The Torah, and later rabbinic texts, offer some fascinating, and comforting, glimpses.
Let’s start with Abraham. (Genesis 25:7) tells us, "These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life that he lived, one hundred and seventy-five years.” And the very next verse adds, "Abraham expired and died at a good old age, aged and content, and he was gathered to his people.” Pretty straightforward. But the Rabbis, diving deep into these words, saw so much more.
Bereshit Rabbah, a classic Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text, asks, why repeat "These are the days of the years of Abraham's life"? It connects this to (Psalm 37:18), "The Lord knows the days of the faultless; their legacy will last forever." Abraham, who was told by God to "Be faultless" (Genesis 17:1), embodies this. God cherished the years of the righteous so much that He recorded them in the Torah, ensuring their legacy endures. Abraham died "at a good old age, aged and content," a testament to a life well-lived.
But what about the actual moment of death? Bereshit Rabbah quotes Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, who points out that pious men of old often suffered intestinal illness for days or weeks before passing. He suggests this sickness cleansed their soul. Rabbi Yehuda even says that anyone whose death is described as "expiring" likely died of such an illness. It's a sobering thought.
Then comes a beautiful and comforting idea. Rabbi Elazar compares it to a king preparing a feast. He invites the guests beforehand, showing them the incredible food and drink they'll enjoy. Their souls are filled with anticipation and satisfaction, and they drift off to sleep peacefully. Similarly, the Holy One, Blessed be He, shows the righteous the reward awaiting them in the future while they're still in this world. (Job 3:13) hints at this, saying, “For now, I would lie down and be silent. I would sleep; then there would be rest for me.”
There are stories that illustrate this beautifully. When Rabbi Abahu was dying, he was shown thirteen rivers of precious balsam oil. He asked, "Whose are these?" They replied, "Yours." Initially, he questioned whether he deserved such reward, remembering (Isaiah 49:4) where the prophet laments laboring for nothing. But the vision affirmed his worthiness. Similarly, Zavdi ben Levi, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, and Rabbi Yosei ben Parta each recited verses expressing joy and anticipation as they passed, including "For this, everyone who is devoted to You should pray at the time of finding" (Psalms 32:6) and "How great is the goodness You have in store for those who fear You" (Psalms 31:20).
Ben Azai adds poignantly, "Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His devoted ones" (Psalms 116:15). The text asks, when does God show them how precious they are? Right before their death. That’s why (Proverbs 31:25) says "[the righteous woman] rejoices at the final day.”
But what about the difference between the death of the young and the old? Rabbi Yehuda offers an analogy: a lamp that extinguishes on its own, when the oil has run out, is good for both the lamp and the wick. But a lamp that’s put out prematurely, while oil remains, is bad for both. Rabbi Abahu uses a similar image: a fig picked at its proper time is good for both the fig and the tree. But one picked too early is bad for both. Dying at a ripe old age is natural, but dying young, before one's potential is realized, is tragic.
There's a story about Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great (or Rabbi Akiva, or Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥalafta – the tradition varies) and his students who would study under a fig tree. The owner, concerned they suspected him of distrust, stopped picking the figs while they were there. But this caused the figs to become infested with worms. The rabbis realized: the owner knows the perfect time to harvest the figs. Similarly, God knows the perfect time for the righteous to depart. As (Song of Songs 6:2) says, "My beloved descended to his garden, to the beds of fragrant plants, to eat in the gardens, to pluck lilies." The "plucking of lilies" is a metaphor for God taking the righteous from this world.
Finally, Reish Lakish points out that the term seiva (good old age) is used for Abraham, David, and Gideon. For Abraham and David, it was beneficial. But for Gideon, it wasn’t, because he used his later years to create an idol.
So, what does all this tell us? It suggests that the death of the righteous is not just an end, but a culmination. A moment of divine recognition, a glimpse of the reward to come, and a peaceful transition. It's a reminder to live a life worthy of that final, precious moment, when God shows us just how beloved we truly are.
