Spirituality

Dr. Brian L. Weiss
Rabbi Dr. Dovid Gottlieb
Rabbi Mordechai Becher

Idea of
reincarnation
captivates
audience at
videoconference
hosted by
Ohr Somayach.

3S:

High technology enables

Jews nationwide to

debate the merits of life

after death and past-life

regression therapy.

SUSAN TAWIL

Special to the Jewish News

T

he standing-room-only
crowd of almost 500
spanned the spectrum of
Jewish movements in hopes
of learning about reincarnation and
life after death.
The program, "Reincarnation:
Clinical Perspectives and the Jewish
View," hooked up speakers and audi-
ences across the country via live
videoconference technology. It was
sponsored by the Jerusalem Vision
division of Ohr Somayach, which pro-
motes Jewish education and outreach
worldwide.

Yo
Belie

Held May 16 at the Jewish
Community Center's Handleman
Hall and Auditorium in West
Bloomfield, the program featured psy-
chiatrist Brian L. Weiss, M.D., the
author of four books on past-life
regression therapy and reincarnation,
speaking from Miami. Presenting the
Jewish view were Ohr Somayach
senior lecturers Rabbi Dr. Dovid
Gottlieb, in Philadelphia, and Rabbi
Mordechai Becher, who was at the
West Bloomfield JCC.
In his writings, which include the
bestselling Many Lives, Many Masters,
Dr. Weiss recounts troubled patients
who are guided, under hypnosis, to
discuss past-life experiences, through
which they supposedly gain the
insight to heal their problems.
Dr. Weiss, a Columbia University
honors graduate, earned a medical
degree from Yale University, where he
was chief resident. He now chairs the
psychiatry department at Mount Sinai
Medical Center in Miami Beach.
Dr. Weiss tells of his own early
skepticism at revelations of past-life
experiences reported by his first
"regressed" patient, and of how he
gradually became convinced. It took
him four years to write Many Lives,
Many Masters. He says he has done 20
years of research on such topics as
reincarnation, near-death experiences,
the afterlife and the efficacy of regres-
sion therapy. "From a clinical point
of view, there is overwhelming data to
support it," he said.
A large segment of the audience
was surprised to learn that reincarna-
tion and life after death are parr of
traditional Jewish belief. As Rabbi

0

Becher jokingly explained, this may
be the result of rabbis studiously
avoiding discussion of "God, the soul,
and life after death."
Rabbi Becher went on to discuss
biblical and talmudic text support for
belief in Olam Habah (the world to
come) and gilgul neshamot (the recy-
cling of souls). Some of the verses
cited include Genesis 25:8: "Avraham
died ... and was gathered to his peo-
ple" and Deuteronomy 32:39: "I put to
death and I bring life ... " (note the
order).
Rabbi Gottlieb, former professor of
philosophy at Johns Hopkins
University in Baltimore, addressed the
moral and philosophical implications
of belief in reincarnation. Such belief
provides an answer to the disturbing
conundrum of why innocent people
suffer.
"Reincarnation teaches us that
there is more to life than we see," he
said.
He spoke about the concept of
tikkun, of repairing — that "all of us
have a particular slice of life to per-
fect. We are all born into different cir-
cumstances. One lifetime may not be
long enough."
Regarding Dr. Weiss's past-life
regression therapy, Rabbi Gottlieb
said he would like to see methodology
developed "for organized, statistically
verifiable research."
Moderator Brent Triest fielded
questions from the audience, both in
Detroit and, by video, in
Philadelphia. Questions touched on
differences between Jewish and non-
Jewish souls, how people are supposed
to know what their "mission" is,

whether animals have souls, and how
to benefit from "previous lives" with-
out hypnosis/regression therapy.
In closing, Dr. Weiss said: "The
bottom line is that we don't die, and
this has to influence our lives. The
basic tenet is the concept of the
immortality of the soul."
Rabbi Becher stressed the need to
look to Jewish sources to learn to live
spiritually informed. He said it's
important for people to learn about
spirituality and the afterlife, a side of
Judaism many have never heard
about.
Rabbi Gottlieb urged listeners to
develop spirituality through adoption
of Jewish ritual. Just as giving flowers
will develop the spiritual expression
of love, performing a daily spiritual
action, such as reciting a blessing over
food, will remind us that we are
embodied souls.
Event sponsors included the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
Max M. Fisher Foundation, the
Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit, the Jewish
News, Whole Foods/Sperber's
Gourmet Delights of West
Bloomfield, Border's Books & Music
of Farmington Hills, Tapper's
Diamonds & Fine Jewelry of West
Bloomfield and Weather Gard.
Listener Enid Shear of Farmington
Hills was "enthralled with the concept
that we have past lives."
She expressed a personal desire to
be regressed. "I feel strongly that I
need to know more," she said. "I feel
they're just touching the surface.
There's so much more to learn."
Shelly Nadiv of Huntington
Woods found the program "fascinat-
ing — a wonderful uplifting mes-
sage.
Dr. Robert Glinski, a family prac-
tice physician in West Bloomfield,
said he believes in an afterlife. He
said he feels the purpose of doctors
working to save lives is "to keep the
soul within the body for as long as
possible so it can accomplish more."
Marsha Trimas of Farmington Hills
said she had never before "gotten a
definitive answer if Jews believed in
reincarnation.
"It's so nice to hear that Jews
believe in the immortality of the
soul," she said. " It takes the fear of
dying to a different level. It's very
comforting."
Lisa Berger of Oak Park said jok-
ingly: "It was a great program. If you
missed it, catch it in your next life-
time!" 7

