Don’t Get Old!

Hold On! Forever Young
Meshivat Nefesh #59
In Rebbe Nachman’s story of the Seven Beggars, we encounter the figure of the Blind Beggar, whose great quality is that even though he is exceedingly old, he is also perfectly young. In fact, he hasn’t yet even really begun to live at all.

This goal of perpetual youth—not physical, obviously, because that’s not within our control—but an internal buoyancy and freshness, vitality and even a kind of innocence, was very important to Rebbe Nachman. He would even say, “I don’t want an old tzaddik! I don’t want an old chassid! The main thing is not to get old!”

We’re not talking about maturity or physical age, which is an asset; the blind beggar himself is certainly very old in years. Nevertheless, he is the exemplar of a tzaddik who never gets fixed or set in his ways, never rigid, and never, ever lacks for freshness and vitality. That’s an internal state of being, and it’s one that we need to cultivate at every age.

When we forge a relationship with righteous people who embody this quality, it helps us to also stay new at every stage, so that our Divine service remains forever young.
Beloved Creator,
Your universe is always in motion
always new and in a state of dynamic change.
Please help me to find and connect with those people
whose spirits are attuned to this fresh life-force
that You constantly infuse into the world and into every soul.
That way, I too,
can renew myself as You do,
“Renew, In Your goodness, every day, constantly,
the works of creation.”
(Likutey Halachot, Hilchot Birchot HaShachar 5:83)