for two years, every friday, schachter-shalomi talked with writer sara davidson, a secular skeptic, about spirituality and preparing to die. davidson chronicled those conversations in a book called "the december project." bob faw had spoken with both davidson and schachter-shalomi this past spring about wisdom and accepting death. >> reporter: despite all her success as a best-selling novelist, a hollywood screenwriter, and a journalist working in dangerous places, nothing she did, says sara davidson, ever prepared her for the prospect of dying. >> i would feel terror and nausea because i had no certainty that there is an afterlife. the idea of everything ending in nothing was terrible. >> reporter: in 2009, though, davidson was lucky enough to meet this remarkable man, rabbi zalman schachter-shalomi, then 85, a founder of the jewish renewal movement. appearing recently at a boulder, colorado, book signing he remembered that when they met he wanted someone to pass along all he had learned about dying. >> i felt that what i needed to share with people at this time is just stuff that i didn

and bob faw on the late rabbi zalman schachter-shalomi's conversations with author and skeptic sara davidson about spirituality and preparing to die. >> announcer: major funding is provided by a private family foundation dedicated to its founder's interest in religion, community development and