[Avodah] Praying for the end

[Joshua Meisner]

On Jan 26, 2008 8:38 PM, Zev Sero <zev at sero.name> wrote:
> Jonathan Baker wrote:
> > RZS:
>
> >> That it's permitted to pray for the end to come is clear in the gemara.
> >> Not just for oneself but for someone else.
> >
> > Huh.  That's interesting.  Where in the gemara?
>
> 1. Rebbi's maid praying for him to die (and actively distracting
>    those who were praying for him to live)
> 2. R Eliezer (deMila) praying for his son to die
>

3. The chachamim davening for Rabbi Yochanan to die after he lost his
mind following the death of Reish Lakish (BM 84a).
4. And to consolidate from a parallel thread, Choni HaMe'agel davening
for his own death after he woke up following his 70-year sleep and was
unable to come to terms with the changes in society that precluded him
from finding colleagues. (Ta'anis 23a).  According to the Yerushalmi
(Ta'anis 3:9), the sleeper was the grandfather of the famous Choni
HaMe'agel who had the same name, whose 70-year sleep spanned from the
churban bayis rishon into the binyan bayis sheni.