Wisdom of the Elderly

Today I was doing some research and came across something that I found very interesting and wanted to share with you. It is from Spiritual Activism: A Jewish Guide to Leadership and Repairing the World By Rabbi Avraham Weiss; © 2008 by Avraham Weiss; Jewish Lights Publishing, Woodstock, VT; pp. 90-91.

“Wisdom is a function not only of what one knows, but of life experiences as well. No one has more life experiences than the elderly. Yet it can be argued that by and large, the elderly in America are cut off from the rest of society. As Americans become older, society expects less of them. The elderly then come to expect less of themselves and, in time, they actually do less. One particular way we treat the elderly as less importance is by confining them to their homes, institutions, or retirement centers.

The Talmud speaks of two categories of caring – kibbud, or respect, and morah, or fear.

Kibbud is associated with physically providing for the elderly – feeding them, dressing them, and, if necessary, carrying them. Even those with limited physical or mental capacities contribute to society in many ways, including by bringing out the best in those who care for them.

Morah, on the other hand, is metaphysical. We should not stand or sit in their place nor contradict their words. Judaism gives the elderly elevated status, encouraging interaction with them: “Ask your parents and they will tell you, ask the elderly and they will teach you” (Deut. 32:7)

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel expressed this idea beautifully:

`May I suggest that man’s potential for change and growth is much greater than we are wiling to admit and that old age be regarded not as the age of stagnation, but as the age of opportunities for inner growth. The years of old age may enable us to attain the high values we have failed to sense, the insights we have missed, the wisdom we have ignored. They are indeed formative years, rich in possibilities to unlearn the follies of a lifetime, to see through in bred self-deceptions, to deepen understanding and compassion, to widen the horizon of honesty, to refine the sense of fairness.’

Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt observed that the secret to staying young is surrounding oneself with young people.”