[Avodah] Is the term ‘He died before his time’ correct?

[Daniel Eidensohn]

R' Avroham Yakov wrote:
>> I am sure all of us have heard the term, ‘He/she died before his/her 
>> time’, most often used when a young person  r’l dies.
>>
>> But is such a term hashkofically correct?  If Ha-Shem decides to take 
>> someone, can that be ‘before their time’?
Chagiga(4b): R. Joseph, when he came to the [following] verse, wept: But 
there is that is swept away without judgment.27 [He said]:28 Is there 
anyone who passes away before one's [allotted] time?29 — Yes, as in the 
story [heard] by R. Bibi b. Abaye,30 who was frequently visited by the 
Angel of death. [Once] the latter said to his messenger: Go, bring me 
Miriam, the women's hairdresser!31 He went and brought him Miriam, the 
children's nurse. Said he to him:32 I told thee Miriam, the women's 
hairdresser. He answered: If so, I will take her back. Said he to him: 
Since thou hast brought her, let her be added.33 But how were you able 
to get her?34 She was holding a shovel in her hand and was heating and 
raking1 the oven. She took it and put it on her foot and burnt herself; 
thus her luck was impaired and I brought her. Said R. Bibi b. Abaye to 
him2 : Have ye3 permission to act thus? He answered him: Is it not 
written: ‘There is that is swept away without judgment’? He countered: 
But behold it is written: One generation passeth away, and another 
generation cometh!4 He replied: I have charge of them5 till they have 
completed the generation,6 and then I hand them over to Dumah!7 He 
[then] asked him: But after all, what do you do with her years?8 He 
replied: If there be a Rabbinic scholar who overlooks his hurt, I shall 
give them to him in her stead.9




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