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The Stages of Life Describing the stages of life, Rabbi Yehudah ben Tema said (Avot 5:25): At five, a child begins [the study of] Torah At ten, Mishnah At thirteen, [he is responsible for performance of] the mitzvot At fifteen, he begins [the study of] Talmud At eighteen, [he is ready for] marriage At twenty, he begins the pursuit [of a livelihood]1 At thirty, [a person is at the fullness of] strength At forty, [he reaches the time of] understanding At fifty, [he can offer] counsel2 At sixty, he enters his senior years3 At seventy, he attains a ripe old age4 At eighty, [his survival indicates] strength5 At ninety, he becomes stooped over [in anticipation of the grave] At one hundred, it is as if he were dead, passed away, and withdrawn from the world.6 According to the commentators, up to age 15 represents the period of education through Torah and mitzvot. From 15 to 50 is the time of raising a family and social responsibility; from 50 to 80 is the period of wisdom and counsel; and after 80 is the time to prepare for the end, when a wise person withdraws from the scene and allows the new generation to take over.7 A popular expression is to wish another person, whether young or old, to live until 120—the life span of Moses (Deut. 34:7), the greatest Jew who ever lived. To reach this age is to be granted not only the great gift of length of days but also the supreme honor of being linked to the life of the most revered figure in Jewish history.8 3 ...

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