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, right? But the Rabbis, diving deep into these words, saw so much more.
Bereshit Rabbah, a classic Midrashic 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.