This is a famous story and I am sure you will all enjoy it.

The following story happened in the time of Maharan Shapira author of the sefer Megaleh Amukos, who lived in the time of the father of the Shach - and who was born in the year Shin Mem Hei (5345 = 1585). (This story is brought down in the sefer BeKur Hahituch chapter 10, and quoted in the sefer Leshichno Sidreshu cheilek beis.) Written by R' Doniel Hool printed in the Yated Ne’eman the 22nd of Elul, 5760 (Sept 2000)

The story is of two Jewish butchers, who for years deliberately fed treif meat to a whole town. They eventually did teshuva and in order to cleanse their sin they accepted upon themselves specific hardships as a kaporo as laid down by the beis din of the Baal Megaleh Amukos. They were given a scroll of parchment from this beis din stating that they had done complete teshuva, to help save them from Gehennom. Eventually, when one butcher died he was to come to the other in a dream to describe exactly
what happened to him in heaven

The surviving butcher waited untill the night after the sheloshim 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 tikkunim 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, gravely voice his friend was used to hearing.

The departed butcher began, "You don't know who the Baal Megaleh Amukos is - to what extent his daas is respected here, all gates of heaven are open before him - he's like a ben bayis in Heaven and all rejoice to do his will what he is degreed is immovable."

He then continued as follows: "It was no senseless fear that we had when we were alive - we cannot do teshuva here in Heaven. When my soul flew from my body - immediately from all around I was surrounded by groups of destroying angles, 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 different terrifying creatures, all holding spears aimed at me, to push me down to the Gei Tzalmovess.

"But this fear was only for one moment. Immediately, four mal'achei rachamim surrounded me. One above, one below, and one on either side of me. They didn't leave me for a second and protected me till after the taharah. The mal'achei chavoloh were hissing at me with tongues of Fire but the mal'achei 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 beis hakevoros (cemetery), because just then, infinite numbers of mazikim (damagers) came to push me to the Horei Choshech. 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 mal'achei rachamim.

After the levaya (funeral) when all returned home the four mal'achei rachamim stayed with me. Then there appeared four more mal'ochim to take my neshomo (soul) before the Beis Din Shel Ma'aloh. (the heavenly court)

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 of. The four mal'ochim escorted me to a gigantic palace with walls of pure snow. There 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!

Above the huge gate to the palace hovered the words Mokom Hamishpat (the place of justice) carved with letters of bright fire. By the entrance, crouched lions and tigers which roared at each soul brought in. The more sins done by the neshomo the louder and more terrifying were their roars.

The four mal'ochim carried me on their wings and brought me to the mokom hamishpot. Here the sights were so amazing I didn't know what to look at first - one couldn't grasp the vastness of the hall even by looking from one side to the other! The ceiling and floor were encrusted with beautiful shimmering stones emitting beams of light so intense that they made our sun seem like shade! In the middle of the hall stood a gigantic table and around it were the Beis Din Shel Maaloh (heavenly court) All of them are heavenly angels made of consuming fire.

Over the top of the table hover the words Toras Moshe Emes in Fire. On the table is placed an open sefer Torah with letters burning like hot coals. To this table they bring all the neshomos who have been brought up from earth, to decide their din.

At the time of mishpat (judgement), they open the pages of the Sefer Zichronos (book of memories)of that particular neshomo. From this thick book made of parchment they read out all the good deeds and bad deeds of the neshomo during all the moments of all the years of its life. It is written in his or her own handwriting. For every judgment there are malachei din and mal'achei rachamim.

The neshomo itself usually remains totally silent from fear. It does not feel worthy of being able to seek merit for itself and to counteract the words of accusation against it from the prosecution. Mostly they bring witnesses to these judgments. While I waited for my turn there was another judgment going on of another neshomo. During the judgment they called upon the walls of his house to give testimony against him for an sin he thought he was doing in private where no one could see him.

Different sentences are handed down for every judgment. Some are sentenced to Gehennom (purgatory) but they have to also decide about what level and for exactly how long. Others arc sentenced to go to the depths of Kaf Hakelah Some are sentenced to go back to earth in the gilgul (reincarnation) of a beheimah or a flower and to stay days or years on end until they reach their tikun.

Immediately with the giving of their din, if the neshomo comes out guilty, then the mal'achei chavoloh have permission to grab the neshomo and take it to its place. The neshomo screams and begs for mercy and Cries out in regret, but in the World Above there is no opportunity for teshuva on the sins done down here. (The descriptive dream continues for hours.)

