GUT YUNTIF, GUT YOR, SHANA TOVA

 HOW OLD WAS ABRAHAM WHEN ISAAC WAS BORN?

HOW OLD WAS SARAH?

ABRAHAM WAS 100 AND SARAH WAS 90.  EVEN MAKING ALLOWANCES FOR THE LONGER LIFE SPANS RECORDED IN THE TORAH, THAT IS QUITE SOMETHING. 

AND IF YOU REMEMBER EARLIER IN BERESHIT, THEY DID LEAVE HARAN FOR CANAAN UNTIL ABRAHAM WAS 75!

AGE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A RELEVANT FACTOR IN HOW ABRAHAM AND SARAH LIVED THEIR LIVES.  THEY TOOK ON NEW CHALLENGES LATER IN LIFE AND THEY JUST KEPT GOING!

PERHAPS ABRAHAM AND SARAH ARE GOOD MODELS FOR US SINCE MANY OF US ARE LIVING LONGER LIVES.

IS THERE A SECRET TO LIVING A LONG LIFE, WITH VIGOR AND VITALITY?

ALL THE DOCTORS WHO HAVE WRITTEN ON THIS SUBJECT - DEEPAK CHOPRA, ANDREW WEIL AND MANY OTHERS - ALL AGREE.  REMAINING ACTIVE HELPS.  PHYSICALLY ACTIVE AND MENTALLY ACTIVE.

OF COURSE, GENETICS PLAYS A ROLE.  BUT MANY OF OUR CONGREGANTS HERE TODAY ARE LIVING WELL INTO THEIR 80'S, SOME INTO THEIR 90'S, IN REASONABLY GOOD HEALTH.

AND THIS GIVES GREAT HOPE TO THOSE OF US IN OUR 50'S AND 60'S! 

BUT, EXPECTATION OF A LONGER LIFE IS A GAME CHANGER.  FOR THOSE WHO ARE LIVING LONGER, THOSE WHO HOPE TO AND THOSE WHO ARE JUST STARTING OUT.

WHEN SOCIAL SECURITY WAS ENACTED IN 1935, THE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR MEN IN THE UNITED STATES WAS 67.  NO WONDER RETIREMENT AT 65 MADE SENSE.  THE LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR WOMEN WAS ONLY SLIGHTLY LONGER.

SO, IF WE CAN EXPECT TO LIVE WELL INTO OUR 80'S OR 90'S,  HOW SHOULD WE PLAN OUR LIVES?

HOW MANY YEARS SHOULD WE SPEND IN EDUCATION - ACQUIRING THE SKILLS, DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES THAT WE MAY NEED DURING OUR WORKING LIFETIME?  AND HOW MANY YEARS SHOULD WE EXPECT TO WORK, EITHER FULL-TIME OR PART-TIME?  AND WHEN SHOULD WE GET MARRIED AND START HAVING A FAMILY? 

LONGER LIFE CHANGES EVERYTHING - ALL OUR ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHAT AGE WE SHOULD BE AT A PARTICULAR STAGE OF THE LIFE CYCLE.

ARE THERE ANY RULES WE CAN FOLLOW - ANY WISDOM FROM OUR TRADITION - THAT MAY HELP US COPE WITH THIS NEW SITUATION?

IF WE LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE STORIES OF ABRAHAM AND SARAH, WE WILL FIND A FEW ORGANIZING PRINCIPLES

THEY ARE ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE

THEY STAY ACTIVE

THEY ARE RESILIENT - THEY ADAPT TO CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES.

MAINTAINING AN ORIENTATION TO THE FUTURE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.  IMAGINING THAT WE HAVE A FUTURE, OR STILL HAVE A FUTURE, IS WHAT KEEPS US GOING.  WE HAVE SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO.  WE HAVE GOALS, WE MAKE PLANS. 

MANY SAW THE POPULAR MOVIE WITH JACK NICHOLSON AND MORGAN FREEMAN, THE BUCKET LIST.  HERE WE TWO RELATIVELY YOUNG MEN WHO DEVELOPED FATAL ILLNESSES.  INSTEAD OF WAITING TO DIE, THEY DETERMINED TO EXPERIENCE ALL OF THE THINGS THEY HAD PUT OFF.  WE CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THEIR STORY.  DON'T PUT OFF THE THINGS THAT YOU ALWAYS HOPED TO DO, ALWAYS DREAMT OF, ALWAYS WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH.  MAYBE YOU NEVER GOT A COLLEGE DEGREE OR MAYBE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO STUDY ANOTHER SUBJECT.  GO FOR IT!  TAKE THE TRIP YOU NEVER MADE TIME FOR.  THE CRITICAL POINT IS TO KEEP MAKING PLANS, NOT JUST FOR TOMORROW OR NEXT WEEK, BUT FOR NEXT YEAR AND THE YEAR AFTER THAT! 

WHAT ABOUT TODAY.  FOR TODAY, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ACTIVITY WILL HELP KEEP US IN SHAPE SO WE CAN CARRY OUT OUR PLANS. 

WHEN MY GRANDMOTHER WAS WELL INTO HER 80'S, I ASKED HER THE SECRET OF HER LONGEVITY.  AFTER SHARING WITH ME THE LONG LIFE OF SOME RELATIVES, SHE TOLD ME IN HER BROKEN ENGLISH - DAHLINK, EVERYDAY I GET OUT OF BED NO MATTER HOW I FEEL.  GRANDMA KNEW SOMETHING - REMAINING PHYSICALLY ACTIVE HELPS TO KEEP YOU ACTIVE.  THERE MAY BE DAYS WHEN IT IS DIFFICULT, BUT KEEP MOVING TO KEEP MOVING.  KEEP PLAYING COMPETITIVE SPORTS IF THAT IS YOUR INTEREST.  SWIM EVERY DAY OR TAKE LONG WALKS IF THAT IS YOUR BENT.  AN EXAMPLE FROM ABRAHAM.  SHORTLY AFTER UNDERGOING HIS OWN CIRCUMCISION, THREE STRANGERS APPEAR ON THE HORIZON.  THE TORAH TELLS US THAT ABRAHAM RAN, YES RAN, TO GREET THEM, IN SPITE OF THE PAIN HE MUST HAVE FELT.  OH, HE WAS 87 AT THE TIME.

MANY OF US HAVE REACHED THE POINT WHERE OUR BODIES HURT EITHER FROM ILLNESS OR INJURY OR WHENEVER WE EXERT OURSELVES.  ABRAHAM WORKED THROUGH IT - WE MUST LEARN TO DO SO AS WELL.

MENTAL ACTIVITY IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT.  YOU KNOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS AS WE GET OLDER - CROSSWORD PUZZLES, OTHER PUZZLES, READING.  THERE IS SOMETHING NEW THAT WE CAN BENEFIT FROM - COGNITIVE CONDITIONING.  ITS ON THE INTERNET - YOU CAN DO IT AT HOME.  EXERCISES SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR SUPPORTING MENTAL ACUITY.  MOST OF US COULD BENEFIT FROM THIS. 

AND FINALLY, RESILIENCE - ADAPTING TO CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES.  THERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES IN OUR TORAH READING THIS MORNING. 

SARAH BECOMES CONCERNED ABOUT ISHMAEL'S INFLUENCE ON ISAAC.  SHE DEMANDS THAT HAGAR AND ISHMAEL BE EXPELLED.  ABRAHAM IS DISTRESSED, HE DOESN'T LIKE IT.  BUT GOD ASSURES HIM THAT ISHMAEL WILL BE PROTECTED, SINCE HE TOO, IS ABRAHAM'S SON.  SO ABRAHAM ACCEDES TO SARAH'S DEMAND AND SENDS ISHMAEL AND HAGAR AWAY.

FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT, AVIMELECH AND PHICOL SHOW UP TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF WATER WELLS.  IT SEEMS THAT AVIMELECH'S MEN HAVE EITHER STOLEN THE WELLS OR DENIED ABRAHAM'S FLOCKS ACCESS.  AFTER ADMONISHING AVIMELECH, THEY MAKE A TREATY AND AGREE ON OWNERSHIP OF THE WELLS. 

LEAVING ASIDE THE DETAILS, IN BOTH CASES, ABRAHAM IS FACED WITH CHALLENGES NOT OF HIS MAKING.  AND YET, HE MUST RESOLVE THEM, IN ONE CASE, TO KEEP PEACE IN THE FAMILY, AND IN THE OTHER, TO KEEP PEACE WITH HIS NEIGHBORS.  HE DOES WHAT HE NEEDS TO DO AND MOVES ON.  THE TORAH DOES NOT RECORD SECOND GUESSING, REGRET OR REMORSE BY ABRAHAM.  THAT IS WHAT WE MEAN BE RESILIENCE.  RESPONDING TO CHALLENGES,  RESOLVING THEM AND THEN MOVING ON. 

OFTEN DIFFICULT FOR MANY OF US.  WE  LIKE TO NURSE ISSUES AND SITUATIONS, SOMETIMES WE WORRY THEM TO DEATH.  WE GIVE THEM MORE TIME AND ENERGY THAN THEY DESERVE.  THEY BECOME OBSTACLES TO MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR LIVES.  THEY STEAL JOY AND HAPPINESS FROM US.  LEARN FROM ABRAHAM!  ACCEPT CHALLENGES AS THEY ARE, FIND A SOLUTION AND MOVE ON. 

IF ALL OF US COULD ONLY LEARN FROM ABRAHAM'S EXPERIENCE AND EXAMPLE.  IF WE COULD ONLY GET OUT OF OUR OWN WAY MORE OFTEN.  HOW MUCH HAPPIER WE WOULD BE, HOW MUCH MORE PRODUCTIVE.

WE MAY NOT HAVE DISCOVERED ALL THE SECRETS TO LIVING LONG PRODUCTIVE LIVES, BUT CERTAINLY PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE, REMAINING ACTIVE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY AND REMAINING RESILIENT IN THE FACE OF CHALLENGES ARE AMONG THEM.

AS WE ENTER THE NEW YEAR, LET US PRAY THAT ALL OF US, HOWEVER OLD WE MAY BE, DEVELOP THE ATTITUDES AND HABITS THAT ABRAHAM LIVED BY SO THAT OUR LIVES WILL BE RICHER, HAPPIER AND HOPEFULLY, CONTINUE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.  AMEN.