Pt1 Snowy Mountains and Three Legs: Aphorisms and Metaphorical Portraits of Aging in the Talmud (Shabbat 152a)
This is the first installment of a two-part series. Outline of the sugya is below.
Intro
The Talmud describes the physical and mental decline associated with aging in a variety of ways, including:
Changes in Physical Appearance: The Talmud notes visible signs of aging. R' Yehoshua ben Hananya, describing his own old age, said "The snowy mountain is surrounded with ice", a metaphor for white hair. He also noted the loss of teeth with the phrase "his grinders have ceased grinding," and a weakened voice, which he likened to "dogs [that] do not bark."
Deterioration of Physical Abilities: The Talmud twice uses the metaphor of "two feet becoming three" to illustrate the loss of mobility in old age, as one becomes reliant on a cane for support.. This transition from two feet to three is portrayed as a negative development. R' Yosei bar Kisma states that "the two feet of one’s youth are better than the three of old age", and R' Shimon ben Halafta laments that his "two feet have been made into three with the addition of a cane". The Talmud also suggests that old age brings difficulty in movement and weakness: even a small mound appears like a tall mountain.
Decline in Sensory Perception: The Talmud links aging with a decline in sensory perception, particularly hearing and taste. The elderly experience their lips cracking and withering, leading to a diminished sense of taste. The Talmud also portrays the loss of hearing as a common ailment of old age, stating, "the ears of the elderly become heavy".
Digestive Issues: The Talmud associates aging with digestive problems. It interprets the verse "The sound of the grinding is low" from Ecclesiastes 12:4 as referring to the weakening of the stomach's ability to digest food effectively.
Changes in Sleep Patterns: The Talmud observes that the elderly experience a change in sleep patterns. It interprets the verse "One shall start up at the voice of a bird" from Ecclesiastes 12:4 to mean that the sleep of an elderly person becomes lighter, causing them to wake easily, even from the sound of a bird.
Cognitive Decline: The Talmud suggests that mental faculties decline with age. It states that "the minds of the elderly change," indicating a decline in cognitive function and the ability to make sound judgments.
Loss of Libido: The Talmud observes a decline in sexual desire in old age. R' Shimon ben Halafta describes the cessation of his sexual drive, using the euphemism "that which brings peace to the house". The Talmud also interprets the phrase "The caper berry shall fail" from Ecclesiastes 12:5 as a metaphor for the decline of sexual libido.
The Talmud's description of aging, while often negative, also acknowledges that individuals age differently. Rav, citing the example of a 92-year-old maidservant who could still taste, argues that Barzilai the Gileadite exaggerated the effects of his age to avoid traveling with King David. This suggests that the Talmud recognizes variations in the aging process, acknowledging that some individuals maintain their physical and mental faculties better than others.
Metaphors and Riddles
This sugya is rich in metaphors related to aging, especially the transition from youth to old age and the deterioration of physical abilities.
Some of the metaphorical imagery or riddles:1
R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya
R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya said to him enigmatically:
The snowy mountain is surrounded with ice, meaning that his hair had turned white;
his dogs do not bark, meaning that his voice could no longer be heard;
his grinders have ceased grinding, meaning that his teeth had fallen out.
In the school of Rav they say that he added: I am searching for that which I have not lost, because an old man walks bent over and appears to be searching for something.
R' Yosei bar Kisma
R' Yosei bar Kisma says:
The two feet of one’s youth are better than the three of old age, when one walks with a cane.
Woe to the one who goes and does not come back.
R' Shimon ben Ḥalafta
He [=R' Shimon ben Ḥalafta] said to him [=R' Yehuda HaNasi]: Because I have grown old, and
the rocks on the road have become tall,
and destinations that are near have become far away,
and my two feet have been made into three with the addition of a cane,
and that which brings peace to the house, namely, the sexual drive which motivates a couple to make peace, is no more.
