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COLORUJORKS STUDIO OF INTERIOR DESIGN
•
The Senior Years
Should Be Blessed
RABBI MORTON
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Getting A Get
The Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit wishes
to inform the Jewish public that a Civil Divorce without
a Jewish Get is worthless according to Jewish law. A cou-
ple may not remarry in Jewish law until after a Get.
You can arrange to have a Get by calling our office at
Tel. 559-5005.
COUNCIL OF ORTHODOX RABBIS • MERKAZ
17071 West 10 Mile Rd. • Southfield, MI 48075 • 559-5005/06
LIBRARY BOOKSTORE
545-4300
Open 7 Days
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0
F. YOLKUT SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
ne of the greatest
blessings of modern
science and technology
is longevity. Today the
average American has a life
expectancy of well over 70
years. Three generations ago
the figure was considerably
lower: just over 40 years.
As a direct result of our
brilliant achievements in
medicine, nutrition and
hygiene, our aging population
is ubiquitous; and senior
citizens aged 80, or even 85,
are no longer the rarities they
were a century ago.
Yet, longevity is very much
a mixed blessing. Science and
medicine have created a host
of painful paradoxes: They
have added years to our lives,
but not life to our years; they
have prolonged our days, but
also our pain and suffering;
they have added years to our
actuarial tables, but have not
taught us how to spend those
additional years in creative
activity or in dignity.
Perhaps the worst problem
of today's unprecedented
longevity is that of early or
forced retirement. There are
people in America today who
are only in their 50s or early
60s and who are healthy and
vital but are unwanted and
finished in their careers .and
occupations. What a shameful
waste of ability, talent and,
above all, experience. Such
"ageism," or age discrimina-
tion, is every bit as pernicious
and immoral as racial, gender
or religious discrimination.
This week's portion,
Bahaalotecha, presents us
with a timely and inspiring
approach to creative retire-
ment. The Thrall informs us
that the Levites were to retire
from their sacred work in the
'Temple once they reached age
50. However, they were then
expected to continue "to serve
their brethren in the tents of
the meeting" (Numbers
8:25-26). This ambiguous
passage is explained by the
Midrash in a most instructive
manner: The retired Levites
continued to do light work
such as closing the Temple
gates, singing in the choir,
etc. Some form of creative ac-
tivity was thus deemed essen-
tial for the well being of the
early-retired Levites.
Moreover, the older Levites
could continue to make their
Morton Yolkut is rabbi of
Congregation B'nai David.
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•
talents and experienCe
available for the younger
ones. They were asked to re-
main on and to serve as vital
and contributing members of
their community.
Judaism has always accord-
ed the aged a position of
distinct honor and respect.
Some of our greatest per-
sonalities reached their
heights in their middle or
even later years Abraham
left his homeland and found-
ed our religion at age 75;
Moses wrote beautiful and in-
spiring songs at the end of his
life, and Rabbi Akiva first
Shabbat
Bahaalotecha:
Numbers 8:1-12:16
Zechariah
2:14-4:7.
turned to Torah study as he
entered his middle years.
In this era of unprecedented
longevity, Judaism reminds
us that youth is not the only
blessed time of life. It is time,
therefore, to revise our at-4
titudes and prejudices toward
aging. We can do this by
respecting and not disregar-
ding our elders, by encourag-
ing them to remain useful
and productive and, above all,
by preparing now for our own 4
• senior years.
Remember the words of
Robert Browning? "Grow old
with me; the best is yet to be,
the last of life for which the
first was made." ❑
Lod News
JWV Elect
New Officers
At a recent Memorial Home
Association Convention of the
Department of Michigan Jew-
ish War Veterans and Ladies
Auxiliary, the following were
elected the officers for
1993/1994: president, Martha
Hauptman; vice presidents,
Rosalyn Liner, Sandy Pliskow
and Rube Zissman; trustees,
Corrine Cohen, Dorothy Co-
hen, Bernard Feldman, Ilene
Feldman, Faye Glosser, Doro-
thy Goldberg, Myra Gross,
Helen Pliskow, Jerry Schlus-
sel, 'Ibm Tannis, Florence
Weber and Ruth Weiss.
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