A Taste of Torah in honor of Shabbat
from Rabbi Avi Weiss

Parshat Aharei Mot-Kedoshim 5759
April 23-24, 1999 - 8 Iyyar 5759

A Divine View of the Elderly

Why does the Torah conclude the mandate to honor the elderly with the words "I am the Lord (ani Hashem)?"  (Leviticus 19:32)

Often it is the case that the elderly suffer from what can be called benign neglect.   In other words, one could pay little attention to the elderly claiming to be unaware of their needs.  In the words of Rashi "I might think that one can close his eyes as though he did not see him [the elderly]?"

Therefore , the Torah states "I am the Lord."   As God is everywhere, and sees everything, so too does God know the motives within the heart of every human being.  He knows who is deceiving the elderly, making believe not to see them.

Yet another thought.  The term, "the Lord (Hashem)" is really a compound of the verbs "was,"  "is," and "will be."  God is, after all, above time.  As such, He is all at once past, present and future.

This concept teaches an important lesson concerning treatment of the elderly.

In contemporary society, the elderly are by and large, cut off.  This happens because, as individuals become older, less is expected of them.  In turn, the elderly begin to expect less of themselves and perceive themselves as being less important.  The consequence is a policy of isolation in which the elderly are kept out of sight in their homes, institutions or retirement centers.

Judaism sees it differently.  The elderly, through their wisdom, experience maturity, creativity and have much to contribute to the larger world. Writing about older years, Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel says, "old age [should] not be regarded as the age of stagnation, but as the age of opportunities for inner growth….They are indeed formative years, rich in possibilities to unlearn the follies of a lifetime, to see through inbred self deceptions, to deepen understanding and compassion, to widen the horizon of honesty, to refine the sense of fairness."

Whereas most of society promotes a philosophy of pushing the elderly out, Judaism believes in the philosophy of absolute complete interaction of the old with the young.  Hence, the Torah concludes this mandate with "I am the Lord." As God is of all ages, so too should all ages interface and so too can all ages make significant contributions to society.

Rabbi Benjamin Bleich offers one other insight which explains the addendum "I am the Lord."  He argues that God is telling us that since He is the oldest in the universe, He is particularly concerned about those who share this divine quality and the way they are treated.

I have always believed the maxim that the test of a community is the way it treats its most vulnerable members-a category that surely includes the elderly.  If the vulnerable are mistreated, the victims are not the only ones being harmed.  The victimizers lose, too, and so does the community.  God is hurt as well, because by disrespecting the elderly, we show disrespect to God.

After all,  "ani Hashem."

Shabbat Shalom

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Rabbi Avi Weiss, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
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