One of the biggest realities of dying is not…
One of the biggest realities of dying is not that I no longer exist, but it is that I am silent. That means that I cannot any longer stop you from hurting yourself or helping you get better or praising you for how good you are. Hopefully these words will keep my voice going as a legacy. And I hope that this legacy and this voice is one that will benefit you and future generations.
— from Before Takeoff (front matter) · Hebrew Ethical Wills by Israel Abrahams
In the book
Because the hardest part of dying, I have come to think, is not that I will no longer exist — it is that I will be silent; I will no longer be able to stop you from hurting yourself, or help you up, or tell you how proud I am. These pages are how I keep my voice going. So read them often. — Before Takeoff (front matter)
Because here is the truth about dying that took me longest to understand: the hardest part is not that I will no longer exist — it is that I will be silent. I will no longer be able to stop you from hurting yourself, or help you get back up, or tell you how proud I am. So I am writing it all down, and these words will keep my voice going. Everything until now has been about how to fly. — Legacy / The Logbook (Legacy/Epilogue)