Nine Hundred and Three Ways to Die, and the Divine Kiss

Midrash Aggadah Berachot 8a (via Hebraic Literature, 1901)

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 2, 2025

The rabbis counted the ways a human being can leave this world. They arrived at nine hundred and three, derived from the verse, “Unto God the Lord belong the issues of death” (Psalms 68:20). The word for issues, totzaot, has a numerical value of 903.

Of those nine hundred and three deaths, the hardest is askara — quinsy, a choking throat infection. The rabbis describe it grimly: like pulling prickly thorns out of wool, or dragging a thick rope through a narrow hole. The body fights every inch of its departure.

And the easiest of all deaths, they say, is mitat neshikah, the kiss of God. Moses died this way, and so did Aaron and Miriam. The Torah hints at it with the words “by the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 34:5). The rabbis say it is like drawing a single hair from a cup of milk — silent, effortless, clean.

What decides which of the 903 doorways a soul passes through? The rabbis say it is not random. Each life earns its exit. To die like Moses, one must live like Moses — with the face turned toward the Holy One until the last breath, so that when God leans in to take the soul, there is nothing left to resist.

Themes

Death Moses Soul

Biblical References

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