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Home , Leviticus 19, Mordechai ben Hillel

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LEVITICUS 19:32 AND ITS INTERPRETATION IN JEWISH TRADITION

1. Leviticus 19:32

’3 ‘IR 1‘n78n nxw~1 1pr '1: n11n1 u1vn na'w ‘IID

You shall rise up before the aged, and honour [the face of] the old; and you shall fear your God: I am the Eternal One.

?. Psalm 92:15

1‘3‘ D‘llD'I'l D‘IW'I HI‘W: 11:11‘ '11”

They (the righteous) shall still bear fruit in old age, they shall be ever fresh and green.

3. Proverbs 16:31

Rana 3713 111: nnvw nfinnn nun»

Grey hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by the way of righteousness. '

4. Sifra to Leviticus 19:32

,nan uvu 1vr 1'31 ,1pr >"n .~‘nwx vxnn 713' ".n1pn na‘w ~ann" 1~n :wn1x '7‘7an '31- vnw .">xww‘ ‘avra w~x u‘uaw ‘7 anon" ,wnxxw 11nn‘ >13~ ."1311 n~wxw Iixp 'n" :wnnzw ,nnan nw nr avg 1vr >"n .11nn: 1:11n- vu:' n11n1 v3 .17: van nwwna >"n .v1nwn 1'13? 111un n: 1vxw 111~n nu ,uv: 111on n: 1‘xw nn‘v nu — nwwn1 nupn nu unuu x71 ,1n1vn: wawn 351 ,1n1pn: :wy x7 ?111~n 1nrvn .u~: axon 13w: ~13 .1nn1 x7 uvvn: 1va‘u :13», 1nx1 an 713‘ .1‘131 wax: :vv 110m 315w 1:w 7: RH ".’n ':x 1-:7nn nxw‘u" ,wnxxw ,avv

."1'nvnn nuw'u" ,

"You shall rise up before the aged" fiLev. 19:32). You might think even before an ignorant man. But Scripture goes on to say "the old", and "old" implies "wise", for it says, "Gather for Me seventy of the elders of " (Num. 11:16). Yose the Galileah says: "Old" refers only to one who has gained wisdom, as it says, "The Eternal One has made me (wisdom) the beginning of God’s way" (Prov. 8:22). You might think one should'rise up at a distance. But Scripture says, "You shall honour the face of the old." Since it is a matter of honouring, you might think one should do so with money. But Scripture says: "You shall rise up...and honour" — just as there is no financial loss involved in rising up, so there is no financial loss involved in honouring. How then does one honour an old man?r One should not sit in his place, or speak in his stead, or contradict what he says. You might think it would be in order to close one’s eyes as if one had.not seen him. But the matter is entrusted to the heart, as it says, "You shall fear your God; I am the Eternal One." Notice that with respect to everything that is entrusted to the heart Scripture says: "You shall fear your God." 5. B’midbar Rabbah 15:17

‘aprn w'n n~u=w '7 nuux :nwn 7n ’n 1nx~1" :xnwn:n ’31 www 13 1:w 1: ?1prn 'ann 11a»? :13 3"n n1nx an: 11h: :n:>n ".vxww‘ 'xnn" zannxw ,1prn ‘ann 11nu> awn :vn n1nx yawn 11m: :ux‘nunw nw1n fifink ?117‘n nr‘u1 .n1nx ’1 11m: 1n17w: 7R\W! ".n1vn nn~w nx wn1u «av «71 ,1n17n: :w~ 351 ,Inwvn: fiwnuv 37w — "nnwn1" 52:! RH‘ R‘}‘l ,3‘WH7 VIDV‘ R71 ,fikfi': 7R1W .1373 7R1W RIHWD'I ,1‘12‘1 .lllll‘l R‘IPJ 1'78?! 111‘”)?! 73 1:13 1.11} ‘II‘RW ‘D ‘732’ ,1‘131:

This is how Rabbi Tanchuma expounded the verse, "The Eternal One said to : Gather for Me seventy of the elders of Israel" (Num. 11:16). Halachah: Within how many cubits is one obligated to rise up before an old man? We have a Baraita which says: Within four cubits one is obligated to rise up before an old man, as it says, "You shall rise up before the aged" (Lev. 19:32); and one should greet him within a distance of four cubits. And what is meant by "honouring"? When the says "you shall honour" it means that one should not stand in the old man’s place, nor sit in his place, and one should not contradict his statements; when one asks him a law, one should ask reverently; one should not be hasty in replying, nor interrupt him when he is speaking. For anyone who does not practise these courtesies towards his teacher is called wicked.

(Both of the preceding passages have parallels in Kid. 32b-33a)

6. Kiddushin 33a

fink .nnwn: na-w >3 17~nx - "u1vn nn‘w ~xnn" 11618 n11n‘ 1: vu'u .'unwnw ‘:o ~nvn 'xp nun :11n' ’1 .nw1n\ 1: vuvx: n:73 :1xn1' ’w .137 1:» 1113 ,'xp xv nv'n «:1 .‘anw un“>n 11» vvnnwn an: zunn .n-n1vw wwwn 3:1 .v307 x1~ :‘n~ ~~an

Issi ben Judah said: "You shall rise up before the aged" means literally all who are aged. Rabbi Yochanan said: The Halachah is in accordance with Issi ben Judah. Rav Judah used to rise up before non—Jewish (literally "Aramean") aged, saying (to himself): How many vicissitudes must have befallen these people! Rava used not to rise up before them, but would honour them (in other ways), Abaye used to give his hand to the aged. Rava used to send messengers (to help them).

