"Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo"
"I didn't exist, I existed, I don't exist, I don't care!"
This simple Latin saying, a quote from the philosopher Epicurus, could be found adorning tombstones throughout what was ancient Rome.
He believed that there was no reason to fear death, because when it came - we would no longer be around to suffer.
Worrying about our death, Epicurus argued, is as senseless as worrying about what the world was like before we were born into it.
In other words, Epicurus had no tolerance for the idea of the afterlife.
He believed in the here and now.
The afterlife
In this sense he had quite a lot in common with the mindsets of Judaism over the generations - and a lot in common with that man who was the warmest of the Jews, a man who shaped mindsets: our beloved Sheldon.
In the two years that have passed since Sheldon left us, I have thought a lot about life expectancy.
I also read a lot, among other things about Epicurus.
But when I came across the phrase "Non fui, fui, non sum, non curo", all I could think was: you, sir, have never known Sheldon.
If Epicurus had jumped forward in time 2,300 years to meet my husband, he would have had to come up with a completely different slogan.
Because Sheldon was indeed concerned about the world before he was born - those hundreds of years in which the Jews were persecuted when they had no homeland to provide them with protection, and he dedicated his life to making sure that this situation would never happen again.
It was not for nothing that we gathered on the Mount of Olives: here Sheldon rested on his bed, in the very heart of Jerusalem that was united to her together.
The reborn capital of Israel - this and that, the capital and the country, gained strength and splendor from his contributions.
And even though he knew that like all of us he would die one day, Sheldon made sure to ensure his own afterlife.
I don't mean this in a metaphysical sense, although I truly believe that my soul will be reunited with his - and in a better place.
My intention is that through all the spectacular ventures he created, and all the donations he made to charity on an unprecedented scale, those who survive Sheldon are not only us - his loving family and friends - but countless others, all over the world.
His spirit and vision live on.
The late Sheldon Adelson, photo: Moshe Shay
Meeting between land and sea
In each and every one of them his spirit continues to exist: in each grateful employee, who was able to support a happy and healthy family thanks to Sheldon's kind management;
In every needy person who was saved from poverty, or who was given the opportunity for education or a pension in old age, thanks to Sheldon's generosity;
For every patient who may one day be granted a cure and longevity, thanks to the Adelson Foundation for Medical Research;
Every young Jew - and we are talking about hundreds of thousands of them!
- who discovered Israel thanks to the "Tagalit" program;
To every Israeli or American who feels safer and walks upright thanks to the fact that Sheldon promoted and glorified these two great nations.
so many people
So many different lives intertwined.
I think about them.
And I remember my flights with Sheldon over Macau, while we saw the mouth of the Pearl River - a huge water channel that splits into countless streams and tributaries, in that delta of the meeting between mainland China and the sea.
Sheldon was also a sort of Delta.
His power, vision and genius were so great that they will never stop flowing.
My love for Sheldon also flows to him when we meet in my thoughts and dreams, and it flows to all of you - his children, grandchildren and friends, who reflect his values and aspirations.
Thank you for sticking together with me in such a wonderful way in the past two years.
Each of you has Sheldon's blessing.
Of blessed memory.
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