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                 YAHRZEIT (MEMORIAL) LAMP


Grandpa Avraham's resting place in Kishinev Pictures, Images and Photos
    
     This is a translated portion of the prayer that we say when we light the memorial
     lamp or candle on certain Jewish holidays and on birthdays and anniversaries in
     memory of dear ones who have passed away. I lit the Yahrzeit glass today in memory
     of my precious Daddy who died on April 2, 1949:

          "Lord, what is man, that Thou takest knowledge of him; or the son of man,
     that Thou makest account of Him! Man is like unto a vanity; his days are as a
     shadow that passeth away. In the morning he flourisheth, and groweth up; in the
     evening he is cut down and withereth. Thou turnest man to contrition, and sayest:
     'Return, ye children of men!' O that they were wise, that they would consider their
     latter end! For when man dieth, he shall carry nothing away; his glory shall not
     descend after him. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of
     that man is peace. The Lord redeemeth the souls of His servants; and none of them
     that trust in Him shall be forsaken.
          "O Lord, full of compassion, Thou who dwellest in high; grant perfect rest
     beneath the sheltering wings of Thy presence, among the holy and the pure, who
     shine as the brightness of the firmament unto the souls of our dearly beloved here
     inscribed who have ascended unto eternity.
          "Almighty and Eternal Father, in adversity as in joy, Thou, our source of life,
     art ever with us. As we recall with affection those whom Thou hast summoned unto
     Thee, we thank Thee for the example of their lives, for our sweet companionship with
     them, for the cherished memories and the undying inspiration they leave behind. In
     Tribute to our departed who are bound with Thee in the bond of everlasting life, may
     our lives be consecrated to thy service. Comfort, we pray Thee, all who mourn. Though
     they may not comprehend Thy purpose, keep steadfast their trust in Thy wisdom."

           Dear Daddy,
               You taught me everything I needed to know in order to be the person
           that I am today. You taught me about nature: the animals, trees and flowers
           that you loved so much. You were an intellect: you taught me about the
           magnificent world of books and wonderful music.  You taught me to live by
           the Golden Rule; never to lie, to steal, or to intentionally hurt another
           human being. I never learned to be prejudiced, because you taught me to
           love all human beings, no matter what color they were or how different
           their religious beliefs were from ours. There's just one phrase to describe
           the lesson I learned from you, Daddy: YOU TAUGHT ME HOW TO LOVE. AND I
           PROMISE YOU, AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, I WILL NEVER FORGET THIS LESSON AND I
           WILL NEVER FORGET YOU.
          
               I found the following piece which I wrote when I lit two Yahrzeit
           glasses on Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) in 1983:

                               YOM KIPPUR
                
                Two dancing flames
                Melting wax in memory glasses
                Mamela and Daddy
                Bound in the bond of eternal life.  

                A grey-sky day and silent mist
                Yom Kippur rain falls
                Beckoning the past years
                Shadows with rainbows everlasting.

                Daddy left first
                Taking with him singing childhood
                Singing philosopher    
                You instilled in me the Golden Rule.

                Mama last May
                Taking with her dancing grown days
                Dancing traditionalist
                From you I discovered the purpose.  
                                                April 2, 2010







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