Ghost Stories

Brachot 18b

It happened that there was a certain pious man who gave a dinar as charity to a poor man on the eve of Rosh HaShana in a year of famine. And his wife made fun of him. So he went and spent the night in a cemetery. And while he was there he heard two spirits of two children talking to each other. One said to the other, “My friend, let us roam the world and hear from behind the curtain what misfortune is to come to the world this year” Her friend replied: “I can’t because I am buried in a matting of reeds [she was ashamed that she was not buried in linens]. But you go and come back and tell me what you hear. So she went and roamed and returned, and her friend said to her: My friend, what have you heard?” She said: “I heard that the crops of anyone who plants this winter at the time of the first rain will be destroyed by hail.” Upon hearing this the man went and planted at the time of the second rain. Everyone's crops were destroyed, while his were not. The next year he went and spent the night in the cemetery and he heard the same to spirits talking. One said to the other “Let us roam the world and hear from behind the curtain what misfortune is to come to the world this year” One answered: I cannot, as I am buried in a matting of reeds, but you go and come back and tell me what you heard.” She came back and said: “ I heard that anyone who plants this winter at the time of the second rain will be blasted by dry winds”. The man heard this and planted at the time of the first rain. Everyone’s crops were blasted and his were not. His wife said to him: Why is it last year everyone;s crops were destroyed by hail and yours were not, and this year everyone’s was destroyed by wind and yours were not?” The man told his wife the story. A few days later a fight broke out between the wife and the mother of the child in the cemetery. And in the quarrel, the woman told the mother- “look, I will show you that you buried your daughter stupidly in reeds”. The next year, the man went to the cemetery to sleep and heard them speaking again. One said to the other, “let us roam the world and hear from behind the curtain what misfortune is to come to the world.” The other answered: “Leave me be my friend. The words that we said in years past between ourselves have already been heard among the living.”

Moed Katan 28a

Rav Seorim, the brother of Rava, was sitting with Rava, and he saw that rava was dying. Rava asked him- “My master, tell him (the Angel of Death) not to hurt me. He answered: “Is master not his friend?” Rava said: “Since my mazal has been delivered to the Angel of death, he will pay no attention to me.” He asked: May master appear to me after he dies. After Rava passed away, he appeared to Rav Seorim, and Rav Seorim asked him: “Did master feel pain?” He answered him: “It was like a puncture from a bloodletter’s lancet.”

Rava was sitting before Rav Nachman, and he saw that Rav Nachman was slipping into slumber, and Rav Nachman asked him, “May master tell the Angel of Death not to hurt me.” Rav Nachman answered: “Is master not an important person?” Let the master speak to the Angel of Death himself. Rav Nachman said to him: “Who is important, who is awesome, who is exalted, before the Angel of Death?” He asked: “May master appear to me after he dies.” After Rav Nachman passed away, he appeared to Rava, and Rava asked him: “Did Master feel pain?” He answered him: “It was like a hair being drawn from milk.” But if the Holy One, Blessed is He, would say to me, “Go back to that world, living there as you were before, and then die again” I would not want to, because the fear of [the Angel of Death] is great.

The angel of Death appeared to Rav Ashi in the marketplace. Rav Ashi said to him: “Wait 30 days for me, and I will review my studies, because you say in HEaven: ‘fortunate is one who comes here with his learning in his hand’. At the end of the 30th day, the Angel of Death came back, and Rav Ashi asked him: “What is all this urgency?” The Angel of Death answered him: “He [Rav Ashi] is pushing the foot of Bar Natan [ie. the time has come for him to take over]. and the reign of one king may not encroach upon the reing of antoehr by even a hairbreadth.

[The Angel of Death] could not approach R’Chiya, one day he disguised himself as a pauper. He went and knocked on R’Chiya’s door. and said to him: “bring me some bread.” At they brought him some bread. He said to R’Chiya: “Does master not have mercy on the poor? So why does master not have mercy on that man [referring to his role as the Angel of Death]? he then revealed himself to R’Chiya, showing him a rod of fire, and R’Chiya surrendered his life to him.