Moed Katan 29a (כט.) — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Hanina said: The departure of the soul from the body is difficult

like a Tzippori,

like extracting a sailors’ rope that has a knot in its thickness, which is lodged

in the opening of the

esophagus,

inside the mast of the ship; and it is very difficult to pull the rope out of the mast because of the knot in its thickness.

Rabbi Yohanan said: Like a kaftiri,

like a wider knot, with which two ships are tied to one another, which is lodged

in the opening of the esophagus,

and is even more difficult to remove from the mast.

And Rabbi Levi bar Ḥaita said: One who takes leave of the deceased should not say to him “

Go in peace,”

but

should say to him, “

Go with peace.”

By contrast,

one who takes leave

who is separating

from

a living person

should not say to him “

Go with peace,”

but “

Go in peace.”

The Gemara explains the distinction:

One who takes leave of the deceased should not say to him “

Go in peace,”

but “

Go with peace”—

as

it is stated

to Abraham our forefather: “

And you shall come to your fathers in peace,”

you shall be buried at a good old age.

One who takes leave

who is separating

from

a

living person—

should not say to him “

Go with peace,”

but

[Exodus 4]

“Go in peace.”

For David, who said to Absalom

[II Samuel 15] “

Go with peace”—

he went,

Absalom

and was hung

on a tree branch!

But

Jethro, who said to Moses

[Exodus 4] “

Go in peace”—

he went,

Moses to Egypt,

and succeeded!

And Rabbi Levi said: Anyone who goes out from the synagogue

after the prayer

to the beit-midrash,

to study,

and

likewise anyone who goes

from the beit-midrash to the synagogue

in order to pray after his study, proceeding from strength to strength, since from prayer he continues to Torah, and from Torah he continues to prayer—

merits and receives the Divine Presence.

As it is stated

[Psalms 84]: “

They shall go,”

those who go

from strength to strength—

will merit to

appear before God in Zion.”

Rav Hiyya bar Ashi said in the name of Rav: Torah scholars have no repose, even in the World to Come.

As it is stated: “

They shall go from strength to strength”—

they shall appear before God in Zion!

We shall return to you, chapter “And These Are the Ones Who May Shave,” and the tractate Moed Katan is concluded.