Loss of what could be; but is – a prayer-poem in eulogy after a suicide, by Andrew Meit

Contributor(s): Andrew Meit

Shared on: 29 October 2016 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories: Mourning

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., death of a child, English vernacular prayer, Eulogy, North America, Prayers as poems, suicide, suicide awareness, suicide prevention

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Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	For Ben, a bright soul by Andrew Meit, uncle.
	Loss of what could be; but is.^[1] Loosely based on “A Jewish Prayer” by Rabbi David Wolpe in “Prayers for 9/11,” Huffington Post, 9 September 2011.
	Ein Sof:
	How can I seek comfort for a potentiality lost? Or is it?
	I cannot pray for deliverance from their choice for peace, only to be given memories filled with their miracles.
	For what could be, now not is burned into my soul, my time.
	A child’s gift giftless; A child grown parentless. Long bereaved we living must. Memories past are prayers cherished.
	Only constant constructed love daily lives out the powerful promise to wrestle evil and wield goodness; to prevent pain and helpless hope —
	Let faith shine through crushing clouds; let not tragedy engulf tenderness growing.
	There is no victim, There is no victimizer; There is only the sustaining potential to keep trust in the potential to love.

This eulogy by Andrew Meit was read at Temple Beit Ami in Rockville, Maryland at the funeral of Benjamin Meit. Andrew writes, “Ben would have turned 19 next week. He died from complications from depression and mental illness.” Donations in Ben’s memory may be made here.

The poem is loosely based upon words shared by Rabbi David Wolpe for an ecumenical collection of prayers and statements of religious leaders a decade after the terrorism on September 11, 2001, collected by the Huffington Post and published 9 September 2011.

A Jewish Prayer
Dear God, how do we pray for what was lost? We cannot pray for deliverance or a miracle, for the tragedy has already burned itself into our souls. Children have grown fatherless. Families are long since bereaved. We know there is no prayer to change the past. So we pray to live with memory, with constant love, with the promise both to combat evil and to cherish goodness. Do not let our pain cloud our hopes or crush our hearts. Help us grow through this tragedy, keep faith with its victims, and sustain our trust in You.

If you or anyone you know is in need of help, please call 911, or 1-800 273 8255, the national suicide prevention hotline.

Notes

Notes
1	Loosely based on “A Jewish Prayer” by Rabbi David Wolpe in “Prayers for 9/11,” Huffington Post, 9 September 2011.

. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike . 4.0 . International .

“Loss of what could be; but is – a prayer-poem in eulogy after a suicide, by Andrew Meit” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.

Andrew Meit

Andrew Meit has studied and researched in various areas: the imagination, Martin Buber, Judaism, prophets and prophecy, and Ephraim Moses Lilien. In 1984, Meit earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies with minors in Mathematics and Philosophy from Stetson University. As a lifelong creative, he is a type and graphics designer focusing on Jewish art and digitally repairing damaged art.Meit is legally deaf-blind, and has several learning problems stemming from contracting congenital Rubella. He is active in the Independent Living Movement; been on several CIL boards. Throughout his life Meit has striven to turn his disabilities into well-made art that inspires and celebrates beauty and truth.Off and on for 40 years, Meit has been involved in interfaith services and study groups. He has informally lectured on Buber. He enjoys writing prayers and creating worship presentations.Although mainly self-taught in calligraphy, drawing and design, Meit formally studied at the Cleveland Art Institute. With the font editor Fontographer, he recreated the well known font GoodCity Modern (a faithful recreation of the Gutenberg’s bible typeface). Over the decades, he produced a digital recreation of the first page of Genesis from the Gutenberg Bible. He artistically colored many of E.M. Lilien’s line art illustrations, created a font based on Buber's handwriting, and recently, he created a new logo for the Florida Orange City Unitarian Universalist Congregation and improved a logo for Applied Jewish Spirituality group.Meit likes to help repair the world through his art; enjoys deep thoughts, playing with puzzles, and learning about Religion. He currently lives in Plantation, Florida.

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“Peering” by Andrew Meit (CC BY)

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17

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