Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
(א) וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים וַֽיהוה בֵּרַ֥ךְ אֶת־אַבְרָהָ֖ם בַּכֹּֽל׃
Avraham was old, advanced in years,
And God blessed Avraham with everything.
This pasuk is the first time that the Torah uses the word זָקֵן (zakein, old), and it calls Avraham a zakein even though some others before him were much older. Why would that be?
A midrash suggests that, before Avraham, people’s appearances didn’t change when they grew older. Avraham was the first person to look old.
אַבְרָהָם תָּבַע זִקְנָה, אָמַר לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים אָדָם וּבְנוֹ נִכְנָסִין לְמָקוֹם וְאֵין אָדָם יוֹדֵעַ לְמִי מְכַבֵּד, מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁאַתָּה מְעַטְּרוֹ בְּזִקְנָה אָדָם יוֹדֵעַ לְמִי מְכַבֵּד. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חַיֶּיךָ דָּבָר טוֹב תָּבַעְתָּ וּמִמְּךָ הוּא מַתְחִיל.
Avraham asked for ziknah (old age).
He said to God: Master of the World, when a person and their child enter a place, we don’t know whom to honor. But if You crown a person with ziknah (by making them look old), then we’ll know whom to honor.
The Holy Blessed One said to him: This is a good thing you are requesting. It will begin with you.
- Why is getting older a good thing according to this midrash? What does this midrash want us to think about older people?
- Why is it important to show respect to a zakein?
- What elderly people do you know? What are some things you can do to treat them with extra respect?
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