God says it...that settles it

Rabbi Dr. Jana L. De Benedetti
Hebrew Scriptures often mention looking to elders for advice, for leadership, for good judgment. We are taught in many ways to honor and respect our elders. There are also wonderful lessons about aging gracefully. I will share one timely lesson with you.
Passover is coming soon. In the Hebrew Scriptures we find a few places that list almost identical details about how we are to observe the holy day. Scholars have wondered why there needs to be a repetition. When God commands, once should be enough. In the Talmud it teaches that we need the repetition because we forget. If we weren’t created to be creatures that forget some things, then studying the Scriptures would become unnecessary after the first time. We would read it once, and know it. By describing the same thing more than once, God is gently teaching us that it is ok to forget, and it is great to re-examine something. Each time we look at the same thing as we age we see it differently. Another story in the Talmud teaches that it is not the text that changes each time we look at it – we change, we are different each time we look at the text. It is a blessing to gain years and experience and get to see things again. In my congregation, as we get older, we like being reminded that it is ok to forget.