“The day of death is better than the day of birth,” Rabbi Levi explained. “This can be compared to two ocean-going ships, one leaving the harbor, the other entering. Everybody is celebrating the departing ship, but only a few are rejoicing at the ship that is arriving. A wise man, seeing this, said, “I see here an irony. People should not celebrate the departing ship, since they have no way of knowing what conditions she will meet, what seas she will encounter, and what winds she will have to face. People should rejoice rather over the ship that is entering the harbor, because it has safely returned from its voyage.”
– Exodus Rabbah 48:1
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