7. Va—xikra Rabbah 35:3 am: 1;? u>1nzw anuxa ".u1n1ax a1n1: u1'7‘u: awn" :1ru>x '1 1BR nn"pnw n1u ,137 un1 ,u~~vn x1: ‘1: nn~v77 n31 an ,nwr: 1r1; :11 31:1 ,nwra wrux x>n ,1: 12'“ x13 111: w1wpn 7:3 .nvwnx '1- 7» nx1~1 1vr 'an nwwna u1pn na~w ~1nn" :n-naw x1: «1: .nvnn nn"vn vnp1n: nu" .n5nn 1pr nw‘nu nwxn ~nn“7w x1n 'ax — "'3 van winvnn "...1:>n

Rabbi said: "Hapé BaaLAéuq 3 vouog émypa¢og" ("the law is not written forothe king"). It is the way of the world that when a king of flesh and blood gives an order, he carries it out himself only if he so wishes; otherwise he ultimately gets others to carry it out. But the Holy One, ever to be blessed, is not O)

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like that, but, having given an order, is the first to carry it out. That is the implication when Scripture says, "You shall rise up before the aged, and honour [the face of] the old; and you shall fear your God; I am the Eternal One," - I am the One who was the first to carry out the precept of rising up before the old. (Cf. Gen. 18:1—2; B'reshit Rabbah 48:7; Psalm 82:1.) Hence "If you walk in My statutes" (Lev. 26:3).

8. Megillah 17b

-:a n11n1 uwpn na-w 'znn" :wnxxw ,u~p~wsn an vwxn '1: >51:1... "...1a uznn 11A' ‘:1" :3!) 1vnu1 ,"1vr

And (the 13th benediction of the Tefillah, beginning "Fbr the righteous") includes a reference to proselytes because the verse, "You shall rise up before the aged, and honour the old" (Lev. 19:32, "old" being equated with "righteous" is followed immediately by the verse beginning, "And when a stranger (which the understood to mean "proselyte") lives with you in your land" (Lev. 19:33).

9. to Lev. 19:32

~: ,nn‘n7 :11? 1vrn ~= ,nnn 13:»: "uuvn nz‘w vann" 1‘3rn7 nun! .nn'w w'n 7:1 171 >: 1nuh nxnu ,:wn: :3: 1:1;

And the reason why Scripture mentions that one should rise up before the aged is on account of the dead, since the aged are close to death, for an aged person’s body is considered like that of a dead person, and so its reason is (to make it clear that it refers to) any aged and any old person (Whether wise and righteous or not, since the duty to show respect to the dead does not depend on such considerations).

10. Obadiah Sforno on Lev. 19:32

'31" wnuu ,nv7nwn an nwravn fi'nrn nkwvn 11:: 7» 1vnrnw wnnu ".1nax 1:1: xv 1: 1nx fi1a~

And after warning us to show respect to the noblest people, Scripture warns us against showing disrespect to the lowliest, in that it goes on to say: "And when a stranger (proselyte) lives with you, you shall not oppress him" (Lev. 19:33).

11. Joseph Caro. . Yoreh De’ah 244:1 n”v 137:1 n1: 17vnn] naw n'uaw 1: 1:'~nw navw ‘znn u1v7 nusn p": 1:1 1~w1171 ~311n1 1": 'v‘n nunannu ’u1nn aw: ~":] [awn n'n' «7w .[n"11 1"11 nnww' ’11

Similarly it is a Mitzvah to rise up before the aged, that is, anyone aged seventy (and over) (even if he is an ignoramus, provided only that he is not wicked). [So Beyt Yosef (Joseph Caro’s commentary on ’s Arba’ah Turim) in the name of the ; and in the Haggahot Maimuniyyot (Meir ha—Cohen’s glosses to the Mishneh Torah), Chapter 6; the Mordechai (code by Mordechai ben Hillel), lst Chapter of Kiddushin; , Rabbenu Nissim and Rabbenu Tam.] u

12. Pinchas Horowitz (1730-1805) on Lev. 19:32

— kn: wwwan awn flux! 31: 5117: 11wn nun: ‘: "...nwvn nz~w 'ann" :31 .5117: 1x7: 5w n~wunn nu nawn 111 v: ,"1‘wun nnwv 1117 111" ,’1 1w: ,"nfi1n ~11u‘u": n’nvnn] .nwx ‘13: 1an n!:n>n: avawwuwn [117—116 u~w1nu

"You shall rise up before the aged..." For in truth each preceding generation is better than the one following it - "One generation shall praise Your works to another" (Psalm 145:4); every generation praises the works of the preceding. And if the former generations were like angels, we are like human beings" (Shabbat 112b).

13. Abba Hillel Silver (1893-1963) Old age was revered in Israel. "You shall rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of an old man," we read in the (Lev. 19:32). "Despise not your mother when old" she is (Pr. 23:22). Men were advised to turn to the aged for "With guidance: the aged there is wisdom and in length of days there is understanding" (Job 12:12). Old age is noble: "A hoary head crown" is a (Pr. 16:31). "As the clear light is upon the candlestick, so is the beauty of the face in ripe old age" (Ecclus. 26:17). The aged should be cared for, sheltered, honored. Children are charged with the duty of looking after and providing for their parents even when it involves the greatest of sacrifices on their part, even when, as R. Siayon b. Yohai puts it, it involves the necessity df begging for them" (B.B. 110; Pes. 113a) [Where Differed, 1956, pp. 62f.]

Texts selected and translated by Rabbi John D. Rayner lat May 1992