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and Join Madlik on Clubhouse every Thursday so you can participate in our weekly live discussion of the Parsha. Link to Transcript here: https://madlik.com/2024/06/19/retirement-ageism-and-age-limits/
The U.S. Constitution sets minimum, but not maximum, age thresholds for presidents and members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The minimum age is 35 for presidents, 30 for senators and 25 for representatives. The Constitution does not set a minimum or maximum age for Supreme Court justices.
With the advanced age of some U.S. political leaders in the spotlight, 79% of Americans favor maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington, D.C. And 74% support such limits for Supreme Court justices, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
See: Most Americans favor maximum age limits for federal elected officials, Supreme Court justices
BY JOHN GRAMLICH Oct 2023
(כג) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (כד) זֹ֖את אֲשֶׁ֣ר לַלְוִיִּ֑ם מִבֶּן֩ חָמֵ֨שׁ וְעֶשְׂרִ֤ים שָׁנָה֙ וָמַ֔עְלָה יָבוֹא֙ לִצְבֹ֣א צָבָ֔א בַּעֲבֹדַ֖ת אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד׃ (כה) וּמִבֶּן֙ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה יָשׁ֖וּב מִצְּבָ֣א הָעֲבֹדָ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יַעֲבֹ֖ד עֽוֹד׃ (כו) וְשֵׁרֵ֨ת אֶת־אֶחָ֜יו בְּאֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ לִשְׁמֹ֣ר מִשְׁמֶ֔רֶת וַעֲבֹדָ֖ה לֹ֣א יַעֲבֹ֑ד כָּ֛כָה תַּעֲשֶׂ֥ה לַלְוִיִּ֖ם בְּמִשְׁמְרֹתָֽם׃ {פ}
(23) יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: (24) This is the rule for the Levites. From twenty-five years of age up they shall participate in the work force in the service of the Tent of Meeting; (25) but at the age of fifty they shall retire from the work force and shall serve no more. (26) They may assist their brother Levites at the Tent of Meeting by standing guard, but they shall perform no labor. Thus you shall deal with the Levites in regard to their duties.
Koren: and from the age of fifty years they shall go out of the ranks of the service, and shall serve no more:
(1) נשא את ראש וגו׳ TAKE THE SUM OF [THE SONS OF KOHATH] — Count those that are fit among them for the service of carrying, and these are the men from thirty to fifty years, for a person less than thirty has not yet attained his full strength, — hence they (the Rabbis) said (Avot 5:21) “a man of thirty has reached the age when he enters into full strength”, — as for one who is older than fifty, his strength gradually diminishes from then.
ולא יעבד עוד [AND FROM THE AGE OF FIFTY YEARS HE SHALL CEASE WAITING UPON THE SERVICE] AND SHALL DO NO MORE SERVICE — the service of bearing loads on the shoulder, but he still returns (i. e. may be called upon) for closing the Temple gates, for the service of singing and for loading sacred articles upon the wagons; for this is the meaning of (v. 26) “But he shall serve את אחיו” i. e. together with his brethren, just as the Targum renders it (not, “he shall serve his brethren, i. e. wait upon them) (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 63).
The words ולא יעבוד עוד בצבא are to be understood as referring both to the ones younger than 30 and the ones above the age of 50, i.e. both groups not having to performing the physically strenuous type of service. What then were they to do with their time? They were to render service in the form of guard duty, i.e. בשמרותם. The words ככה תעשה ללוים במשמרותם are to be understood as referring to the “training” period of 5 years between their reaching the age of 25 and their attaining the age of 30 when they would assume “active” duties.
ולא יעבד עוד עבודת משא בכתף אבל חוזר הוא לנעילת שערים ולשיר ולטעון עגלות לשון רש"י (רש"י על במדבר ח׳:כ״ה) אבל בספרי (בהעלתך סג) לא אמרו אלא מגיד שחוזר לנעילת שערים ולעבודת בני גרשון וכן נראה שאם כדברי הרב למה לא היו ממנין אותם בני עשרים לשיר ולנעילת שערים ולטעון העגלות עד שיזקינו ולמה היה מנינם מבן שלשים ועד חמשים אלא במשא בלבד ועוד בני גרשון ובני מררי שכל עבודתם כשרה בזקנים למה נמנו כן אלא כיון שהיו פקודתם במשא הארון מבן שלשים ועד בן חמשים לא היו ממנין אותם לשיר שהוא עיקר עבודה של לוים אלא בראויים למשא שכל הממונים לשיר ראויים בעבודת כולם ומתוך שנמנו בני קהת מבן שלשים ועד חמשים אפילו לשיר נמנו כולם כן שלא יהיו בני גרשון ובני מררי בשנים אלו כשרים לשיר ובני קהת פסולים בו אבל לנעילת שערים או לטעון עגלות כולם כשרים הם ועוד כתוב (במדבר ד׳:מ״ז) מבן שלשים שנה ומעלה ועד בן חמשים שנה כל הבא לעבוד עבודת עבודה ועבודת משא באהל מועד ודרשו בשחיטת חולין (כד) יכול אף בשילה ובית עולמים כן ת"ל לעבוד עבודת עבודה ועבודת משא לא אמרתי אלא בזמן שעבודה בכתף והרי עבודת עבודה היא השיר כמו שכתב למעלה רש"י בסדר נשא (ד מז) א"כ אף לשיר נפסלו בזמן שעבודה בכתף וכן בדברי דוד נאמר (דברי הימים א כג ג) ויספרו הלוים מבן שלשים שנה ומעלה וכתוב (שם פסוקים ד ה) מאלה לנצח על מלאכת בית ה' עשרים וארבעה אלף וגו' וארבעת אלפים מהללים לה' בכלים אשר עשיתי להלל כי עד שנבנה הבית שהיה להם משא בכתף לא היו ממנים בשיר אלא בראויים למשא אבל חזר דוד למנותם מבן עשרים לצורך הבית כשנבנה כמו שנתבאר (סוף הדבור הקודם):
AND FROM THE AGE OF FIFTY YEARS HE SHALL RETURN FROM THE SERVICE OF THE WORK, AND HE SHALL SERVE NO MORE — “the service of carrying loads upon the shoulders, but he returns [i.e., he may still serve] to close the gates, or to sing, or to load the wagons.” This is Rashi’s language.
