FOR KI SAVO
THANKING THE ESTABLISHMENT
(From a previous Good Shabbos Email)
Earlier this week, I was invited to lead a class for a group of Jewish men and women. There was a catch, though: The language of the class had to be Yiddish.
There would be no language barrier for me, as I have been talking and reading Yiddish all my life. There may have been an age barrier, however, for this class was to be held at an Assisted Living home, where the participants were all quite advanced in age.
The message was passed to me that our senior friends were excitedly anticipating this class. Some of the participants, I later discovered, had not conversed in Yiddish in decades. I expected this experience to be lots of fun.
And it was! The seniors, some old enough to be my grandparents, were, in some way, behaving like kindergarteners. They were beaming as they tripped over words they had not uttered in so many years; they laughed at how they “Yinglishized” their words, mixing English and Yiddish with reckless abandon; and they did not seem to mind sharing vignettes of personal information.
The class was interactive and lively, giving these sweet people something to smile and laugh about. Their faces were glowing.
As the conversation was moving along, I posed the following question to some of the participants: What do you do now? Many of the participants were quick to respond for themselves, or even for one another: “Gornisht,” or “Nothing.”
A number of people shared how productive they were in their pasts. They are parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Many members of their families look up to them. Some of the participants shared information about their professions prior to retiring. One of the men had worked as a dentist for upwards of four decades. Can you imagine how many people he had affected and helped?
And now? Gornisht. Is that all there is at the sunset of life? Gornisht?
Sunsets are known for their glorious beauty. People are energized and inspired witnessing the sun slowly dipping into the horizon. It should certainly not be a time to sink into the “Gornisht” of life!
True, elderly people are physically unable to sustain the same lifestyle as youngsters. But to go from there to doing nothing is not just unproductive, but also careless. When one’s talents are not utilized – regardless of age – the talents tend to decay and become obsolete.
It should really be just the opposite: Tasks can certainly be found not just to keep the bodies of the seniors occupied, but also their minds. It should be obvious that the more experienced and established a person is, the more productive he or she should be.
Utilizing that which is established helps solve a question regarding “Bikurim,” the gift of the first fruits of each year’s harvest brought to the Temple in Jerusalem from all over the Holy Land, presented in this week’s Torah portion, “Ki Savo.”
This gift was offered during the summer months (D’varim (Deuteronomy) 21:1-11) as thanks for the bounty in the field. The presentation of this gift was accompanied by a beautiful parade and ceremony, highlighting the thanks due to the Almighty for all the good provided to His people on His Land. Upon arrival at the Temple, the person offering the fruits gave specific words of thanks dictated in this portion. Those words include thanks for past kindness shown to the Jewish people, specifically the patriarch Jacob’s escape from his father-in-law, Laban, and the Exodus from Egypt.
Saying thank you to our Father in Heaven for all He provides is done, or should be done, every day. The three daily prayers are replete with words, phrases and blessings expressing thanks for all the good and miracles performed by the Almighty. The first words uttered by a Jewish person each day are traditionally, “Modeh Ani,” or, I offer thanks. Before a morsel of food or a drop of water is entered into one’s mouth, a blessing, which includes a devotion of thanks, is offered.
And so, when a person is carrying a basket of new fruits collected from the fields from every corner of the Holy Land, it makes sense that, in the spirit of thanks, one would recite words of gratitude and appreciation not just for that year’s bounty, but also for the glorious attention of a miraculous past. What remains difficult to understand is why those particular miracles are mentioned (Jacob’s rescue and the Exodus). Why are the miracle of splitting the sea, or the daily portions of Manna from heaven, or many other wonders performed for the Jewish people over the years omitted?
The answer is about being established. The rescue of Jacob occurred after he had spent some twenty years at Laban’s home. Jacob now had four wives and twelve children – quite an established family. When Jacob realized that he was compelled to leave that environment at that time, the Divine assistance was that much more recognized, since he had been there for a relatively long time. Similarly, the Jewish people had spent over two centuries in Egypt, of which they were enslaved for some eight decades. They had been established and even entrenched in Egypt. When it was time to leave, the divine assistance was now that much more magnified due to how established the Jewish people were in Egypt.
The other miracles and wonders the Jewish people encountered were either in response to immediate problems, or, as in the case of the Manna, a daily phenomenon while traveling in the desert, not as an established nation on their own land.
Bikurim were only offered once the Jewish people were established in their own Land. It was then time to recognize and to show gratitude for their Land and its bountiful produce. It was also a perfect time to recognize and pay tribute for previous miracles performed for those who were extricated from an established situation.
As human beings, then, being “established” in age is extremely significant and important. Senior citizens are people to whom everyone owes a debt of gratitude for all they have done – and for all they can still do – with their established wisdom and expertise. It should certainly be something to which all people ought to pay attention, so their minds are kept sharp and focused.
And in this manner, there will be much more reason to demonstrate thanks and gratitude for all that has been granted.
SUMMARY: Senior citizens are more established because of their experience. They should be thanked not just for all they once meant, but for all that they can still mean.