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- 40

Young adults say
that major
birthday isn't
really such a big
deal.

JULIE WEINGARDEN
Special to The Jewish News

1/16
1998

126

D

epending on how you
look at it, 30 is a loaded
number — or, it's just a
number.
Statistically, you enter a new age
bracket (30-39), as the baby of the
bunch. Spiritually, you get better, or
at least wiser, with age. So why is
turning 30 an anxious time for so
many?
"People have certain expectations
of where they will be when they hit a
certain age, whether it is realistic or
unrealistic," says Rabbi Aaron
Bergman, 34, of Congregation Beth
Abraham Hillel Moses.

"Judaism generally is in favor of
growing older. Though it recognizes
the physical difficulties of the body
changing, it has a wonderful out-
look: We are students our whole
lives, so we are always supposed to be
growing and learning. You acquire
wisdom as you get older and develop
depth," he says.
Rabbi Bergman sees people pan-
icking if they haven't found happi-
ness in their careers or relationships
when they reach 30. "I try to
encourage people to get active with
the Jewish community and do some-
thing more meaningful rather than