But in the Sifre the Rabbis mentioned only that “he returns to close the gates or to the work of the sons of Gershon” [but they did not say that he may return to the service of singing]! And this indeed appears correct [that a Levite above the age of fifty was not allowed to take part in the singing] — for if it were as the Rabbi [Rashi] has written, why were the twenty-year old Levites not appointed to sing, to close the gates and to load the wagons until they reached the required age, and why were they counted from thirty to fifty years old and only for the work of bearing burdens [since both before and after these two age-limits they could still serve by singing etc., therefore they should have been counted from twenty years, with no upper limit]?
Moreover, why were the sons of Gershon and Merari counted in this way [from thirty to fifty] since all their work [i.e., singing, closing the gates and loading the wagons] could be done when they were older?
We must rather say that since they were appointed to carry the ark at the age from thirty to fifty, they [therefore] were not appointed to sing, which was the main function of the Levites, unless they were also qualified to carry the ark, for all those who were appointed to sing were qualified to perform all the services [including the carrying of the ark]. And since the Kohathites [who were the only ones permitted to carry the ark] were counted from thirty to fifty years old, even for singing, they were all counted in this manner, in order that the sons of Gershon and Merari should not be qualified to sing during these years [i.e., below the age of thirty and above the age of fifty] and the sons of Kohath be disqualified. [Hence the age limits of thirty and fifty applied to the Kohathites’ singing, which was their main function, as well as to their carrying of the parts of the Tabernacle, and therefore these age limits applied to the function of singing of the sons of Gershon and Merari as well, and they could not, as Rashi wrote, return to the singing.]
But for closing the gates or loading the wagons all of them were qualified [even after the age of fifty, as quoted in the Sifre above].
On the shoulder. Rashi is answering the question: [Isn’t this phrase redundant, since] it is written afterwards “but he shall serve his brethren” (v. 26)? Therefore one is forced to say that “and he shall no longer work” refers to the [work of] carrying on the shoulder. The subsequent statement “but he shall serve his brethren” means “with his brothers.” However, one should not think that this is like the service of a slave to his master. Rather he shall serve with his brothers, the sons of Merori and Gershon, locking the gates, loading of the wagons and singing.
הא איכא אחריתי דתניא אין מושיבין בסנהדרין זקן וסריס ומי שאין לו בנים ר' יהודה מוסיף אף אכזרי וחילופיהן במסית דרחמנא אמר (דברים יג, ט) לא תחמול ולא תכסה עליו:
Old Person - For he has forgoten the pain of raising children and he is (no longer) merciful and similar for someone who has not had children...
וְהִזָּהֲרוּ בְּזָקֵן שֶׁשָּׁכַח תַּלְמוּדוֹ מֵחֲמַת אוֹנְסוֹ. דְּאָמְרִינַן: לוּחוֹת וְשִׁבְרֵי לוּחוֹת מוּנָּחוֹת בָּאָרוֹן.
מִי שֶׁהוּא זָקֵן מֻפְלָג בְּזִקְנָה אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ חָכָם עוֹמְדִין לְפָנָיו. וַאֲפִלּוּ הֶחָכָם שֶׁהוּא יֶלֶד עוֹמֵד בִּפְנֵי הַזָּקֵן הַמֻּפְלָג בְּזִקְנָה. וְאֵינוֹ חַיָּב לַעֲמֹד מְלֹא קוֹמָתוֹ אֶלָּא כְּדֵי לְהַדְּרוֹ. וַאֲפִלּוּ זָקֵן כּוּתִי מְהַדְּרִין אוֹתוֹ בִּדְבָרִים וְנוֹתְנִין לוֹ יָד לְסָמְכוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט לב) "מִפְּנֵי שֵׂיבָה תָּקוּם" כָּל שֵׂיבָה בְּמַשְׁמָע:
We should stand before an old man of exceedingly advanced age, even if he is not a sage. Even a sage who is young is obligated to stand before an old man of exceedingly advanced age. Nevertheless, he need not rise to his full height, and need only show some token of respect.
