You Shall Rise Before the Aged

There are 613 Commandments in our Torah and each one of them finds its place in our lives today. In Leviticus 19, there’s one particular commandment I’d like to focus on. In Leviticus 19:32, we read: “You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old … I am the Eternal.”

A significant number of Solelniks are in that time of life when they are called old, aging, elderly. And when we read that particular commandment, we have to look at the reality of the way older people are actually treated today. And what exactly does it mean to rise before the aged? My first thought, at a very basic level, was seeing older members of society standing in a subway or streetcar, hoping someone might have the courtesy and respect and “rise” to offer up their seat. How often does that happen? Scooters zoom by on sidewalks, indifferent to the safety of slower walkers that are not so steady or are walking with a cane or a walker.

But to rise before the aged means much more than to physically get up. To show deference to the old needs to be understood in a world that so often considers the elderly not just frail of body, but frail of mind. The elderly are often pushed aside and disregarded and infantilized even by their own children. The aged become children to their children, but what our scripture is telling us that we must never minimalize nor ignore the wealth of knowledge and experience that our elderly can share with all of us.

All the challenges that we are living through today, they have lived through over and over again in their long lifetime. They have seen great leaders and destructive leaders. They have suffered in wars, and they have rejoiced in peace. They have experienced financial great times and some of them have lived through depressions. We have to learn from them. From an article from a dear rabbi friend: “The most brilliant 20-year-old cannot match what 70 years of living can teach a soul… years of challenge and rebuilding, of loss and joy, of seeing life from many angles. It is about recognizing that lived experience carries profound wisdom.”

Unfortunately, in our world today, we often treat aging as a liability. We value physical strength, beautiful bodies, productivity, speed. We define a person’s value by how much money that person earns or how many friends they have on Facebook, or how adept they are in technology., but as our commandment tells us, life should not be measured in those ways. Our elderly should be applauded for what they have learned and can share with us. They can prepare us for many of the challenges they have already met!” The patience, clarity and perspective that come with time are not losses, they are gains.”

As we age, our bodies may weaken, our vision and hearing may deteriorate, but our souls continue to shine and glow, to teach and love and to share. Maturity, aging should not be seen as the end but a as time for a different kind of giving. Growing older should be seen as a time to focus less about what we’ve accumulated and more about what we can give back. Life has deeper meaning because as we age, we have learned more and can share what we’ve learned. Our families are blessed when they have grandparents who can enrich our lives with their stories, their wisdom. The knowledge that grandparents can give their children and grandchildren is invaluable! We must not see ageing as if our role in life is diminished. It is only changing and evolving.

As we look at even our own congregation, we are blessed by the gifts that our seniors are still able to give us. Look at them in awe as they lead services, as they chant, as they teach, and as they participate in study. The seniors are our treasure at Solel, and we must value them! The stories they can tell us, the lessons they can impart, the memories that they share enrich our lives. They will give the younger the insight and some of the tools needed to deal with the world that is sorely in need of repair. So please, “Let us rise before the elderly and show deference to the old.”

Filed under: Educator's Message

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