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.

Here is the prayer in the original Hebrew:

אָמַר רַבִּי בִּנְיָמִין: הַכֹּל בְּחֶזְקַת סוּמִין, עַד שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵאִיר אֶת עֵינֵיהֶם
מִן הָכָא: "וַיִּפְקַח אֱלֹהִים אֶת עֵינֶיהָ וַתֵּרֶא בְּאֵר מָיִם וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתְּמַלֵּא אֶת הַחֵמֶת
אֱלָהָא דְּמֵאִיר עֲנֵנִי, אֱלָהָא דְּמֵאִיר עֲנֵנִי, אֱלָהָא דְּמֵאִיר עֲנֵנִי
בִּזְכוּת הַצְּדָקָה שֶׁאֲנִי נוֹדֵב לְעִלּוּי נִשְׁמַת רַבִּי מֵאִיר בַּעַל הַנֵּס, זְכוּתוֹ יָגֵן עָלֵינוּ, לִמְצוֹא אֶת (---) שֶׁאִבַּדְתִּי

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

Footnotes

Genesis 21:19.

Midrash Rabbah Genesis 53:14.

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

Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as managing editor at Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish informational website. He has been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch. He lives in Chicago, Ill., with his family.

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56 Comments

Ian MacAusland-Berg Summerside July 29, 2024

Why say merit rather than in honour or in memory of? Reply

Renée Jhb July 5, 2021

What is the prayer for lost item written in Hebrew but phonetically written for English Reply

Lynne July 7, 2021

in response to Renée :

The prayer is: "Amar Rabbi Binyamin, hakol bechezkat soomin ad sheHakadosh Baruch Hu meir et eineihem, min hacha: vayifkach Elohim et eineyhah vtelech vatimaleh et hachemet."

Translation: Rabbi Binyamin said: All are in the presumed status of blind people, until The Holy One, Blessed Be He, enlightens their eyes. We learn this from [Ber. 21:19]: "And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink".

Then you say: "Eloha d'Meir eineini, Eloha d'Meir eineini, Eloha d'Meir eineini, b'zechut hatzadakah sheani nodev l'ilui nishmat Rabbi Meir Ba'al HaNess zechto yagen aleinu, limztoh et ha'aveida she'ebaditi."

Translation: God of Meir, answer me. God of Meir, answer me. God of Meir, answer me. In the merit of the charity that I give to the ascending of the soul of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes, may his merit protect us, may I find the lost article that I lost. Reply

Pesach Boston MA January 4, 2021

First, let's all remember to give tsedakah, especially when the search is successful.
Second, I've been using the prayer successfully for over 20 years and have passed it along to many friends and family members. Reply

Laura April 7, 2024

in response to Pesach:

Hi, would you tell me if there is a book I can buy where I can find these prayers? Are they in the Talmud? Thank you. Reply

Ruda Berkowitz Boca Raton, fla January 3, 2021

Prayer for lost object in English, I have been looking for it for weeks!!! Reply

Sarah Mexico City April 12, 2020

Definitely works, I lost my ID and a credit card, I had looked all over the car and couldn’t find them, until I recited this and 5 minutes later I found them in a place where I had already looked. Reply

Judy nussbaum August 10, 2020

in response to Sarah:

This just happened to me with an extremely important letter than I misplaced. Minutes after saying the Bracha, I re-checked the same pile. Voila Reply

Lynne Chicago March 23, 2020

I'm in a shmiras haloshon class that uses two texts. It's been a while since I've been able to find my copies, but someone always lets me read over her shoulder in class.

Last week because of social distancing and shelter-in-place directives,we began learning together over the phone and ZOOM.

Now I really needed to find the books or order duplicates.

I recited the segula, put tzedakah in a pushke, and almost immediately found the books in a place where I had already looked more than once.

