A Scaffold Fell and Her Soul Took Flight: Rachel Neham’s Journey to Faith

On the day she experienced a near-death event, Rachel Neham shared everything with her husband. “He believed me,” she recalls, “but he warned me not to tell anyone else. He said people would think I had lost my mind.” Even her family doctor referred her to a psychiatrist, whose first question was, “Did you see a light?” From that moment, Rachel chose to remain silent, carrying the weight of her experience alone for years.

The Accident That Changed Everything

Rachel grew up on a secular kibbutz and had little connection to Judaism. At age twenty-two, while studying in Tel Aviv, her life changed in an instant. As she walked home, a heavy scaffold fell from a building under construction and struck her head with tremendous force.

“I collapsed immediately,” she says. “Later, a doctor told me that no one walks away from a blow like that.” With no immediate way to call for help, she lay unconscious while people gathered around her, some trying to assist, others in shock.

Seeing from Above

What Rachel experienced next was unlike anything she had ever known. “I felt no pain,” she explains. “My soul was already out of my body, hovering above and observing everything.” She describes a deep sense of calm and clarity, along with a desire to comfort those around her, even though she could not communicate with them.

She then entered what she describes as a mist, a transition into a different state of existence. Even outside her body, she was aware, able to see, think, and feel. Emerging from the mist, she found herself surrounded by a deep darkness, like a tunnel, with a small point of light in the distance drawing her forward.

The Light

As she moved closer, the light grew stronger until she entered it. “I understood that I was no longer in this world,” she says. The light, she explains, was unlike anything earthly. It was filled with love, wisdom, and a sense of complete goodness beyond description.

She felt herself rising within it, surrounded by increasing intensity. “I wanted to close my eyes, but I had no eyes to close,” she recalls. “There was no way to stop the experience.”

A Life Review

At that point, she felt the light communicating with her. Her life unfolded before her, like a vivid, immersive experience. “It was as if I was inside it,” she says. “I saw everything, and I felt a deep sense of missed opportunity, as though I had not lived the life I was meant to live.”

The light did not judge her or point out mistakes. Instead, it simply allowed her to see her life clearly.

The Choice to Return

After the experience, the light asked if she recognized what she had seen. When she answered yes, she made a request. She asked to return to her life.

“I told the light that I had more to do,” she says. “That this was not the life I was meant to complete.” She spoke about her future, including her relationship with the man who would later become her husband.

She also sensed that if she stayed any longer, she might not be able to return at all. The pull of the light was powerful, filled with a sense of peace and belonging.

In that moment, she felt what she describes as immense compassion, and suddenly, she was back in her body.

Back in the World

“I opened my eyes instantly,” she says. “The first thing I noticed was how dark this world felt compared to what I had just experienced.” Overwhelmed, she began to cry, struggling to process everything that had happened.

Despite the severity of the accident, medical tests later showed no lasting damage. Doctors described her survival as nothing short of a miracle.

A Secret Carried for Years

Rachel continued her life, returning to her studies and eventually marrying. But she kept her experience hidden, afraid of how others might react.

“I wrote everything down so I wouldn’t forget,” she says. “But I didn’t share it with anyone.”

The Siddur That Opened the Door

Seven years later, everything changed.

While visiting a childhood friend who had become religious, Rachel picked up a siddur before going to sleep. As she read the words “I thank You… for returning my soul with compassion,” she felt a powerful recognition.

“It described exactly what I had experienced,” she says. “For the first time, I understood what had happened to me.”

She spent the entire night reading, finding that many parts of the prayers reflected what she had seen and felt.

A Return to Faith

That moment marked the beginning of her return to Judaism.

She began observing Shabbat, learning more, and seeking guidance. Eventually, she connected with rabbinic figures who helped guide her path, including reaching out to the Lubavitcher Rebbe for direction.

Over time, she and her husband fully embraced a life of Torah and mitzvot, even opening a Chabad house to help others.

A Message That Remains

Looking back, Rachel sees her experience as a turning point that shaped her entire life.

“The light I experienced has stayed with me,” she says. “It gives me strength, especially in difficult moments.”

Her message is simple but powerful.

“Hashem is always with us. Even when we don’t see it, we are surrounded by His love.”