Moed Katan 28a (כח.) — the Talmud in English

But with regard to other women, they leave it:

there is no concern for a blemish to their honor.

Rabbi Elazar said: Even with regard to other women

they do not leave their bier in the street to eulogize them.

As it is written: “

And Miriam died there and was buried there,”

and we derive that in the case of women,

burial must be close to death.

And

further,

Rabbi Elazar said: Miriam also died by a kiss,

like Moses and Aaron, and the source for this

is derived

by a gezera shava: “

there,” “

there,”

from Moses,

for it is written regarding his death, “by the word of the Lord”; this is death by a kiss.

And we explain:

And why was it not stated concerning her,

as it was concerning Moses,

“

by the word of the Lord”?

Because it would be disgraceful to say such a thing

about a woman.

Rabbi Ami said: Why was

the passage of

Miriam’s death juxtaposed to the passage of the red heifer?

To teach you: Just as the red heifer atones, so too the deaths of the righteous atone

for that generation. [The Etz Yosef explained that both atone for the same reason: “Let the mother come and clean up the excrement of her son”; this is the resemblance between them.]

Rabbi Elazar said: Why was Aaron’s death juxtaposed to the priestly garments,

as it is written concerning it: “Remove Aaron’s garments, and Aaron shall be gathered”?

To teach you: Just as the priestly garments atone,

as explained in Zevachim [88b], that each garment atones for a particular sin of the community or of an individual,

so too the deaths of the righteous atone.

The Sages taught: If one dies suddenly,

without having been ill beforehand,

this is

what is called

“a sudden death.”

If he became ill

only

for one day and died, this is

“an expedited death.”

Rabbi Hanania ben Gamliel says: This, [

an illness of one day followed by death, ]

is death by plague.

As it is stated

in Ezekiel: “

Son of man, behold, I am taking from you the delight of your eyes by plague,”

and it is written: “

And I spoke

to the people in the morning,”

the words of prophecy,

“and my wife died in the evening.”

We see that becoming ill for one day and then dying is called a plague.

If he became ill

for two days and died, this is an abated death.

If he became ill for

three

days and died, this is death by

rebuke.

If he became ill for

four

days and died, this is death by

reprimand.

If he became ill for

five

days and died,

this is the death of every person.

Rav Hanin said: What is the verse?

What is the source in the verse that if one becomes ill for five days and dies, this is the death of every person?

It is written concerning Moses our teacher: “

Behold, your days are drawing near to die.”

And we expound:

“Behold” —

one. “

Are drawing near” —

a plural expression —

two.

And likewise

“your days” —

two.

This makes five

days.

And we explain that they derive

“behold” —

one, for in the Greek language they call one

“hen.”

If he dies at

the age of

fifty years, this is death by excision.

If he dies at the age of

fifty-two years, this is the death of Samuel of Ramah,

who died at the age of 52.

If he dies at the age of

sixty, this is death at the hands of

Heaven.

Mar Zutra said: What is the verse

indicating that death at the age of sixty is death at the hands of Heaven?

As it is written: “

You shall come to the grave in full vigor.” “

In full vigor”

has the numerical value of sixty.

The age of

seventy

is considered

old age.

And the age of

eighty

is considered

strength.

As it is written: “

The days of our years are seventy years; and if by strength —

eighty years.”

Rabba said: One who dies

at

at

the age of

fifty

years

and

above,

until the age of sixty, dies by excision.

And the reason that it was not counted

in the beraita, which instead stated that at fifty one dies by excision,

is out of respect for Samuel of Ramah,

who died at the age of fifty-two, so that people should not say that he was liable for excision.

When Rav Yosef reached the age of sixty, he made a day of festivity for the Sages.

He said: I have emerged from the category of excision.

Abaye said to him,

but is it certain that you have escaped excision?

Granted, my master has escaped excision due to years,

since you did not die before the age of sixty, but you must still be concerned

about excision due to days,

which is sudden death —

has my master escaped that!?

If so, why are you making a day of festivity for the Sages?

He said to him: At least take half in your hand!

Hold half of the punishment of excision in your hand!

That is, with regard to the category of excision due to years, which is half of the categories of the punishment of excision, it has become clear that I have escaped it.

Rav Huna’s soul departed suddenly.

The Sages were distressed,

concerned,

the Sages.

A scholar from Mehadyev taught them —

the name of a sage from a place called “Hadayev” —

they taught only

that when one dies suddenly, his death is called “a sudden death,”

but only

when he

has not reached the age of strength.

But if he has reached the age of strength —

this is death by a kiss,

as he died without illness.

Rava said: Children, life, and sustenance —

the matter does not depend on merit; rather, the matter depends on fortune.

For Rabba and Rav Hisda were both righteous Sages,

as

one master prayed

for rain

and rain came,

and

the other master prayed and rain came. Nevertheless, there was a great difference between them with regard to life, children, and sustenance.

For

Rav Hisda lived ninety-two years,

whereas

Rabba lived

only

forty

years.

