By SHARONA MARGOLIN HALICKMANIllustration by Pepe Fainberg(photo credit: PEPE FAINBERG)
ISRAEL RANKED 11th in the 2017 World Happiness Report prepared under the auspices of the United Nations. Are Israelis really happier than people who live in almost every country in the world? Prof. Tal Shavit of the College of Management Academic Studies told Yedioth Ahronoth that one of the reasons that Israel is one of the happiest countries is because we are doing relatively well economically, there is a low percentage of unemployment and people enjoy their work. But if people are happy when they enjoy their work, what happens when they retire? We need to take it upon ourselves to make sure that Israel’s senior citizens remain hap- py even after they have left the workplace.Respect for the elderly has always been a Jewish value. As we read in Leviticus 19:32, “Before the gray-haired you shall rise, and honor the face of the elder ( zaken ) and fear your God; I am the Lord.”According to Jewish law, do all of our el- derly residents deserve respect? The Talmud in Kiddushin 32b states, “The Rabbis taught, ‘before the gray-haired you shall rise.’ Is it possible that even an old reprobate is included? Scripture states zaken , and zaken here must mean a sage, as it says, ‘Gather for me seventy men from amongst the sages ( ziknei ) of Israel.’ (Num. 11:16) Rabbi Yossi the Galilian said, “The only zaken here must be one who has ac- quired wisdom...”On the other hand, in Kiddushin 33a we read, “Issi ben Yehuda says, ‘Before the gray-haired you shall rise' implies the inclusion of all the gray-haired. Rabbi Yochan- an said, ‘The Halacha is according to Issi ben Yehuda.’ Rabbi Yochanan used to rise before old Aramean men. He said, ‘These people have experienced so much!’” We therefore learn from Issi ben-Yehuda that an older person, regardless of their education or religion, deserves honor simply for what he or she has witnessed during their lives.In Israel today, the elderly population consists of those born in Eretz Yisrael before the establishment of the State of Isra- el, people who immigrated to the State, the soldiers who fought for us to have a state and the pioneers who built the country up to what it is today. All of those populations deserve our honor and respect.The Talmud, Kiddushin 32b explains, “It might have been thought that one may shut one’s eyes when a zaken goes by, acting as if one had not seen him. Scripture therefore states: ‘you shall rise...fear your God.’” Although one might be able to fool bystanders into thinking that one had not seen the zaken , God is aware of one’s intent.This is especially true on Israeli buses where seated passengers may make them - selves look busy reading or using their phones and when an elderly person gets on, act as if they do not see them. However, having your nose in a book is not an excuse: it is our obligation to give up our seats for the elderly. There are even signs on most buses using the quotation “Before the gray- haired you shall rise...” to encourage this.After incidents of abuse in Israeli nursing homes were exposed last year, there was a hashtag campaign on social media in Hebrew entitled, “ al tashlikheini l’et zikna ” (do not cast me off in my old age), a play on the words from the Yom Kippur prayer book to raise awareness of the fact that not all of the elderly residents in nursing homes are being cared for as they should be and that changes need to be made. Since the campaign, there are now more security cameras being set up in nursing facilities throughout the country to help ensure that better care is being given.In Midrash Tanchuma, Behaalotkha 11, the question is asked: “How does one honor? You should not stand in his place nor hide his things and when asking a halacha, ask respectfully and don’t jump in with a response or interrupt his words...”This midrash teaches us that we should not only respect their material possessions but also engage in respectful conversations that will not belittle him and have patience to give him time to express his thoughts.In the Talmud, Kiddushin 82b, Rabbi Nehorai teaches, “The Torah stands a person in good stead in his youth and it gives a future and hope in a person’s old age.”The Torah is something that can stay with you throughout all of the stages of life. Israel’s elderly residents especially appreciate attending Judaic study classes. Previously, all Israelis, whether religious, traditional or secular, studied the Torah seriously in school. These study classes remind them of what they learned then, and bring back memories of their classroom lessons.In Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers) 4:21, “Rabbi Yossi bar Yehuda of Kfar Habavli says: ‘One who learns Torah from the young, to what can he be likened? To one who eats unripe grapes or unfermented wine from his vat. But one who learns Torah from the elderly, to what can he be likened? To one who eats ripe grapes or drinks aged wine.’” The elderly have so much to offer us as our teachers as well as our students. They have a tremendous amount of knowledge and life experience to contribute to every discussion as leaders as well as participants.In the Talmud, Brachot 8b we are taught: “Show respect to an old person who has for - gotten his learning through no fault of his own, for we have learned that the fragments of the old tablets were kept alongside the new tablets in the Ark of the Covenant.”This teaching is especially important when we deal with senior citizens who have Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. They can gain a tremendous amount from being reminded of events from their past and are due the same respect as the more alert elderly residents.In countries such as England, many retired residents give back to the community by volunteering. This is done on a smaller scale in Israel and should be expanded.Special activities have been introduced in Israel to keep the elderly happy and busy. The late Uri Orbach, when he was the Minister of Pensioner Affairs, introduced a pro- gram giving discounts on movie and museum tickets to the elderly every Tuesday. He also arranged for high school students to invite senior citizens into their schools to teach them how to use computers. Prof. Shavit explains that “the more the elderly are kept busy, the less they will get sick.”Orbach also introduced “ Shabbat Vehadarta ” (the Shabbat of Honor), a Shabbat dedicated to honoring the elderly. It falls on the Shabbat when Lev. 19:32 is read (the Torah portion of Kedoshim ). He suggested that synagogues and youth groups give lec - tures on the topic of respecting the elderly and that a senior citizen be called up to the Torah for the third passage in which the pas- sage about honoring the elderly occurs. The more that we are able to keep the elderly active, the more they will remain healthy and happy. The happier they are, the happier the rest of society will be. The best way to do this is through providing volunteer programs enabling those elderly residents who are active enough to volunteer. For those residents who are living in nursing homes and senior centers, intergenerational activities, music events and eductional programs can connect the young with the old, building a relationship of mutual respect and making our society a happier place for people of all ages.
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