Sometimes it happens that a neshomo arrives as white as snow, without a stain or dirt, and it comes out as zakai bedin (worthy). Then a decree is heard: "To Gan Eden!!", immediately heavenly angels rise from their places and call out in joyous song: Ashrecha vetov loch, ashrecha shezorhisso lechayei ha'olom haboh. A group of angels with white wings surrounds the neshomo like a guard of honor, and clears out a way as they sing out with happy melody: “Penu derech yashru mesilla ki tzaddik bo, imru latzadik tov ki pree ma'alaleihem yocheilu”

With indescribable honor and glory, the tzaddik is escorted to his place in Gan Eden All the tzaddikim go out it tomeet him and receive him with great simcha and tremendous love for their new friend. The sun and the moon light up the way with a gold and silver light. All the constellations bow down before the tzaddik as he arrives at the gates of Gan Eden. The whole creation sings shira and calls out in musical song ashrei lo ve'ashrei chelko.

If a neshomo comes out guilty then woe to it. The chevrei Beis Din Shel Ma'aloh shout out chastisement that shakes the worlds: "Wicked sinner of Israel with such brazenness you rebelled against the commandments of the King of Kings Hakadosh Boruch Hu!” You were given a neshomo pure and clean, and they warned you to guard it from any dirt and in retain in it holiness and purity. In the end you defiled it with ' your sin and worldly desires' Woe to you and woe in your life and spiritual pleasures without limit”.

The sound of chastisement come, down on the neshomo like a hammer. Infinite destrying angles cover the neshomo, thousands of hands grab it from the platform of judgment and push it out to Gehenom or Gei Tzalmovess.

I myself slipped into a corner So they wouldn't notice me, I was trembling thinking, "Has there ever been a rosho like me to come here?" I held on tight to the parchment of the Baal Megaleh Amukos. The neshomos passed through like sheep - this one for severe punishment, this one for light punishment. Not one passed without sin at all!

Standing In Judgment:

Then I heard the announcer call me and my father's name. Four angles gently escorted me to the Shulchan Hamishpot and one of the angles opened the pages of my Sefer Zichronos.

Suddenly a voice screamed out "Who brought this rosho merusho here? All the fires of Gehennom will not suffice for him!" I passed out from fear but the mal'ochim revived me by touching me with their wings.

I remembered the scroll and quickly put it on the table. Then I heard a voice say: "What sort of words are these of the Baal Megaleh Amukos - that he should decide to excuse this neshomo from all punishment. He has not so much authority as to give us instructions to accept the teshuva of this sinner who sinned and caused others to sin, who fed treifos to a complete city of Jews for decades just for money."

Very quickly there appeared a large group of angles to speak on my behalf. "Why do you Still Scorn this neshoma? Is all the suffering endured during its lifetime not enough for it? With such strength it revealed its sins in public and accepted such shame! It threw away all its money and all the honor it collected over a lifetime. It gave up all earthly pleasures and endured three years of exile and excommunication and indescribable earthly tortures. It accepted it all with love and humility. If you were clothed with human bodies you wouldn't be able to endure such pains! You would be broken immediately and would cease the teshuva! Now you want to throw it into the fires of Gehennom? The holy Rov Baal Megaleh Amukos has already stated that it is enough that it has endured all the pain and tears, and it has emerged pure and clean without any dirt - more so than the great Tzaddikim (bemokom sheba'alei teshuva omdim afilu tzaddik gomur eino omeid) and now you want to call it by the name rosho?"

The Terrible Consequences of the Sins:

But the accusing angels screamed back with a voice that shook worlds, "Let us all see what a catastrophe this soul caused with all its sins!”Within seconds, from all sides emerged thousands of neshomos, wailing, crying and screaming: "He caused us to die by plague because of his sins!"

"I died in my youth because this rosho fed thousands with treif “

"We were children from cheder with no taste of sin - we could have been great Torah sages but because of this rosho we died young!"

"We were young women. We gave birth to children with holiness and purity, we hoped to raise them to Torah, chuppah and ma'asim tovim, yet we died when we gave birth or shortly after and those children were left orphans without the love and care of a mother. We have no rest in the grave - the cries from the babies' crib torture us! We constantly hover over them and when we see the harsh treatment t they receive from the nurses we burn inside - for us there is no need for Gehennom! We have longed for the day when this rosho would come here and we will vengefully witness how he will languish in Gehennom, and now you say to let him free? No way!"

Then, while these women were still pouring out their bitterness, into the hall, there streamed lines of cattle and sheep and goats all wailing loudly in their own language!

*We were reincarnates awaiting our final tikun in the lower world. We could receive our eternal rest only if we would be slaughtered by a G-d fearing holy Jew who would slaughter us with a fitting brocho (blessing) All the time we worried that we would be killed by a non-Jew without a proper shechita - and when eventually we were bought by a Jewish butcher we longed for the moment of tikun But he took us to a secret cellar and there he killed us with an ax over the head - like they do to pigs! Now we still roam the world awaiting our tikun!"

I remained totally silent unable to utter anything in my defense. But when the Chief Defending Angel saw that the scales started to tip to the side of guilty, he took the scroll from me and said to me, "Do not be afraid, wait for me here!"

