Moses did neither of those things. Instead, in his last days he turned his attention to the next generation and embarked on a new role. He told the young Israelites who they were, where they had come from and what their destiny was. He gave them laws, and did so in a new way. No longer was the emphasis on the divine encounter, as it had been in Leviticus, or on sacrifices as it was in Numbers, but rather on the laws in their social context.
He spoke about justice, and care for the poor, and consideration for employees, and love for the stranger. He set out the fundamentals of Jewish faith in a more systematic way than in any other book of Tanach.
He renewed the covenant, reminding the people of the blessings they would enjoy if they kept faith with God, and the curses that would befall them if they did not. He showed them the meaning of generativity, leaving behind a legacy that would outlive him, and what it is to be a keeper of meaning, summoning all his wisdom to reflect on past and future, giving the young the gift of his long experience.
By way of personal example, he showed them what it is to grow old while staying young. I used to think that these were simply two descriptions until I realized that the first was the explanation of the second. It is all too easy to abandon your ideals when you see how hard it is to change even the smallest part of the world, but when you do you become cynical, disillusioned, disheartened. That is a kind of spiritual death.
There are people who do their best work young. DoubleAA since we mean long and healthy — Yoni. So say "long and healthy". Pretty easy solution. Giving a bracha with a Biblical reference adds a certain poetic finesse. Other such designations like 'Nairo Ya'ir" are poetic which adds a dimension to the bracha.
Poetic is nice if people understand the poetry. Seth J Seth J I read that verse the way you do, but how do you account for the avot living longer after this decree? I wave my hands and say "exception due to extreme merit", but I recognize it as a hand-wave. MonicaCellio, No idea. Ouch, commentless downvote. That passuk cannot mean that people will live to years and no more. After the Mabbul, there were many people who lived longer than years and even people in modern times have lived longer.
Your assessment and interpretation of the Bereishis is sadly incorrect. It's a common mistake. Although Rashi and others interpret the pasuk as you say, there is another interpretation which calls for a maximum cap on the human life span, an interpretation endorsed by Abarbanel and by Malbim.
Like any library, Mi Yodeya offers tons of great information, but does not offer personalized, professional advice , and does not take the place of seeking such advice from your rabbi.
Featured on Meta. Now live: A fully responsive profile. In the first place, because this was, according to Chapter 6 of the Book of Genesis, the maximum age set for humankind by a God distressed by the evil behavior of the first, much longer-lived men whom He created. If He then nevertheless let Abraham live to and Isaac to , this was presumably only because of their great righteousness.
And secondly, we are told by the Bible that was the age of Moses when he died, and Moses is the only biblical character whom we are also told remained in good health, sound of mind and of body, until his last moment.
This pretty much answers Mr. Bar-Ilan starts out with a good question. No one ever has asked these questions before, Bar-Ilan writes, because religious believers took it for granted that the numbers in question were historically true and religious skeptics took it for granted that they were arbitrary fictions, and in either case there appeared to be nothing to investigate.
Moses at one hundred and twenty one years commingles with the very presence of the Holy One, blessed be S He. Me at one hundred and twenty one years still claiming intellectual disbelief, but plea for one more day when no-one's looking. Moses at one hundred and twenty one years composes an entire song meant to guide a nation for generations after his bones are known.
Me at one hundred and twenty one years still resting on the laurels of that one good thing I did when I was thirty-five. Moses at one hundred and twenty one years issues commands like a governor in his prime.
Me at one hundred and twenty one years knows better than to tell anyone what to do. Moses at one hundred twenty one years has had a pretty good run and doesn't plan on slowing down.
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