Adapted by Channie Koplowitz Stein
When traveling on the buses in Israel, one might see a notice, לפני שיבה תקום, rise for the elderly. And indeed one very often sees people of all ages giving up their seats for the elderly [for mothers with babies and for anyone who seems to need it more than the seated passenger]. While this appears to be simple etiquette, like so much else that appears to be "simple etiquette," the principles were first introduced in the Torah. The entire verse for this mitzvah actually has three interrelated clauses, "In the presence of an old person shall you rise and you shall honor the presence of an elderly [sage] and you shall revere your God..." While standing up is a Torah requirement, offering your seat is an additional act of chesed, notes Rabbi Sternbach and others.
Our first question concerns the first two clauses. Are rising for the elderly and according honor to the sage one mitzvah or two independent mitzvoth? While Rashi holds that the two are interconnected, we practice each independently, giving honor to both the elderly who may not be a scholar and a Torah scholar who may be young. As the Talmud says, how foolish are people who stand for a Sefer Torah but do not stand when a Torah scholar passes by. In fact, this season of counting the omer has become a mourning period since the death of Rabbi Akiva's 12,000 pairs of disciples. And why did they die? Our Sages explain that they died because they did not accord honor to each other [as Torah scholars]. Certainly, shaming Torah scholars is a terrible offense. Not only because he is shaming the individual, but because he is also denigrating the influence of Torah on the Jewish people.
Rav Tuvya Weiss zt”l wonders why this Torah mitzvah is so often ignored. He reminds us of the importance of standing not only for the Talmid Chacham but also for his wife. [After all, she is his ezer kinegdo and enables his Torah study.] This was a lesson learned from the Chofetz Chaim who stood when the wife of Rav Boruch Ber Liebowitz came to the Beis Medrash. Also it is a mitzvah to stand for an elderly man and woman.
Vayovenu Bamikra, notes that a change in terminology. While one rises before an elderly person, one that can be recognized through his physical appearance, we are commanded to honor the panim, "face" of a sage. The true Torah sage exudes an aura that is often recognizable irrespective of age. [Moshe Rabbenu's face shone as he descended Sinai; my mother a"h would describe a great rabbi as a hadras panim, a face that glowed. CKS]
Going all the way back to Rav Yossi Hagllili, and later mentioned by Rashi and other commentators, זקן is not necessarily a translation for old age, but an allusion to one who has achieved Torah wisdom, to זה שקנה חכמה.
There is a sharp contrast between how Judaism views the elderly and how modern society views "senior citizens." Rabbi Zaks zt”l points to numerous policies of forced retirement at a predetermined age in spite of a person's continuing sense of fulfillment and contributions in his field. As rabbi Jacobson notes [and as do many psychologists], retirement often creates a sense of emptiness, of worthlessness. Unfortunately, our society is based on physical and materialistic values. While these powers may indeed decrease as one ages, Judaism values the individual as a spiritual being, one whose soul continues to learn, to create. to grow. One who is a constant talmid chacham, student of wisdom, and can share his knowledge with others. Are you old, worn out and useless, or are you wise, experienced and indispensable?
Rabbi Jacobson delineates three stages of life, and how the Jewish perspective differs from the secular perspective in the later stage. In childhood and youth, one is preparing for a productive life. At the next stage, he is living a productive life, returning the investment of his elders. Then comes, retirement, a stage secular society tries to paint as "happy retirement." Since we are no longer expected to be creative at this stage, we are told to find some hobby to "fill the time," much as children are given busy work to keep them occupied. A Jew, on the other hand, while he may not be working in the secular sense, is challenged to find creative ways to use his new found time to continue to achieve and grow spiritually. We believe that as long as we are still alive, there needs to be purpose in living.
Neot Deshe makes an interesting observation. We need to stand before the elderly even if he is blind. That suggests that standing in his presence is not really for him to feel good, but for the benefit of the one standing. The purpose is to educate the one who stands in the value of life wisdom and, through that, a knowledge of Hashem. In this respect, an elderly person, even one who is not a Torah scholar, has lived, experienced much, and accrued some life wisdom. As Rav S. R. Hirsch zt”l notes, when we stand, we are honoring the life experience of the elderly.
