Till 120 ?!

 Longevity is advancing slowly but steadily. Hentry Kissinger (RIP) has recently died at 100. Many people in the world (especially in Japan) died at a similar age, even a few  years beyond that.

According to science, the average person's DNA is programmed to about 120 years.

The Bible mentions 120 in Genesis 6:3.  In Hebrew there's a blessing which says  " May you live until 120" ( ad meah ve essrim!).

According to Wikipedia , the french woman Jeanne Calment (1875-1997) is the oldest  documented person who ever lived. She made it to 122 despite smoking everyday for 96 years. She lived on her own until age 110 when she moved into a nursing home.  Amazing!

Following , are two  women  aged 119: the american Sara Knauss and the japanese Kane Tanaka ; both died in 2022.  Kane Tanaka had several major ilnesses during her life including cancer at 45, and at 103; underwent surgery, and.. survived.

We think we know and understand the secret of longevity. We don't.   It's very complex; it involves luck, genetics, wisdom, health care, diet , life style, character.   In Kissinger's case, he had a younger  and very intelligent wife; that must have helped his longevity too:)

The important part in any research on longevity is  expanding the  health span rather than life span. If the consequence is a longer life then, that's  a nice bonus.

Man and Metal

                       Bracha           

My mother Bracha ('bracha'  means blessing in hebrew, and she was indeed a blessing to her family) used to say 'man is the hardest of metals', 'man is stronger than steel' and other such sayings.  She was referring, of course, to the tragedies individuals or families go through, and yet they find the strength to stand on their feet and  go on with their life.

I was reminded of that recently while reading in the news about president Biden. He lost his first wife and their girl in an accident, and later in life he lost one of his two sons to cancer. And yet, not only did he go on with his life, but entered the field of politics, a highly controversial field, which required particular strength of character.

Ruth Dayan, the first wife of general  Moshe Dayan, former  Minister of Defence of Israel, died  in 2021, one month before her 104 birthday. She died at home and at her own 'initiative' (stopped eating). 

Her life was  interesting but rather tragic. 

The husband had constant extra-marital affairs, so she divorced him and got a career of her own in fashion and social/peace  activities. She became quite an inspiration for women.

One of her two sons, a very talented actor, writer and movie director, got into drugs (as far as I  could remember ,it happened after his father, the general, died and left almost his entire estate  to his second wife, nothing to Ruth and their 3 children). Ruth, already at an advanced age, had to be strong not only for herself, but also to help her son control his depression, and prevent further deterioration.  She was always there for her children and grandchildren.

Her daughter (83), the eldest of the three children, a writer and active politician, yet a heavy smoker, had been struggling during the last decade with  lung disease. 

Ruth was predeceased by both her sons who died untimely. I guess  she was afraid she might have to bury her daughter too, and decided to put an end to life's playing a farce on her.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2023!

No Mezuzah at McDonald's

I was quite surprised when I first learnt that the franchise owner of McDonald's chain in Israel was Omri Padan. The guy was known as an extreme anti-religious, left-oriented political activist. That could theoretically mean that some 25%-30% of potential customers would not go to McDonald's eateries.

the very first McD  , opened at Ayalon Mall ,Ramat-Gan in 1993

 McD's in my hometown -on  ground floor of  building 

But what do I know? The triangle of business, religion, politics is indeed a very tricky one, and yet it seems Padan (now Dr Padan) has successfully played his cards. McDonald's Israel is an empire.

Anyway, I like the McDonald's concept (all of it - food, system, social experience).
What I do not like when I happen to be there, is the fact that there's no 'mezuzah' sitting on the entrance doorpost . Almost every house and shop in this country has a 'mezuzah' affixed to its doorpost. It's a tradition, a nice  one, if you ask me.

copper made mezuzah on the local Supermarkets's doorpost

A 'mezuzah' is a case, a holder (usually decorative) containing a piece of parchment with  hand-written biblical verses on it. It's supposed to protect and bless  the house and its people. 

case and scroll 

The case comes in various materials:  plastic, wood, metal, ceramics, silver, porcelain - the two last mentioned being more expensive. Everything goes.

ceramics and metal cases

metal cases (aluminium, bronze, copper)

The most important part, though, is the scroll to be placed within the case. 
It must be hand-calligraphed with verses from Deuteronomy that start with "Hear o Israel, the Lord our God,  the Lord is One".

A genuine scroll is usually not sold at a souvenir shop but at a judaica one, and could be quite expensive.
After a while (several years) it has to be checked for faded or deleted letters, spot or crease;if this is found,  the scroll will be considered faulty and will have to be replaced.

scrolls of different sizes

Sometimes, a 'mezuzah' gets stolen; the thieves are looking for authentic, high quality scrolls. Because of that, there are buildings where the 'mezuzah' is placed on the inner side of the entrance door.(In a house or office there's a 'mezuzah' on every door - except bathroom and toilets).

ceramics - inner room

metal- utility room

wood - balcony

As someone has remarked:"if it can't even protect itself from thieves, it can't protect the house either"   Food for thought. Perhaps it was a faulty mezuzah.