We meet the Angel of Death TB Moed Katan 28

We meet the Angel of Death, malakh ha-mavet - מלאך המוות in Hebrew, on today’s daf TB Moed Katan 28. This angel comes to collect the souls of several sages. All Talmud quotes come from Sefaria.org

We are all destined to die for that is the fate of all living things. Nobody wants to suffer as his time comes close to an end. Sometimes the fear of death is worse than the death itself as the stories about Rava and Rav Naḥman demonstrate. When we die, we all want a dignified death as the story about Rav Sheshet demonstrates. The stories of Rav Ashi, Rav Ḥisda, and Rabbi Ḥiyya remind us that even the most learned and most righteous cannot escape his fate. When our time is up, our time is up.

 “Rav Seorim, Rava’s brother, sat before Rava, and he saw that Rava was dozing, i.e., about to die. Rava said to his brother: Master, tell him, the Angel of Death, not to torment me. Knowing that Rava was not afraid of the Angel of Death, Rav Seorim said to him: Master, are you not a friend of the Angel of Death? Rava said to him: Since my fate has been handed over to him, and it has been decreed that I shall die, the Angel of Death no longer pays heed to me. Rav Seorim said to Rava: Master, appear to me in a dream after your death. And Rava appeared to him. Rav Seorim said to Rava: Master, did you have pain in death? He said to him: Like the prick of the knife when letting blood.

It was similarly related that Rava sat before Rav Naḥman, and he saw that Rav Naḥman was dozing, i.e., slipping into death. Rav Naḥman said to Rava: Master, tell the Angel of Death not to torment me. Rava said to him: Master, are you not an important person who is respected in Heaven? Rav Naḥman said to him: In the supernal world who is important? Who is honorable? Who is complete?

“Rava said to Rav Naḥman: Master, appear to me in a dream after your death. And he appeared to him. Rava said to him: Master, did you have pain in death? Rav Naḥman said to him: Like the removal of hair from milk, which is a most gentle process. But nevertheless, were the Holy One, Blessed be He, to say to me: Go back to that world, the physical world, as you were, I would not want to go, for the fear of the Angel of Death is great. And I would not want to go through such a terrifying experience a second time.”

“... It was similarly related that the Angel of Death once appeared to Rav Sheshet in the marketplace. Rav Sheshet said to the Angel of Death: Shall I die in the market like an animal? Come to my house and kill me there like a human being.”

“So too, the Angel of Death appeared to Rav Ashi in the marketplace. Rav Ashi said to the Angel of Death: Give me thirty days so that I may review my studies, for you say above: Fortunate is he who comes here to Heaven with his learning in his hand. On the thirtieth day the Angel of Death came to take him. Rav Ashi said to the Angel of Death: What is all of this? Why are you in such a hurry to take me? Why can you not postpone my death? He said to him: The foot of Rav Huna bar Natan is pushing you, as he is ready to succeed you as the leader of the generation, and one sovereignty does not overlap with its counterpart, even by one hairbreadth. Therefore, you cannot live any longer.

“The Angel of Death was unable to take Rav Ḥisda because his mouth was never silent from study. So the Angel of Death went and sat on the cedar column that supported the roof of the study hall of the Sages. The cedar cracked and Rav Ḥisda was silent for a moment, as he was startled by the sound. At that point the Angel of Death was able to take him.

“The Angel of Death could not come near Rabbi Ḥiyya, owing to his righteousness. One day the Angel of Death appeared to him as a poor person. He came and knocked on the door. He said to Rabbi Ḥiyya: Bring out bread for me, and he took out bread for him. The Angel of Death then said to Rabbi Ḥiyya: Master, do you not have mercy on a poor person? Why, then, do you not have mercy upon that man, i.e., upon me, and give me what I want? The Angel of Death then revealed his identity to him, and showed him a fiery rod in order to confirm that he was the Angel of Death. At this point Rav Ḥiyya surrendered himself to him.”

Who is the Angel Death? “The angel sent by God to bring about death is known as malakh ha-mavet in Hebrew. There are no references in the Bible to a specific angel of death but the concept is found frequently in rabbinic literature and in Jewish folklore.

“In the latter, for instance, the practice of pouring out all the water in pots and so forth when a death occurs is said to be based on the belief of that the Angel of Death dips his sword in the water and poisons it. Maimonides (Guide of the Perplexed, 3. 22) demythologizes the concept, understanding it as the life-denying, evil force that lurks in the human psyche. Maimonides quotes with much approval the Talmudic saying (tractate Bava Batra16a) that Satan, the evil inclination, and the Angel of Death are one and the same. In Yiddish slang a man with destructive tendencies or one who is always running down others is called an Angel of Death.” (By Rabbi Louis Jacobs https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-angel-of-death/)  See also https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5018-death-angel-of

At least back in the late 1970’s, I knew where the malakh ha-mavet lived because he was listed as Hamaves, Malakh in the New York City phonebook. He lived in apartment on the upper West side. I can appreciate the fears and concerns of the sages above because I was afraid to call that listing’s telephone number. I dreaded the person (malakh ha-mavet?) on the other line would say, “I’ve been expecting your call.”