The Price of a Youth-Driven Culture: Honouring Our Communal Wisdom

(1) Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

R. Judah b. Simon said: Abraham requested [the appearance of] old age, pleading before Him: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! When a man and his son enter a town, none know whom to honour! But if You will crown him [the father] with [the appearance of] old age, one will know whom to honour.’ Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘As you live, you have asked well, and it will commence with you.” Thus, from the beginning of the Book until here old age is not mentioned, but when Abraham arose [the appearance of] old age was granted to him: “And Abraham was old, advanced in years...”... Jacob demanded illness, saying to Him: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! A man dies without previous illness and does not settle his affairs with his children; but if he were ill two or three days, he would settle his affairs with his children.’ Said the HOly One, blessed be He, to him: ‘As you live, you have asked well, and it will commence with you.’ Hence, “And one said to Joseph: Behold, your father is sick.”

When they were in Egypt there was a yeshiva with them, as it is stated: “Go and gather the Elders of Israel” (Exodus 3:16), indicating that there were Sages among them who studied Torah. And similarly, when they were in the desert, there was a yeshiva with them, as it is stated: “Gather for me seventy men from the Elders of Israel” (Numbers 11:16). Abraham our Patriarch was himself an Elder and would sit in yeshiva, as it is stated: “And Abraham was old, advanced in years” (Genesis 24:1). From the apparent redundancy of the terms old and advanced in years, it is derived that old means that he was a wise Elder and prominent in Torah, and advanced in years means that he was elderly. Similarly, Isaac our Patriarch was an Elder and sat in yeshiva, as it is stated: “And it came to pass when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim” (Genesis 27:1). Similarly, Jacob our Patriarch was an Elder and sat in yeshiva, as it is stated: “And Israel’s eyes were heavy with age” (Genesis 48:10).

(32) You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

§ The Sages taught with regard to the verse: “Before the hoary head you shall stand and you shall revere the face of an elder, and you shall fear your God” (Leviticus 19:32): One might have thought that it is obligatory to stand before a simple [ashmai] elder. Therefore, the verse states: “elder,” and an “elder” means nothing other than a wise man, as it is stated: “Gather unto Me seventy men of the Elders of Israel, whom you know to be the Elders of the people” (Numbers 11:16). Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: An “elder [zaken]” means nothing other than one who has acquired wisdom. He interprets the word zaken as a contraction of the phrase zeh kanna, meaning: This one has acquired. Elsewhere the word kanna is used in reference to wisdom, as it is stated that wisdom says: “The Lord acquired me [kanani] at the beginning of His way” (Proverbs 8:22).

(10) Another explanation: "The fruit of a beautiful tree (ets hadar)" - this is [referring to] our father, Avraham, who the Holy One, blessed be He, graced (hider) with a good old age, as it is stated (Genesis 24:1), "And Avraham was old, had come along in days;" and it is written (Leviticus 19:32), "and you shall grace (hadarta) the old." "The branches (kappot) of a date palm" - this is [referring to] Yitschak, who was bound (kafut which is spelled with the same letters as kappot) and tied up on top of the altar. "And a branch of a braided tree (a myrtle)" - this is [referring to] Yakov. Just like this myrtle bustles with leaves, so too was Yakov bustling with children. "And brook willows" - this is [referring to] Yosef. Just like this willow gets withered before these three [other] species, so too did Yosef die before his brothers. Another explanation: "The fruit of a beautiful tree (ets hadar)" - this is [referring to] Sarah, who the Holy One, blessed be He, graced (hider) with a good old age, as it is stated (Genesis 18:11), "And Avraham and Sarah were old." "The branches of a date palm" - this is [referring to] Rivka. Just like this date palm, it has food and it has thorns, so too Rivkah brought up a righteous one and an evildoer. "And a branch of a braided tree (a myrtle)" - this is [referring to] Leah. Just like this myrtle bustles with leaves, so too was Leah bustling with children. "And brook willows" - this is [referring to] Rachel. Just like this willow gets withered before these three [other] species, so too did Rachel die before her sister.

(11) Another explanation: "The fruit of a beautiful tree (ets hadar)" - this is [referring to] the Great Sanhedrins (high courts) of Israel, who the Holy One, blessed be He, graced (hider) with a good old age, as it is stated (Leviticus 19:32), "And you shall get up in front of a venerable one." "The branches (kappot) of a date palm" - this is [referring to] the Torah scholars who force (kofin) themselves to learn one from the other. "And a branch of a braided tree (a myrtle)" - this is [referring to] the three rows of students who would sit in front of them (since three myrtle branches are customarily waved). "And brook willows" - this is [referring to] the two judges' scribes who would stand in front of them and write down the words of those who would render innocent and the words of those who would render guilty (since two willow branches are customarily waved).

...Rabbi Yose bar Yehuda, man of Kfar HaBavli, says: One who learns from young ones is compared to what? To one who eats unripe grapes and drinks wine from its press. And one who learns from elders is compared to what? To one who eats ripe grapes and drinks aged wine. Rebbi says: Do not look at the jug but rather at what is in it. For there are new jugs full of old, and old that do not have even new within them.