Even an old gentile should be addressed with words of respect, and a hand should be extended to support him, as [Leviticus 19:32] states: "Stand up before a white-haired [man]." Every white-haired man is included therein.
הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים לַמִּקְרָא, בֶּן עֶשֶׂר לַמִּשְׁנָה, בֶּן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַמִּצְוֹת, בֶּן חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה לַתַּלְמוּד, בֶּן שְׁמֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה לַחֻפָּה, בֶּן עֶשְׂרִים לִרְדֹּף, בֶּן שְׁלשִׁים לַכֹּחַ, בֶּן אַרְבָּעִים לַבִּינָה, בֶּן חֲמִשִּׁים לָעֵצָה, בֶּן שִׁשִּׁים לַזִּקְנָה, בֶּן שִׁבְעִים לַשֵּׂיבָה, בֶּן שְׁמֹנִים לַגְּבוּרָה, בֶּן תִּשְׁעִים לָשׁוּחַ, בֶּן מֵאָה כְּאִלּוּ מֵת וְעָבַר וּבָטֵל מִן הָעוֹלָם:
He used to say: At five years of age the study of Scripture; At ten the study of Mishnah; At thirteen subject to the commandments; At fifteen the study of Talmud; At eighteen the bridal canopy; At twenty for pursuit [of livelihood]; At thirty the peak of strength; At forty wisdom; At fifty able to give counsel; At sixty old age; At seventy fullness of years; At eighty the age of “strength”; At ninety a bent body; At one hundred, as good as dead and gone completely out of the world.
מַזְכִּירִין יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם בַּלֵּילוֹת. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה, הֲרֵי אֲנִי כְּבֶן שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, וְלֹא זָכִיתִי שֶׁתֵּאָמֵר יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם בַּלֵּילוֹת, עַד שֶׁדְּרָשָׁהּ בֶּן זוֹמָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים טז) לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת יוֹם צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ. יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ, הַיָּמִים. כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ, הַלֵּילוֹת. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ, הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ, לְהָבִיא לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ:
It is a mitzva by Torah law to mention the exodus from Egypt at night, but some held that this mitzva was, like phylacteries or ritual fringes, fulfilled only during the day and not at night. For this reason it was decided: The exodus from Egypt is mentioned at night, adjacent to the recitation of Shema. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said: I am approximately seventy years old, and although I have long held this opinion, I was never privileged to prevail (Me’iri) and prove that there is a biblical obligation to fulfill the accepted custom (Ra’avad) and have the exodus from Egypt mentioned at night, until Ben Zoma interpreted it homiletically and proved it obligatory.
כבן שבעים שנה. הייתי נראה זקן. ולא זקן ממש אלא שהלבינו שערותיו יום שמינו אותו נשיא כדי שיראה זקן וראוי לנשיאות, ואותו היום דרש בן זומא מקרא זה:
כבן שבעים שנה – as I appeared old and not actually old, but because [the locks of] his hair had turned white on the day when he was appointed to be the Nasi/head of [the Sanhedrin] in order that he would look “old” and appropriate for the “presidency.” And on that self-same day, Ben Zoma expounded upon this Biblical verse.
(לב) מִפְּנֵ֤י שֵׂיבָה֙ תָּק֔וּם וְהָדַרְתָּ֖ פְּנֵ֣י זָקֵ֑ן וְיָרֵ֥אתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ {ס}
(32) You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am יהוה.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/sheet-user-uploaded-media/5839-77da2b20-2f15-11ef-8bf6-62d17775dc74.jpeg)
See also: Shabbat Vehadarta, The Shabbat of Honor, MAY 4, 2016, 3:34 PM ,Sharona Margolin Halickman
This essay is based on talks delivered by the Rebbe on his 70th birthday, Nissan 11, 5732 (March 26, 1972), and ten years later on his 80th birthday. On both these occasions, the Rebbe received tens of thousands of letters from well-wishers across the globe; among these were several that suggested that perhaps it is time he considered "slowing down" and "taking it easy" after his many fruitful decades as a leader and activist. The Rebbe's response was the blistering attack on the very concept of "retirement" articulated here.
The Rebbe also addressed the issue on several other occasions, including a series of Shabbat gatherings in the summer of 1980.
He then called for the establishment of Torah-study centers for the aged. Hundreds of such study centers—named, at the Rebbes suggestion, Tiferet Zkeinim ("the glory of the aged")--have since been founded in every corner of the globe by the Rebbe's emissaries.
Elements of these talks, as well as several other talks in which the Rebbe discussed the concept of "life as productivity," have also been incorporated in this essay.
See: Growing Old, The Jewish view on aging and retirement, Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
and watch here: https://www.chabad.org/4093161
and here: https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/372585/jewish/70-Years-71-New-Institutions.htm
https://www.chabad.org/multimedia/movie_cdo/aid/1480910/jewish/Pre-Passover-Farbrengen.htm