Rava said to Rav Nachman, "Show yourself to me (in a dream after you die)."

He showed himself to Rava.

Rava asked him, "Was death painful?"

Rav Nachman replied, "It was as painless as lifting a hair from a cup of milk. But were the Holy One to say to me, "You may return to that world where you were before' I would not wish to do it. The fear of death is too great."

Mo'Ed Katan 28A
Where Heaven & Earth Touch:
An Anthology Of Midrash & Halachah
The Town House Press, 1984

It is told that Rabbi Abi of Olinov was among the greatest admirers of Rabbi Naphtali of Ropshitz. He died on Simchat Torah in Olinov. At that time, the Hasidim in Ropshitz were dancing in their fashion before the window of their Rabbi. Rabbi Naphtali stood by the window and watched. Suddenly he raised his hand as a sign that they should stop. And he stood as if in confusion for some time. Afterward he roused himself and said, "If they go out to war and one of the captains falls, should the soldiers flee? No. The battle must go on. Rejoice and dance." Then he gave a sign that they should begin to dance. Afterward it was made known that this was the precise moment when Rabbi Abi had died.

Jewish Reflections On Death
Jack Reims, Editor
Stockmen Books, 1974

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