When God Shows the Righteous Their Reward Before Death

[(Exodus 39:33:) AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE.] This is what Scripture says (Proverbs 31:25): "Strength and splendor are her clothing, and she shall laugh at the latter day." There was a case of Rabbi Abbahu. When he was departing from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him the reward that was prepared for him in the world to come, and He passed before him thirteen rivers of balsam. And he was looking at them and was astonished, and he kept saying: Are all these for Abbahu? And he applied to himself the verse (Isaiah 49:4): "I have spent my strength for emptiness and vanity; yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God." [Thus: "and she shall laugh at the latter day."] Zavdi ben Levi, and Levi ben Paytam, and Rabbi Yehudah ben Levi—each one of them [recited] a verse at the time of his departure from the world. One recited (Psalms 32:6): "For this let every pious one pray to You..." And one recited (Psalms 31:20): "How abundant is Your goodness..." And one recited (Psalms 5:12): "And let all who take refuge in You rejoice..." Thus, at the time of their departure from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, shows them the gift of their reward. Ben Azzai said (Psalms 116:15): "Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His pious ones." When does the Holy One, blessed be He, show the righteous the honor that is prepared for them? Close to their death. Thus: "and she shall laugh at the latter day..."