I have used the segula successfully a number of times, baruch hashem. This is only the most recent example. Reply

Yaakov Berkowitz Miami Beach January 21, 2020

Lost my Nintendo switch 1 and a 1/2 months ago started saying this approx. 2 times a day found within 4 days. I found in my grandmother's house in a "forgotten" closet. I am amazed Reply

Vivian Fay Becker Manalapan December 10, 2019

It definitely helped for me! I was visiting my mom and dad in Florida. And I was wearing a bracelet given to me from my mother in law. When I got on the plane I noticed it was gone. My heart dropped! I reported it to lost and found 3 different ways. The airport, airlines and tsa. I was so upset about this and couldn't sleep so I looked up something to say in Hebrew. And sure enough I did it and next day I got an email saying they found my bracelet! Reply

Anonymous June 4, 2019

I was at my grandmothers house for shabbos and I lost an expensive earring. My grandmother searched after shabbos but it was nowhere to be found. Two weeks later on a Sunday my mom found this prayer. She was in middle of baking but she quickly said the prayer, put money in the tzedakah box, and went to check on the oven. She opened the oven and there on the bottom was my earring Reply

Anonymous May 23, 2019

I didn't find my ipod nano yet which i need for today. But I have complete bitachon that Hashem will help me find it! Reply

Debbie May 13, 2018

My best friend lost her wedding rings. She had long given up finding them, and was planning on buying new ones. She was at somebody’s house, standing by the fridge, when she saw this prayer on a fridge magnet. She said it. The next day she was in her garage, and decided to use an old stroller. When she open the stroller her rings were on the top of it!!!! Thank G-d!! Am Yisroel Chai Reply

FRANKIE BROOKLYN December 28, 2017

I unfortunately I lost a gold bracelet that my father gave me for Hanukkah several years ago. It had belonged to my mother. I loved this bracelet.I cried & cried & then I remembered about the Beracha for lost objects. I googled the Beracha & recited it three times every half hour. I was also searching everywhere I could to hopefully find it. I even had two dreams that night that I had found it. The next morning I found it in my car's seat. Thank Gd. Wow wow wow. I was so excited. I cried again this time from happiness. The Blessing worked. Reply

J Paramount, CA September 4, 2017

I was entrusted to the care of an elderly homeless lady, and she has gone missing. I have been driving all over the city looking for her. She was like a grandmother to me. I am beside myself with grief and remorse. Reply

Anonymous May 10, 2017

Any evidence that this prayer works, and for stolen (lost) Jewish artifacts as well? Reply

Anonymous Boston MA December 25, 2017

in response to Anonymous:

Several years ago I wrote a paper for a memoir writing class on this prayer, giving many personal and other examples showing that the prayer works. If you send me your email address I'll send you a copy of the paper. Reply

Anonymous May 23, 2019

in response to Anonymous:

Why don't you try? You don't need proof for a miracle. Hashem can make anything happen! say the blessing, give tzedakah, and start looking. it may take days or even weeks. but it can also happen in the next 30 minutes! Reply

Marieta Germany/Philippines March 19, 2018

in response to Anonymous:

Can you send me too the copy of the paper for the prayer of lost things or missing person? Reply

Anonymous April 1, 2017

My friend lost her notebook. She was devastated since it was prior to her midterm. I sent her the link to this prayer and she said she had nothing to lose but to try it. She promised to give charity if the item would be found. The next day the campus police called that they found it. The miracle was that her name nor her number were written on the notebook or notes! Reply

Anonymous Los Angeles March 8, 2017

full proof prayer, really??? If there was such thing we wouldn't have free will in this world!

I lost my cat and I am full of anxiety still after so many months.
Not sure how to have closure with that? Reply

Anonymous WITBANK December 13, 2016

Can this be used when you lost your job and need it back Reply

Anonymous RSA October 20, 2016

Can this be used when a person has gone missing eg a missing child not just an object? Reply

Yaakov Berkowitz Miami Beach January 18, 2020

in response to Anonymous:

Yes. (You can give out the person's name (if it is a boy then his hebrew name ben father's hebrew name) (if it is a girl than her name bas mothers name) so that everyone can pray for him/her) Reply

Anonymous Kodaikanal September 19, 2016

Miracles! My daughter lost 2 important pen drives with all her work on the weekend. Looked everywhere like crazy and no success. I said the prayer today,(Monday)and asked God to open our eyes. I put some money in the charity box. My daughter did so too, though I don't think she believed it would work. Five minutes later she found them in the pocket of her jacket. How true, God opens our eyes only then can we see. Thank you Baruch Hashem. Reply

Mike Patten Oakland May 8, 2016

It Didn't Work I said the prayer for my missing cat, made the donation, etc. and she never came back. Don't believe these prayers are full proof. The Holocaust is a perfect example they are not. Reply

Sheila December 18, 2017

in response to Mike Patten:

Mike I do agree with you about Shoah. I once helped a Christian lady look for something she lost. She found it after I silently said Shma. Saint Anthony was on break. Reply

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