J4: Elderly

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The invention of old age

As ever, Judaism has a unique and somewhat surprising understanding of old age. According to a midrash (Bereshit Rabah 65:9), Abraham not only wanted to get old, he actually invented it!

Abraham demanded old age. He said: Master of the Universe, a man enters the room together with his son and no one knows which one to respect. If You would crown him with old age people would know whom to respect!

God said to him: By your life! That's a very good idea, let's start with you... That is why it says, "And Abraham was old, coming into days..." (Genesis 24:1)

Abraham realised that to be recognised as old is important. It was not enough for him that a person is inwardly conscious of their own age, they must look it. Why? Because he understood that the appearance of old age commands respect. Just by looking at an elderly person you get a sense of the process of life. They have completed many stages in that process and you can't help but appreciate them for it. This appreciation allows the old to share their knowledge and experience with the young, so that a new generation can build and improve on the previous one. Abraham's request and attainment of old age gave him the recognition he needed to pass on his beliefs and values to his son and thus Judaism was born.

Judaism 2000

Abraham's idea still makes sense today. Jews must understand and appreciate their past so that our valuable ideals can be passed on to the world of tomorrow. Each Jew is a container of these ideals and like a cascading fountain we pass them on to our children and grandchildren.

If we see the elderly as antiquated and past it, we not only cheat them of the chance to live confidently and happily, we also cheat ourselves out of learning from them which would allow our own lives to be more meaningful.. Fear of ageing ultimately cheats us of our youth. Only together, with young and old, hand in hand, have we got a chance.

On Israeli buses

There is one Jewish law that we can only do standing up. The Torah tells us: "You should stand up before an elder, and honour the face of an old person..." (Leviticus 19:32) Jew or non-Jew, wise or simple, rich or poor, we must show respect for the aged. Like the UK, Israel has signs on buses to give up your seat to an elderly person. But in Israel the sign is a direct quote from the Torah verse in Leviticus: You should stand up before an elder - mipnei sayva takoom.

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