HOME | CONTACT US | DONATE LoginLOGIN Ask the RabbiASK THE RABBI
Chabad.org - Torah, Judaism and Jewish Info Prayer
 
Chabad.org » Mitzvahs & Traditions » Prayer » Insights » Questions and Answers » Is there a prayer for lost objects?
  Overview & Guide   Insights   Stories   Jewish Prayers   The Synagogue   Meditation & Prayer   Siddur   Video
PrintSend this page to a friendShare this
Comment16 Comments

Is there a prayer for lost objects?


There is indeed a traditional prayer and procedure to be followed when seeking G‑d's assistance in retrieving a lost object.

The following is recited:

Rabbi Binyamin said: All are presumed blind until the Holy One, blessed be He, enlightens their eyes. We know this from the verse:1 "G‑d opened her eyes and she went and filled up the water skin."2

(Say three times:) G‑d of Meir answer me!3

In the merit of the charity which I am donating for the sake of the soul of Rabbi Meir the Miracle Worker may I find (---) which I have lost.

Money is then donated to support the poor in Israel.

Did I forget to mention that you also have to get up and look for the object? :)

Yours truly,

Rabbi Menachem Posner

PrintSend this page to a friendShare this
Comment16 Comments
FOOTNOTES
1.

Genesis 21:19.

2.

Midrash Rabbah Genesis 53:14.

3.

The origins of this statement is in the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 18a-b):
Beruria, the wife of Rabbi Meir, was a daughter of R. Chanina ben Teradion. She said to her husband, "It bothers me that my sister sits in the brothel [where she was placed by the Roman regime]." So he took a basketful of coins and set out. "If," thought he, "she has not been subjected to anything wrong, a miracle will be wrought for her, but if she has committed anything wrong, no miracle will happen to her."
Disguised as a knight, he approached her and said, "Prepare yourself for me."
"The manner of women [menstrual period] is upon me," she replied.
"I am prepared to wait," he said.
"But," said she, "there are here many, many prettier than I am!"
"This proves that she has not committed any wrong," he said to himself. "She no doubt says thus to every comer."
He went to her warder and said, "Hand her over to me."
"I am afraid of the government," he replied.
"Take the basketful of coins." said he. "One half distribute as a bribe, the other half shall be for yourself."
"And what shall I do when these coins are exhausted?' he asked.
"Then," he replied, "say, 'O G‑d of Meir, answer me!' and you will be saved."
"But," said he, "who is assures me that that will be the case?"
"You will see now," he replied.
There were there some man-eating dogs. Rabbi Meir took a clump of earth and threw it at them. As they came to devour him he exclaimed, "O G‑d of Meir answer me!" and they let him alone.
The warder then handed her over to him.
Eventually the matter became known to the government, and the warder was brought to be hanged. As he was taken to the gallows, he exclaimed, "O G‑d of Meir answer me." They took him down and asked him what that meant, and he told them the incident that had happened.
They then engraved Rabbi Meir's likeness on the gates of Rome and proclaimed that anyone seeing a person resembling it should bring him there. One day Rabbi Meir was spotted and was chased. He ran away from them and entered a harlot's house. Others say he happened just then to see food cooked by heathens and he dipped in one finger and then sucked the other. Others again say that Elijah the Prophet appeared to them as a harlot who embraced him. "G‑d forbid," said they, "were this R. Meir, he would not have acted thus!" [and they left him]...


By Menachem Posner   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author
Rabbi Menachem Posner is a member of the Chabad.org Ask the Rabbi team.

The content on this page is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org, and is produced by Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with the copyright policy.
 

16 Comments Posted  |  Post A Comment
Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: Nov 11, 2011
Prayer for someone who lost an item
My brother lost a watch that was given to him by his in-laws, I have directed him to the prayer for lost articles for him to say, but is there something I can do to help? Should I daven the same prayer even if I didn't lose the item?
Posted By Aviad, Sydney, Australia

Posted: Aug 10, 2011
I lost my debit card andSIN card
I am so devastated because I lost my sim card and debit card.. I can't find them anywhere.. What is the prayer suitable for this :( pls. Help...
Posted By Missylyn, Victoria, Canada

Posted: Mar 8, 2011
prayer for lost objects
I Love G-d!!!

I found this online because I don't have at work my aneini book, which has this prayer in Hebrew/English among other prayers. Great book by the way! Anyway, my package for work went missing with all my orders of the previous day in it. Thanks to Chabad I said the above prayer and gave a few coins to charity & walked over to the location it was supposed to be that others claimed that it was not there.

Guess what........ it was THERE!!!

I guess G-d wanted my prayer otherwise why would this package go missing when it always gets there everyday relatively fine :)
Posted By lover of Hashem!, brooklyn, ny

Posted: Mar 7, 2011
blessing for lost object
Did this today and happily found my keys. Thank G-d!
Posted By Rachel Simson, Kiryat Arba, Israel

Posted: Aug 1, 2010
RE: the tzedaka
Apparently the destination is not terribly important. After all, you found your item.
Posted By Gretta

Posted: July 30, 2010
the tzedaka
This truly works. I said this and found my lost item. However, I got this prayer out of a book called "Aneini". It just said to give tzedaka and did not specify to whom. I gave my tzedaka to "Hatzaloh" in NY and not poor people in Israel. Does it really matter to whom the charity goes to?
Posted By Shepetofsky, houston, texas

Posted: Dec 2, 2009
RE: what is the source?
See Genesis Rabbah 53:14 and Avoda Zara 18.
Posted By Menachem Posner for Chabad.org

Posted: Dec 2, 2009
what is the source?
Is this prayer cited someone in the Gemara? Could someone list the source so I could loook it up.
Thank you!
Posted By Polen, Jerusalem, Israel

Posted: Dec 4, 2008
to the guy who needs his siddur back:
never heard one one ;-( keep on looking and make sure to give some money to support your fellow Jews in Eretz Yisrael and I am sure that it will turn up. It allways works me ;-)
Posted By Hassan, Cairo

Posted: Dec 4, 2008
I've lost my siddur!
The last time I saw it was in the Beit Midrash-- what if I still can't find it? I feel such a deficit without it! Is there an even more specific prayer for lost holy books?
Posted By Anonymous, Jerusalem, Israel



 


Questions and Answers
Can a Sinner Pray to G-d?
What’s the Point of Saying Words?
Must I pray in Hebrew?
Where did all our prayers go?
Women in the Synagogue
Why pray at the Western Wall?
I’m struggling with my prayers. Just not in the mood...
Is there a prayer for lost objects?
What prayer do I say before taking a major exam?
Which Psalms should I recite to help me sell my home?
Why do Jews sway while praying?
Is there a prayer recited when lighting a Yahrtzeit candle?
How Can I Get My Kids to Pray?
Do Jews Kneel in Prayer?
I Prayed to Lose Weight, Why Am I Still Fat?
Showing 4 - 18 of 30