Genesis Rabbah 62

¹“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? 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. But when it is picked not at its proper time, it is bad for it and bad for the fig tree. 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?’ 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. 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). “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, and it was beneficial for him; Gideon, and it was not beneficial for him. Why? “Gideon crafted it into an ephod” (Judges 8:27) – for idol worship. ²“Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Makhpela, in the field of Efron, son of Tzohar the Hitite, that is before Mamre” (Genesis 25:9). “Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Makhpela” – here the maidservant’s son [Ishmael] accorded honor to the mistress’s son [Isaac, by allowing him to go first]. “The field that Abraham purchased from the children of Ḥet; there Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife” (Genesis 25:10). “The field that Abraham purchased” – Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Were there not thirty-eight years between Sarah’s burial and Abraham’s burial? And yet you say here: “There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife”? The explanation is that it is to teach you that everyone who performed kindness to Sarah [in attending her funeral] was privileged to perform kindness for Abraham [in attending his funeral as well]. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Shem and Ever were walking before his bier, and they saw an empty spot alongside her [Sarah] for our patriarch Abraham, and they buried him in that adjacent plot, in the place that was prepared and designated for him. ³“It was after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac lived beside Be’er Laḥai Ro’i (Genesis 25:11). “It was after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son” – Rabbi Simon said: Everywhere that it is stated “it was after [the death],” the world regressed. “It was after the death of Abraham” – immediately, “All the cisterns…the Philistines sealed them after Abraham’s death” (Genesis 26:15, 18). “It was after the death of Moses, servant of the Lord” (Joshua 1:1) – immediately, the well, the clouds of glory, and the manna ceased. “It was after Joshua’s death” (Judges 1:1) – immediately, the pegs of the Land waged war against them. “It was after Saul’s death” (II Samuel 1:1) – “the Philistines were waging war against Israel” (I Samuel 31:1). The students raised an objection to Rabbi Simon: ‘But is it not written: “After the death of Yehoyada, the princes of Judah came and prostrated themselves to the king”?’ (II Chronicles 24:17). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: ‘Rabbi Simon came to say [his rule] only concerning [the phrase] “it was after [the death].”’ Rabbi Yudan said: [The words “it was after the death” of certain people connote that] the world would have regressed had the Holy One blessed be He not established others in their stead, as it is written: “It was after Abraham’s death,” and it is written: “Isaac dug anew” (Genesis 26:18). “It was after the death of Moses, servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, saying” (Joshua 1:1). And it is written: “It was after Joshua’s death…the Lord said: Judah will ascend” (Judges 1:1–2). It is written: “It was after Saul’s death and David had returned from smiting the Amalekites, and David had stayed in Tziklag [two] days” (II Samuel 1:1), and it is written prior to this matter, [even] prior to Samuel’s death: “David was the son of a nobleman…” (I Samuel 17:12). ⁴“These are the descendants of Ishmael son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham” (Genesis 25:12). “These are the descendants of Ishmael son of Abraham” – Rabbi Ḥama bar Ukva and the Rabbis were sitting and finding difficulty [with this passage]: ‘Why did the verse see fit to describe the lineage of the wicked man [Ishmael] here, [as well as his age at death]?’ [Just then] Rabbi Levi passed by. They said: ‘Here comes the master of halakha , let us ask him.’ Rabbi Levi said: ‘It is in order to tell you at what age your ancestor [Jacob] was blessed.’ 17a. “These are the years of the life of Ishmael, one hundred and thirty-seven years, and he expired and died and he was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:17). “These are the years of the life of Ishmael” – why did the verse see fit to recount the years of the wicked one here? It is because he came from the far reaches of the desert to perform kindness for his father [in attending his funeral]. “They dwelled from Ḥavila to Shur, that is adjacent to Egypt, all the way to Assyria: he settled among all his brethren” (Genesis 25:18). “They dwelled from Ḥavila…” – here it says: “he settled [among all his brethren]” [ nafal , literally, fell down], but elsewhere it says [of Ishmael]: “He will dwell [ yishkon ] [among all his brethren]” (Genesis 16:12). The explanation is that all the days our patriarch Abraham was alive – yishkon . When our patriarch Abraham died – nafal . Before he extended his hand against the Temple – yishkon ; once he extended his hand against it – nafal . In this world – yishkon ; but in the future – nafal .