A Grandmother's Forewarning: The Consequences of Gossip

Esther Lichtenstein grew up in a religious home that knew well the prohibitions against lashon hara or gossiping, and adhered to them strictly. "But I've made a few mistakes," she admits just before sharing a remarkable dream where her grandmother appeared to her brother, conveying the need to intensify caution and observance of this commandment, as well as modesty.

"Thank Hashem, I refrained from gossip, but sometimes I heard conversations I shouldn't have, and in Heaven, they don't overlook these things," she says, recounting when it all began—a Monday marked by extreme unease. "Things got worse, and by Friday, I felt terrible, like it might be my last day," she shares.

She called her doctor and went to his clinic, but first saw a nurse who uttered an alarming remark. "This woman won't live much longer," the nurse said to someone nearby. Minutes later, the nurse escorted her home. "I felt angels with me, and Hashem helped me. I lit the Shabbat candles, and afterwards, I felt the presence of the angel of death, the evil inclination, ready to take me to the next world."

At this point, Esther describes an internal dialogue between her good and evil inclinations, detailing the inner struggle. "The evil inclination is malicious, wanting to bring us difficult trials and then take us from this world with joy. Why listen to it? We have a good inclination too. Why not heed the good? Life is full of trials, a very narrow bridge. We must consider why we've come."

Before her dream, she used to adorn herself lavishly with eye-catching jewelry. "I didn’t know it was forbidden."

Grandmother's Warning: "Tell Esther something terrible will happen"

During the Shabbat meal, she stood up, headed to the living room, and fainted. "I managed to recite the Shema prayer before I fainted deeply," she states.

This was the moment she envisioned herself in the next world. "I saw a great light of the sacred Presence, Hashem. Suddenly, I heard a loud, terrible crying. I was shown how the divine Presence cries day and night, wanting to bring the Temple, waiting for us to do good deeds, but here I hear Hashem's cry because of my suffering. Hashem's cry is far more painful to hear. Our Father cries for every sin we commit. Why does He deserve this? Why do we seek only our good and not think of Him?"

She explains how the soul on its last day searches for any commandment. "Even the smallest commandment is great for it, like great worlds. And any minor sin, like tiny stars in the sky, appears as huge worlds up there. I was nearing death, already in the other world, seeing myself, my body aside, and thank Hashem, I was wearing modest, loose clothing. If a woman lives modestly, she sees herself at her best on the last day; if not, she sees herself at her worst, feeling profound shame. The embarrassment there is very strong."

Amazingly, in the heavenly court, despite being shown how she wore large jewelry, she was not punished. "Thank Hashem, although I wore eye-catching jewelry, I received no punishment because a week before, I decided to remove the jewelry. I went out with necklaces and rings, but during my grandmother's memorial, a saintly woman, she came to my brother in a dream after he visited her grave on her memorial day. He came and told me, 'Last night, I dreamt of Grandma Blima. She said, 'Tell Esther something terrible will happen.'"

She stresses that her grandmother spoke about the sin of listening to gossip, as well as about modesty—two critical commandments often neglected.

"Hashem helped me, and this thought came to me. I said to myself, 'With Hashem's help, I will remove all jewelry in public, keeping them only at home.' Thanks to this commitment, I returned to this world. I kept shouting, 'Master of the universe, I removed the jewelry. I deserve to continue to fix what I can.' I'm not saying one shouldn't wear delicate, non-eye-catching jewelry, but those that do catch the eye, heaven forbid," she concludes.

(The story was published in the "Bachavei HaSelah" bulletin)