Outline
R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya's Poetic Reply: A Metaphorical Description of Aging in Response to the Roman Emperor
The Value of Youth: A Riddle on Aging and the Irreversible Passage of Time
Rav Dimi's Metaphor: Youth is a Rose Wreath, Old Age is a Willow Wreath
Chew Your Food for Strength: R’ Meir's Lesson on Digestion and Vitality
Shmuel's Advice: Shift from Food to Drink After Age 40
R' Shimon ben Ḥalafta: Metaphors the Challenges of Old Age
Physical Decline in Old Age: Interpreting Ecclesiastes 12:4 as Referring to Constipation, Digestion Issues, Light Sleep, and Loss of Musical Enjoyment
The Biblical Barzilai's Reflection on mental and physical deterioration in old age
Barzilai: Excuse or Premature Aging from Promiscuity? And the 92-Year-Old Female Servant in R’ Yehuda HaNasi's Household
More Metaphors of Aging: Reading the Decline of Movement and Libido in Old Age into Ecclesiastes 12:5
Story: Rav Kahana Interprets Rav's Sigh As Lack of Libido or Struggle With Sexual Dysfunction
Women Should be Repulsive, Yet Are Desired by Men
The Passage
R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya's Poetic Reply: A Metaphorical Description of Aging in Response to the Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor asked R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya why he hadn't attended the House of Avidan.2
R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya responded with a series of colorful metaphors in Aramaic describing his old age: His hair had turned white (טור תלג סחרנוהי גלידין - “a snowy mountain surrounded by ice”), he had lost his voice (כלבוהי לא נבחין - “his dogs no longer bark”), and his teeth had fallen out (טחנוהי לא טחנין - “his grinders ceased grinding”).
According to Rav's school (בי רב), R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya also added that he appeared as if “searching for something he had not lost” (אדלא אבידנא, בחישנא), referring to the way an elderly person walks hunched over.
אמר ליה קיסר לרבי יהושע בן חנניה: מאי טעמא לא אתית לבי אבידן?
אמר ליה:
טור תלג סחרנוהי גלידין.
כלבוהי לא נבחין.
טחנוהי לא טחנין.
בי רב אמרי:
אדלא אבידנא, בחישנא.
The Gemara relates: The Roman emperor said to R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: What is the reason you did not come to the House of Avidan? This was a place in which dialogues and debates were conducted.
R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya said to him enigmatically:
The snowy mountain is surrounded with ice, meaning that his hair had turned white;
his dogs do not bark, meaning that his voice could no longer be heard;
his grinders have ceased grinding, meaning that his teeth had fallen out.
In the school of Rav they say that he added:
I am searching for that which I have not lost, because an old man walks bent over and appears to be searching for something.
The Value of Youth: A Riddle on Aging and the Irreversible Passage of Time
In a baraita, R' Yosei bar Kisma states that the strength and vitality of youth, metaphorically indicated in Aramaic by "two" (תרי - i.e. two feet), are better than old age, when one relies on a cane, symbolized by "three" (תלת - i.e. three feet). 3
He laments the irreversible nature of life, as youth (which "goes" - אזלא) does not return ("does not come [back]" - לא אתיא).
Rav Ḥisda explains the key to the metaphor/riddle: R' Yosei bar Kisma is referring to the fleeting nature of youth.
תניא:
רבי יוסי בר קיסמא אומר:
טבא תרי מתלת.
ווי לה לחדא דאזלא ולא אתיא.
מאי היא?
אמר רב חסדא: ינקותא.
It was taught in a baraita that
R' Yosei bar Kisma says:
The two feet of one’s youth are better than the three of old age, when one walks with a cane.
Woe to the one who goes and does not come back.
What is this referring to?
Rav Ḥisda said: Youth.
Rav Dimi's Metaphor: Youth is a Rose Wreath, Old Age is a Willow Wreath
Rav Dimi, upon arriving from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, shared a saying in Aramaic: youth (ינקותא) is like a crown4 of roses (וורדא), while old age (סבותא) is like a crown of thorns.5
Meaning, youth is associated with beauty, vitality, and ease, while old age brings difficulties and challenges.
כי אתא רב דימי אמר:
ינקותא — כלילא דוורדא,
סבותא — כלילא דחילפא.
Similarly, when Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said:
Youth is a crown of roses;
old age is a crown of thorns.
Chew Your Food for Strength: R’ Meir's Lesson on Digestion and Vitality
A tanna quoted R' Meir as saying the following aphorism in Aramaic: “Grind with teeth (ככי) and find in feet (ניגרי)“.
Meaning, if you thoroughly chew your food, you will gain the strength in your feet to support your body. This advice emphasizes the importance of proper digestion for physical energy and strength, using a biblical verse to support this teaching.
