pursuing tzedek

"the test of a people is how it behaves toward the old. it is easy to love children. even tyrants and dictators make a point of being fond of children. but the affection and care for the old, the incurable, the helpless are the true gold mines of a culture."

"to grow in wisdom," is an amazing article that was written in 1966 by rabbi abraham joshua heschel, towards the end of his life. it's a profound reflection on the role of the elderly in our society ... urging us to change our perception of seeing "becoming old" as a "problem" to be solved. instead, we should embrace the potentialities of a full and vibrant life as we advance in years.

"most of us to do not live in time but run away from it; we do not see its face, but its make-up. the past is either forgotten or preserved as a cliche, and the present moment is either bartered for a silly trinket or beclouded by false anticipations. the present moment is a zero, and so is the next moment, and a vast stretch of life turns out to be a series of zeros, with no real number in front."

"blind to the marvel of the present moment, we live with memories of moments missed, in anxiety about an emptiness that lies ahead. we are totally unprepared when the problem strikes us in unmitigated form."

"time is the process of creation, and things of space are results of creation. it is the dimention of time wherein man meets God, wherein man becomes aware that every instant is an act of creation, a Beginning, opening up new roads for ultimate realization. Time is the presence of God in the world of space and it is within time that we are able to sense the unity of all beings."