels take hold of him and whisk him away to the Heavenly Tribunal. There they begin questioning him regarding every single action he performed during his lifetime. He thinks to himself, "What will I answer regarding every moment I wasted? What will I say regarding the times I prayed without proper concentration? Then a voice rang out, saying, "Whoever wishes to speak in favor of Yisrael Meir, let him come and speak."
Numerous angels begin to appear, each one bearing some good deed. Every word of Torah he studied in his lifetime created an angel, every Torah commandment he performed became a merit to him, the books he wrote, the sermons he delivered, the yeshiva he founded…a veritable myriad of merits!
But then another voice announces, "Whoever has something negative to say about Yisrael Meir, come forward and speak!"
Suddenly a myriad of angels appear…this good deed was carried out offhandedly, another was performed without proper joy, in this prayer he did not concentrate as he should have, and so forth and so on. Finally, the number of his wrongdoings reaches the number of his merits so that the two groups are exactly even!
"Even?! If this is the case there is still hope, for God is ever merciful, and the sages teach that if a person’s offenses equal his good deeds, the good deeds prevail."
But just then a voice rings out, "What is Yisrael Meir’s state at present – living or dead?"
The answer comes, "He is still alive!"
"If this is the case," says the voice, "the count is no longer even, for he is guilty of one more sin: He has not repented!"
The still-hiding nephew is shocked to see his uncle, at the end of his performance, suddenly begin weeping and pounding on his chest, "You are still alive, and you have the ability to merit the World to Come! Why do you not repent?!"
Serving Hashem, Mitzvot and Repentance "Of All God's Miracles Large & Small..."
Both Nature & Super-Natural Are Necessary
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.