“These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life that he lived, one hundred and seventy-five years” (Genesis 25:7). “Abraham expired and died at a good old age, aged and content, and he was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8). “These are the days of the years of Abraham’s life.” It is written: “The Lord knows the days of the faultless; their legacy will last forever” (Psalms 37:18). “The Lord knows the days of the faultless” – this is Abraham, as it is stated: “Be faultless” (Genesis 17:1). “Their legacy will last forever” – “these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life,” as the Holy One blessed be He was fond of the years of the righteous and recorded them in the Torah, so the legacy of their days would be remembered forever – “at a good old age, aged and content.” “[Abraham] expired” – Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai said: The pious men of old would suffer from intestinal illness for ten or twenty days [before dying], which teaches you that sickness cleanses [the soul]. Rabbi Yehuda said: Anyone in whose regard “expiring” is stated, died of intestinal illness. It is written: “Might and grandeur are her clothing, [and she rejoices at the final day]” (Proverbs 31:25) – the entire reward granted to the righteous is prepared for them in the future, and the Holy One blessed be He shows them the granting of the reward that he is destined to give them in the future while they are still in this world, and their souls are satisfied [with what they have seen], and they go to sleep, [i.e., expire peacefully]. Rabbi Elazar said: This is analogous to a feast that the king prepared. He invited the guests [beforehand] and showed them what they would be eating and drinking. Their souls were satisfied, and they went to sleep [with this feeling of satisfaction]. So, too, the Holy One blessed be He shows the righteous the granting of their reward that he is destined to give them in the future while they are still in this world, and they go to sleep, as it is stated: “For now, I would lie down and be silent. [I would sleep; then there would be rest for me]” (Job 3:13) – this shows that at the moment of the departure of the righteous [from this world], the Holy One blessed be He shows them the reward granted to them. When Rabbi Abahu was dying, he was shown thirteen rivers of [precious] balsam oil. He asked: ‘Whose are these?’ They said to him: ‘Yours.’ He said: ‘These are for Abahu? “And I had said: For nothing I labored, I expended my strength for emptiness and futility; but indeed, my portion is from the Lord”’ (Isaiah 49:4). Zavdi ben Levi, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, and Rabbi Yosei ben Parta, the three of them recited these verses as they were dying. One of them said: “For this, everyone who is devoted to You should pray at the time of finding” (Psalms 32:6); “For our heart rejoices in Him…” (Psalms 33:21). Another said: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalms 23:5); “But let all who take refuge in You rejoice” (Psalms 5:12). Another said: “For one day in Your courtyard is better than one thousand” (Psalms 84:11). The Rabbis say: “How great is the goodness You have in store for those who fear You” (Psalms 31:20). All this shows that at the moment of the departure of the righteous from the world, the Holy One blessed be He shows them the reward granted to them. Ben Azai says: “Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His devoted ones” (Psalms 116:15). When does the Holy One blessed be He show them the reward that is prepared for them?1When does He show them how precious they are in His eyes? It is adjacent to their death. That is what is written: “the death of His devoted ones.” That is why: “And she rejoices at the final day” (Proverbs 31:25). What is the difference between the death of youths and the death of the elderly? Rabbi Yehuda said: A lamp, when it becomes extinguished on its own, [when the oil has run out,] it is good for it and good for the wick. But when it does not become extinguished on its own, [and there is still oil in it,] it is bad for it and bad for the wick. Rabbi Abahu said: A fig, when it is picked at its proper time, it is good for it and good for the fig tree.2This is why the Torah makes a point of writing that Abraham died “at a good old age, aged and content.” But when it is picked not at its proper time, it is bad for it and bad for the fig tree.3If a person dies in ripe old age, this is the natural course of things, but if he dies young, before his time, it is unnatural and detrimental to his soul, which was not able to reach its full potential. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great and his students – and some say it was Rabbi Akiva and his students, and others say it was Rabbi Yosei ben Ḥalafta and his students – had the routine that they would come early in the day and sit and study beneath a certain fig tree. The owner of the fig tree would come early each day and pick its fruit. They said: ‘Is he, perhaps, suspicious of us?’4Is that why he keeps coming by when we are here? What did they do? They changed their place. He went to them and said to them: ‘My masters, the one mitzva that you sat and afforded me, that you were sitting and studying beneath my fig tree, you have deprived me of it.’ They said to him: ‘We had said that perhaps you were suspicious of us.’ He reassured them and they returned to their place. What did he do? He woke up early in the morning, but he did not go to pick the fruit.5He refrained from picking the fruit while they were there, as he did not want to make them feel that he suspected them. The sun shone upon it [the tree] and they [the figs] became infested with worms. They said: ‘The owner of a fig tree knows when it is the proper time to harvest the fig tree, and he picks its fruits [at that specific time]. So, too, the Holy One blessed be He knows when it is the proper time for the righteous to depart from the world and he removes them [at that specific time].’ That is what is written: “My beloved descended to his garden, to the beds of fragrant plants, [to eat in the gardens, to pluck lilies]” (Song of Songs 6:2).6The Beloved One in Song of Songs refers to God. Plucking the lilies is a metaphor for removing the righteous from this world. “At a good old age [beseiva]” – Reish Lakish said: There are three people in whose regard seiva is stated: Abraham, and it was beneficial for him; David,7I Chronicles 29:28. and it was beneficial for him; Gideon,8Judges 8:32. and it was not beneficial for him. Why? “Gideon crafted it into an ephod” (Judges 8:27) – for idol worship.
