Psalm 31: Like a Lost Vessel

Hunted by his enemies, David felt betrayed and abandoned:

“נִשְׁכַּחְתִּי כְּמֵת מִלֵּב, הָיִיתִי כִּכְלִי אֹבֵד.”

“Forgotten from the heart like the dead, I have become like a lost vessel.” (Psalms 31:13)

Why did David describe his feelings of isolation and loneliness as being like a “lost vessel”? In what way are the dead like lost objects?

Twelve Months to Mourn

The Sages learned from this verse that, in some aspects, our emotional ties to loved ones are like our ties to our possessions. When we lose an object, it takes a full year before we lose all hope of recovering it. Similarly, “The dead are only forgotten from the heart after twelve months have passed” (Berachot 58b).

This is why, when encountering a friend after a year of no contact, we recite the blessing praising God as מְחַיֵּה מֵתִים — “the One Who revives the dead.” To us, it feels as though our friend has returned to life.

Of course, we remember those whom we love even after a year has passed. The searing pain of loss, however, is felt most acutely during that first year.

What purpose do these heartrending emotions of grief and mourning serve? Would it not be preferable if we could immediately come to terms with our loss, bypassing the lengthy and painful process of bereavement?

Hope of Recovery

When a particular trait is deeply embedded in the human soul, it must have a foundation in reality. There must be some aspect of the world — if not in its current state, then in a future, repaired state — that this characteristic of the soul reflects.

If death were truly a case of irrevocable loss, we would not mourn the passing of those we love for such an extended period of time. Such grief would serve no purpose. The very fact that these profound feelings of bereavement and loss are a universal aspect of human nature suggests that death is not an immutable state.

The psalmist’s comparison of the dead to lost articles reinforces this conclusion. When we lose an object, why do we not immediately abandon hope of recovering it? Because we know the lost object still exists, we just don’t know its precise location. In fact, it is this very sense of loss that spurs our efforts to search for and recover it.

Resurrection of the Dead

The lengthy period of mourning after the death of a loved one indicates that, for humanity as a whole, the future promises a remedy for death. Unlike the recovery of lost objects, however, this restoration will take place through Divine means. “Then you will know, My people, that I am God, when I have opened your graves and lifted you out of your graves.” (Ezekiel 37:13).

Since this tikkun will ultimately transpire, even now we refuse to accept death as an expected — although tragic — occurrence. Instead, we relate to death like the loss of a precious object that we still hope to recover.

A lost vessel is not truly gone, it is just missing with regard to its owner. So too, the soul is eternal; death merely places it beyond our reach. The lengthy passage of time during which we long for that which appears irretrievable is a sign that there is indeed hope. Thus the prophets foretold a future era, when the dead will be resurrected to life: