When One Cannot Remember

Berachot 8b

This chapter was written by Joel H. Zaiman.

“The elder who no longer remembers remains a creation of God, and Jewish law requires that such an individual be treated with the same respect and honor accorded elders who can remember.”

Questions for discussion:

• Does Rabbi Joshua’s analogy—comparing the broken Tablets to the brokenness of human beings—resonate with you? Why?

• If God had not given Moses a second set of Tablets that remained whole, would the Israelites have kept, and revered, the broken Tablets?

• Note that the emphasis is on “forgetting,” not on physical ailments or disabilities. For those who suffer from the latter, perhaps no teaching is necessary. You must honor and care for them. Why do you think Rabbi Joshua ben Levi singles out the issue of “remembering”?

• How would you apply Rabbi Joshua’s teaching to your relationship with someone who has Alzheimer’s disease? How might this teaching inform the medical and psychological treatment of a patient with Alzheimer’s disease?

• How should our communities and governments respond to the implications of Rabbi Joshua’s teaching?

• Some sages suggest that God filled in the carved letters of the first Tablets because of His displeasure with the children of Israel. As a result, the Tablets became too heavy for Moses to carry and that dropping them was not his fault. Does this somehow change your understanding of Rabbi Joshua’s advice to his children?