Monday, May 10, 2010

The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendour of old men is their gray head: Proverbs 20:29

Rabbi Judah Loew, the Maharal of Prague (and the supposed creator of the Golem of Prague), said that in youth the physical forces of the body tend to dominate a person.

Young people are thrall to unbidden impulses. But with age those physical forces wane in power and that which is uniquely human about us – our intellect – becomes ascendant.

As a result wisdom is associated with age. Hence tradition commands us to rise in respect for those older than ourselves.

2 comments:

Okie said...

Some people grow old and wise, some others just grow old.

Great wisdom is often conveyed with few words, and those who have that gift are rare. Too often, they are not heard above the noise that surrounds us.

Okie Book of Revelations.

Anyong said...

Hmmm!! Is that why young men and even older men don't know what the word "NO" means?