On this same theme, Rabbi Tuvyah Weiss cites the maxim from Pirkei Avos, "Who is wise? He who learns from every person. Every experience provides some lesson in serving Hashem, in faith and in personal providence. The greatest lessons come from life experience, both our personal experience and those of others. Therefore, one who has acquired wisdom can be someone young from whom we can learn. [As we read in the Haggadah, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah was merely eighteen years old, when he was appointed the Nasie, (Rosh Yeshivah) of the Tanaim (the Rabbis cited in the Talmud) of his time. Miraculously Hashem also aged his appearance. CKS]
Rabbi Druck asks a very pertinent question. Our acronym mentions only "one who acquired;" How can we deduce that the acquisition referred to is Torah and not material riches? With great insight, Rabbi Druck notes that all other acquisitions are external to oneself and therefore generally temporary. Wisdom, on the other hand, becomes an integral part of an individual and can therefore never be lost. Acquiring wisdom is man's purpose in the world and the only thing of true, lasting value that accompanies an individual to olam habo.
The elderly have amassed life wisdom that has brought knowledge of Hashem. Therefore the verse ends with, "...And you will fear Hashem." [All the commentators therefore agree you need not stand for a wicked person even if he is elderly.]
Then why not just say, "Honor the presence of the sage, the wise," instead of the cryptic zakein, elderly, asks Rabbi Kofman zt”l in Mishchat Shemen? By honoring the elderly, we are acknowledging that just as their long life is a gift from Hakodosh Boruch Hu, so too is all our wisdom a gift from Hakodosh Boruch Hu. In fact, many great Torah scholars, anticipating people's standing upon their entering a room, carry with them a Torah sefer to remind themselves that the honor is not being accorded to him personally, but to the Torah within him.
Every mitzvah is meant to improve us in some way, writes Rav Gamilel Rabinovich in Tiv Hatorah. That is why the concluding clause of the verse is exactly that, "And you shall revere your God" Yiras shamayim, awe of Heaven is the spiritual trait connected to this mitzvah. But since avoiding this mitzvah could be as easy as burying your face in a book so that you don't "see" the older man, the "awe/reverence" of Heaven could be a warning as well as a reward.
We should value every opportunity to perform a mitzvah. If you are looking for ways to avoid doing a mitzvah, your yiras shamayim is weak, writes Rabbi Biederman in Ohel Moshe. Rebbetzin Smiles offered a current example of rationalizing mitzvah avoidance. It is nearing lunchtime, and you crave some pizza. Will you order one slice or two? Will you order only one slice as a "snack" to avoid washing and "bentching" even though you are not planning on having a real lunch later?
Conversely, we may often act in a way to keep from imposing on others. The medrash relates how Rabbi Abba Hakohein would cross the street so as not to pass before a group of people seated along the road ahead of him. After, all, they would need to stand up to honor him as he passed. Rabbi Yossi admonished him for this practice, as he was depriving those people of the opportunity to perform a mitzvah. [Closer to home, a dear friend of mine taught me, through her own experience, that one should not refuse to accept tzedakah or help when one is in need. First, you would offer the same if the situations were reversed; why are you less deserving of help than your friend? Further, to our point, by refusing to accept their help, you are depriving them of the opportunity to perform this mitzvah. If no one is willing to accept tzedakah and chesed, these mitzvoth cannot be performed. How often can this reasoning change our perspective from being too proud to accept help, to offering someone an opportunity to do chesed? CKS]
Rav Schlesinger cites a letter to Rav Hutner zt"l that teaches us to stand not only before a talmid chacham, but also when one observes another in the process of performing a mitzvah. Where is the source of this mitzvah? When we were blessed with the Beit Hamikdosh and Bnei Yisroel would travel to bring their first fruits to the Beit Hamikdosh, people along the way would stand up, greet them, and inquire of their welfare. Therefore we deduce that we give that same respect and stand if someone passes us in the process of doing a mitzvah.
In this vein, when the people would stand up for a talmid chacham, he in turn would stand for them, as they were observing the mitzvah of honoring them.
The Neot Deshe quoting the Zohar Hakadosh offers a unique understanding of the mitzvah for one to rise for the old. They suggests that the Torah is teaching us to rise, to do teshuvah before we reach our old age, when we still have the vibrancy of youth. Use the fear of heaven as the catalyst to do mitzvoth and to earn your place in the eternal world. As Rabbi Sternbach writes, keep the vision of old age before you so that you will value the opportunities for Torah and mitzvoth over those of fleeting pleasures. In that way, you will have lived life to the fullest and acquired the wisdom of yirat shamayim.