When Near Becomes Far: Old Age in Rabbinic Literature

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Mira Balberg (Professor of History and Endowed Chair in Ancient Jewish Civilization, Professor of History and Endowed Chair in Ancient Jewish Civilization, University of California, San Diego) Haim Weiss (Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature, Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature, Ben Gurion University, Israel)

When Near Becomes Far

Old Age in Rabbinic Literature

Mira Balberg (Professor of History and Endowed Chair in Ancient Jewish Civilization, Professor of History and Endowed Chair in Ancient Jewish Civilization, University of California, San Diego), Haim Weiss (Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature, Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature, Ben Gurion University, Israel)

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English

Oxford University Press Inc
20 May 2021

History of religion; The Early Church; Judaism: life & practice; Judaism: sacred texts; Religious aspects of sexuality, gender & relationships

When Near Becomes Far explores the representations and depictions of old age in the rabbinic Jewish literature of late antiquity (150-600 CE). Through close literary readings and cultural analysis, the book reveals the gaps and tensions between idealized images of old age on the one hand, and the psychologically, physiologically, and socially complicated realities of aging on the other hand. The authors argue that while rabbinic literature presents a number of prescriptions related to qualities and activities that make for good old age, the respect and reverence that the elderly should be awarded, and harmonious intergenerational relationship, it also includes multiple anecdotes and narratives that portray aging in much more nuanced and poignant ways. These anecdotes and narratives relate, alongside fantasies about blissful or unnoticeable aging, a host of fears associated with old age: from the loss of physical capability and beauty to the loss of memory and mental acuity, and from marginalization in the community to being experienced as a burden by one's children. Each chapter of the book focuses on a different aspect of aging in the rabbinic world: bodily appearance and sexuality, family relations, intellectual and cognitive prowess, honor and shame, and social roles and identity. As the book shows, in their powerful and sensitive treatments of aging, rabbinic texts offer some of the richest and most audacious observations on aging in ancient world literature, many of which still resonate today.

By: Mira Balberg (Professor of History and Endowed Chair in Ancient Jewish Civilization Professor of History and Endowed Chair in Ancient Jewish Civilization University of California San Diego), Haim Weiss (Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature, Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature, Ben Gurion University, Israel)
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 163mm, Width: 239mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 499g
ISBN: 9780197501481
ISBN 10: 0197501486
Pages: 232
Publication Date: 20 May 2021
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Like Two Fountains: Fluidity, Sexuality, and the Aging Body 2. Squawk to Them Like Roosters: Aging Parents and their Children 3. I Am Not Old: Age and Agelessness in the Study House 4. Raise My Eyes for Me: Gazing at Old Age 5. Running at Dusk: Anonymity and Identity in Old Age Epilogue Bibliography Source Index Subject Index

Mira Balberg is Professor of History and Endowed Chair in Ancient Jewish Civilization at the University of California, San Diego. She specializes in ancient Mediterranean Religions, with a focus on the emergence and development of Judaism in antiquity (200 BCE-500 CE). Haim Weiss is Associate Professor of Hebrew Literature at Ben Gurion University in Israel. He specializes in rabbinic literature, Midrash, and folklore, as well as in the relations between classical Jewish literature and modern Hebrew literature.

Reviews for When Near Becomes Far: Old Age in Rabbinic Literature

Nuanced and detailed ... the volume will be primarily useful to those familiar with the critical study of rabbinic texts. * J. S. Kaminsky, CHOICE * While this most engagingly written book would be a natural for an academic library, members of a synagogue library would certainly significantly expand their intellectual horizons through an encounter with this volume ... Reading When Near Becomes Far will challenge the reader of whatever age to question their assumptions as to the meaning of old age, societal expectations of the aged, and what the Talmudic writings have to truly teach. * Mindy C. Reiser, Association of Jewish Libraries News and Reviews *