תנא משמיה דרבי מאיר:
דוק בככי ותשכח בניגרי,
שנאמר: [...]
The Sage taught in the name of R' Meir:
Grind food with your teeth and you will find in your feet the strength to carry your body,
as it is stated: [...]
For more on these as riddles, see Jewish Encyclopedia, entry "Riddle"; in general, see also Hebrew riddles - Wikipedia.
For the metaphor in this story, as well as the following one, of “two feet becoming three” due to the use of a cane, see the well-known riddle of the Sphinx, where the same metaphor is used:
[The Sphinx] asked all passersby the most famous riddle in history:
"Which creature has one voice and yet becomes four-footed and two-footed and three-footed?" [...]
Oedipus solved the riddle by answering: "Man—who crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then uses a walking stick in old age"
חילפא; cf. Jastrow, who translates this as “willow rods (heavy to wear)”. This translation seems more correct, so this probably has no relation to Jesus’s famous “crown of thorns”.
Compare Wreath (attire) - Wikipedia.
See there, section “History” on the major importance and symbolism of various wreaths in the classical world (mostly citing from Campbell, John Brian (2012), Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Antony; Eidinow, Esther (eds.), "crowns and wreaths", The Oxford Classical Dictionary (4th ed.)):
Ancient Greece
Main articles: Olive wreath, Laurel wreath, and Diadem
The wreath has been associated with Greek attire and celebrations since ancient times, a tradition that continues to modern Olympic ceremonies. Ancient coinage minted by early Greek city-states often depicted a divinity or other figure with a wreath. Wearing a wreath may have also had a mediating role by helping the wearer get closer to a specific deity. Different plants were dedicated to various gods: oak to Zeus, laurel to Apollo, herbs to Demeter, grapevine to Dionysos and myrtle to Aphrodite. Wreaths were also used to decorate the hermae, stone pillars surmounted with the head of a god or distinguished mortal.
Ancient Rome
Main articles: Grass crown and Civic crown
Wreaths were also part of clothing in Ancient Rome.
Laurel wreaths from the bay laurel tree Laurus nobilis were worn by triumphatores – victorious generals celebrating a Roman triumph. Generals awarded a celebration ritual, the ovation (Latin: ovatio) wore wreaths of myrtle (Myrtus communis).
Wreaths (Latin: coronae, lit. 'crowns') were awarded as military awards and decorations. In the Roman Republic, the nature of the feat determined the nature of the wreath awarded. It was a custom for soldiers rescued from a siege to present a wreath made of grass (Latin: corona graminea or corona obsidionalis) to the commander of the relieving force. This award was extremely rare, and Pliny the Elder enumerated only eight times occasions that had warranted the honour, ending with the emperor Augustus.[5] The oak leaf civic crown (Latin: corona civica) was awarded to Romans who had saved the life of another citizen in battle. The award was open to soldiers in the Roman army of all ranks, unlike most other wreaths, which were awarded to commanders and officers only in the Roman imperial period of the Roman Empire.
A gold wreath (Latin: corona aurea) was also awarded for gallant military conduct. In the Roman navy, the naval crown (Latin: corona navalis, corona classica, or corona rostrata) was a wreath awarded for feats in naval battles. In an assault on a fortified position, a mural crown (Latin: corona muralis) was awarded to the first man onto the walls of the enemy fortification.
Christianity
In Christianity, the wreath represents the resurrection of Christ and, therefore, eternal life, or more appropriately, the victory of life over death. The crown of thorns was placed on the head of Jesus at his execution by crucifixion and became a symbol of the Passion.
And see the Mishnah, about a post-destruction (70 CE) ban (גזרו - “they decreed” - who the “they” is, is not clear) on Jewish grooms and brides wearing wreaths (עטרות - literally: “crowns, diadems”), analyzed in my recent piece here:
בפלמוס של אספסינוס גזרו על עטרות חתנים […]
בפלמוס של טיטוס גזרו על עטרות כלות, ושלא ילמד אדם את בנו יונית.
In the war [pulemus] of Vespasian the Sages decreed upon the crowns of bridegrooms, i.e., that bridegrooms may no longer wear crowns
In the war of Titus they also decreed upon the crowns of brides, and they decreed that a person should not teach his son Greek.