Is it the elders who become the leaders in a wise society - or is it the leaders age faster and become elders whether they like it or not once they take on the mantle of leadership? In today’s confusing reality, agism aside - it’s an odd mixture of both. But there’s no doubt that being in a leadership position, when you are in charge of a mass scale conquest - will age you fast. Which is perhaps why Obama got gray so fast, and why Joshua, half way through the book named for him, is already called ‘the old man’. It’s an instructive statement that is even more intriguing in the context of the full verse:
וִיהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלָ֗יו אַתָּ֤ה זָקַ֙נְתָּה֙ בָּ֣אתָ בַיָּמִ֔ים וְהָאָ֛רֶץ נִשְׁאֲרָ֥ה הַרְבֵּֽה־מְאֹ֖ד לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃
“Joshua was now old, advanced in years. Adonai said to him, “You have grown old, you are advanced in years; and very much of the land still remains to be taken possession of.”
The previous chapter ended with the glory list of conquests - 31 defeated kings and counties are listed. But apparently it’s not the half of it - and the leader is already old. The subtext of this verse is clear, and familiar - who will lead us through the next set of hurdles? Can a tired old man be at the helm of the rest of the conquest of the land? We don’t know exactly how long the conquest has taken thus far - readers have guessed 5-7 years, and we don’t exactly know how old Joshua is now - his years will be tallied at the end of the book. But the expression ‘advanced in years’ shows up only three times throughout the Bible - Abraham, Joshua and David. And the actual translation is not accurate - it’s not about years, but about days, something like: “he carries many days” - perhaps as if to say - each day is the weight of a year..?
An early rabbinic Midrash notices the link between the three leaders and claims, quoting a Rabbi Joshua: Four things cause premature old age: Fear, querulous children, a badly matched spouse, and wars.”
Joshua is the role model for the latter: 31 battles later, he’s considered an old man - physically or mentally - we’re not told.
The image of the tired old warrior is familiar to us from world literature, myth and politics. Not all leaders get to age gracefully, honored for their service, elders respected with dignity and rewarded with time to pursue their lives in peace. Ben Gurion, known as ‘The Old Man’ retired to the desert in his later years, immersed in Bible study and memoir writing. Joshua would not get to do that. The list of lands still to be conquered fills the next two chapters, perhaps as an acknowledgment of the complexity of the task and the enormous gap between vision and reality. The people of Canaan , despite the euphoric victories of Israel described in the first section of the book - are not vanquished and not going away. New blood and leadership abilities will be needed for the next phase of figuring out how to fulfill the promised hopes of a land rich with milk and honey, serenity and joy - in a complex multi ethnic reality. Sounds familiar? Leaders age, sometimes prematurely, and we can only hope that our society retains the wisdom to honor elders, learn to honor their wisdom, protect them with gratitude - and cultivate the next generation. Moses knew how to do that, As for Joshua.. Not so much. To be continued, inside the pages of this book, in our own modern reality, with hopes for leaders who will do so with wisdom, insight, courage, compassion, patience and love.
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בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים I like to translate as "advanced in days"
Maxwell Frost. Gen Z. Afro-Cuban was just elected to Congress!! I am a septuagenarian - many of my colleagues are GenZ. They are dynamic. Biden fell asleep at a recent global climate crisis gathering. God is making a good call here!