The Death of King David: A Hasidic Tale by David Blumenfeld
King David saved a stranger’s life, an angel of the Lord. In gratitude, the angel granted David, one wish: to know the moment of his death. Jews believed this divinely set moment was immutable and that God forbade the Angel of Death to take anyone while they were reading the Torah. David planned to read the Torah at that moment, thus escaping death and achieving immortality. Before the appointed time, he sat in a garden isolated, undistracted, focused only on the words of the Torah. It was a glorious day: the sun shone benignly, a soft breeze wafted through the trees carrying the fragrant smell of flowers, birds sang melodiously. This earthly scene caused David to look up in awe for a split second, and the Angel of Death took him.