Today I found myself wondering: while we call out to God not to cast us away when we grow old, how do we regard our fellow humans? Do we expect God not to cast them out, while we turn our own backs on them and write them off as relics of an earlier time?
People often joke at Beit Knesset Hanassi being associated with "Young Israel" when it has so many members in their seventies, eighties and, yes,even in their nineties. But here at Hanassi we see evidence that everyone's life can be valued and that we can all be called upon to give as well as take, and to contribute to the well-being of our community.
Today I bought a couple of sets of arba minim from Rabbi Jay Karzen, a senior citizen if ever there was one--and an active contributor to life. We had a little chat, he helped me choose the etrogim and I came away feeling that I had gained more than a lulav, a citron and a selection of leaves. I felt proud to be part of a community where old folk are appreciated for who, and what, they are. We shall not cast them out!