And likewise with regard to children:

in the house of

the household of

Rav Hisda

there were

sixty wedding celebrations

for his sons, whereas

in the house of Rabba

there were

sixty funerals,

cases of bereavement.

And likewise with regard to sustenance:

in the house of

the household of

Rav Hisda

there was an abundance of

fine flour

for

the dogs, and it was not sought,

as they did not need to search and ask for it, since there was plenty. Whereas

in the house of Rabba

they searched for

barley bread for people, but it could not be found.

And Rava said: I asked Heaven for these three things; two were given to me, and one was not given to me:

I requested

the wisdom of Rav Huna and the wealth

of Rav Hisda,

and they gave them to me.

But I also requested

the humility of Rabba bar Rav Huna,

and this

they did not give me.

Rav Seorim, Rava’s brother, was sitting before Rava,

before Rava’s bed when he was ill.

He saw that

Rava

was dozing,

in the throes of death.

He said to him

—Rava said to Rav Seorim:

Let my master say

to the Angel of Death

not to cause him distress

too greatly as his soul departs.

His brother said to him

—Rav Seorim said: But

is my master,

you, Rava,

not his intimate companion,

the close friend of the Angel of Death,

is he not!? [Since they were accustomed to one another,] you can tell him yourself!

Since they were accustomed to one another, you can tell him yourself!

Rava said to him

—Rava said to his brother:

Once fortune has been handed over,

my fortune has deteriorated and I am inclined toward death,

he will not heed me,

and therefore I ask you to tell him not to cause me distress.

He said to him,

Rav Seorim said to his brother Rava and asked him:

Let my master appear to me

after death in a dream, to tell me whether the Angel of Death caused him distress.

He appeared to him.

He said to him,

Rav Seorim asked him whether

my master experienced distress

in death.

He said to him,

that the distress in the departure of the soul from the body was

like pulling a hair from milk,

like the hole made by a craftsman in flesh to let blood.

Rava was sitting before Rav Naḥman, and he saw that he was dozing,

in the throes of death.

He said to him

—Rav Naḥman said to Rava:

Let my master say

to the Angel of Death

not to cause him distress.

He said to him,

but is

my master not an important person,

and why do you not tell the Angel of Death yourself!?

He said to him:

Once a person has been handed over to his control,

who is important

in his eyes,

who is worthy

of being feared by him and obeyed,

and who is prepared,

who is fit and will have to obey him?

He said to him

—Rava said to Rav Naḥman:

Let my master appear to me

after death.

He appeared to him.

He said to him:

Did

my master experience distress

at the time of death?

He said to him: Like pulling a hair from milk,

like pulling a strand of hair out of milk [and in Berakhot 8a they said that this is death by a kiss].

And

although I experienced no distress in death,

if the Holy One, blessed be He, were to say to me, “Go

back

to that world as you were” —

I would not want to,

because

its fear is great,

as the fear of the Angel of Death is great.

Rabbi Elazar was eating teruma.

He appeared to him

the Angel of Death, who had come to take his soul.

He said to him: I am eating teruma, and

is it

not called

“sacred,”

is it not called?

I am engaged in the mitzva of eating sacred food, and you have no authority to interrupt me in the performance of a mitzva.

The hour passed him by,

and he did not die at that time.

Rav Sheshet—the Angel of Death appeared to him

in the street.

In the marketplace.

He said to him:

What, should I die

in the marketplace like an animal? Come,

come

to the house,

and kill me there. [And Ein Yaakov concludes: He came inside the house, and the Angel overcame him.]

Rav Ashi—the Angel of Death appeared to him in the marketplace.

He said to him, “Wait”,

wait

thirty days for me, and I will review my learning,

because

you say: Fortunate is one who arrives here

to the World of Truth

with his learning in his hand.

On the thirtieth day he came.

He said to him

—Rav Ashi said to him:

Why all this

that you are not waiting until the full thirty days have passed?

He said to him:

The feet of bar Natan are pressing.

His time has come to become the leader after you,

and one sovereignty does not encroach upon another even by a hairsbreadth.

Rav Hisda—the Angel of Death could not overcome him,

to take his soul, because

his mouth did not cease from study.

He ascended,

the Angel of Death ascended,

and sat on a cedar

in the roof beam

of Rav’s house. The cedar split, and he fell silent;

Rav Hisda

and

then

he was able to overcome him.

Rabbi Hiyya—the Angel of Death was unable

to approach

him. One day he appeared to him as a poor man and came knocking at the door;

he knocked on the door of Rabbi Hiyya’s house.

He said to him,

the Satan, who had appeared to Rabbi Hiyya as a poor man:

Bring me bread

to eat.

They brought it to him.

He said to him: Does my master not have compassion for the poor?

And if so,

for that man

—for me, since I cannot fulfill my duty—

why does my master not have compassion? He revealed to him

that he was the Angel of Death.

He showed him a fiery staff

and demonstrated to him that he was indeed the Angel of Death.

Rabbi Hiyya gathered

Rabbi Hiyya

himself, and the Angel of Death took his soul.

and the Angel of Death took it.