He then flew upwards and after a short time he returned with a multitude of silvcr-winged angels, ready with new words of defense.

"It's true that the defendant did all these terrible sins - more abundant than the hair on his head - but no one can deny that he was left an orphan at a tender age and was brought up under terrible conditions by a gross and brazen uncle. He worked him like a slave and taught him no wisdom nor any religion or any fear of Heaven. He therefore fell prey to lust in worldly desires and was engrossed in sin without even realizing his evil deeds.

"Also no one can deny that as soon as he realized the gravity of his deeds, he immediately admitted them and regretted them and did teshuva. For years he accepted all the pain that he endured with love. Indescribable pangs of hunger, cold, illness, shame and disgrace. In every town he came to on his wandering he called out, 'I am a sinner. Please disgrace and shame me trample me underfoot!'

"And all this is because he realized the gravity of his sin and undertook to repent fully according to the instructions of the Beis Din of Cracow. Here is the scroll from the Baal Megaleh Amukos who testifies that he fully repented during his final days on earth!"

They continued: "Behold the din is explicit in the gemora, Keivon sheloko harei hu keoehicho.' And since he already willingly accepted his punishment, he is totally free of the taint of all sin!"

The words or these angels left a strong impression, and the Beis Din Shel Ma'aloh started again debating the case, and they continued for a long time.

Then finally came the decree: "Just as has been found in the lower court -so will be found in the higher court! The verdict of the Baal Megaleh Amukos is final. The repentant butcher is free of all sin!

"Along with his verdict is another verdict. All the souls and reincarnations that were waiting for their tikun will now be perfected and they are free to enter Gan Eden."

Carring Out the Judgment

Immediately multitudes of angels began to descend and to carry each soul individually to its place in Gan Eden - each one according to the good deeds it had done. Some of these souls immediately began to shine with a light that is impossible to describe to a human being When they finished with them they began with me. They placed me on a platform encircled by a group of angels shining like the heavens - all singing out loud, "Ploni ben ploni yotzo zakai badin using my name and my father's name.

Then the heavens opened and revealed a sight that is incomprehensible to man. From all around came the singing of the angels: "Zakai hu, ba’al tzaddik gomer hu.'' Everyone sang shira. The sefer Torah also joined in, seemingly whispering, as it were, the words zakai hu tzaddik hu. with its glowing letters. Then I was surrounded by this light thousands of times brighter than the sun at midday, giving me pleasure of infinite magnitude. Each second, there streamed towards me more and more angels and pure tzaddikim who came out of Gan Eden to meet me. The heads of all of them were adorned with crowns and precious stones which beamed out sparks of fire and colors.

Quickly six fiery angels appeared carrying a splendid canopy whose poles were made of cedar and whose covering was of fine gold. In the center of it were the words Ki Lashem Hamluchoh. Together with these beings appeared a complete legion of musical angels playing with an uncountable number of instruments. These were the Levites from the court of King David!

All this entourage arrived at my feet and then the angels carried me on their wings and stood me under the gold canopy. Immediately the musicians began playing and singing. The spiritual splendor experienced by listening to these songs is indescribable. A human who would hear this is liable to die the Kiss of Death from the intensity of its seetness.

And so they began to escort me to my place in Gan Eden.

He then began to describe all the glory and splendor with which he was escorted.

The greatest honor that a man can receive in this world is like a garlic peel compared to one second of Gan Eden And from who did I receive all this honor? From holy and pure tzaddikim whose faces shone like the heavens and whose heads were crowned with the crown of Torah.

Then two angels, whose splendor shone from their faces in a fine light that went for miles, came near to me with a crown studded with precious stones - on it hovered the words Baal Teshuvah Gemuro - this crown they placed on my head with great ceremony which cannot be described to man and all the tzadikim escorted me to the palace of the Baal Teshuva As they departed they called out, "Ashrecho shezochissa lokach "

After describing all this, the departed butcher continued to instruct his friend in the dream,

Continue as before with all your hardships and don't think for a moment to slacken. It is better to withstand the most extreme torture in this world than to endure one moment of pain in Gehennom. The life of man eventually comes to an end but the life in the next world lasts for eternity.

What Do We Learn:

Go to the Baal Megaleh Amukos and tell him all I have told you .- even though he knows all this better than 1. Still tell him and ask him to spread this story throughout the whole world and that they should print this story for the masses, so that all should know these things:

1. How much man must distance himself -from sin,

2. To what tremendous heights a tzaddik can reach through his actions in this world.

3. How great is the power of teshuva which reaches the glorious throne itself -- ki bemokom sheba'alei teshuva omdim afilu tzaddik gomor eino omed. (In the place where someone who repents even a totally righteous person cannot stand)

4.So that all who has a spirit in their nostrils shall know, that the reward for mitzvos is indescribable and immeasurable - no human eye has seen it!