[Avodah] Long Lifespans in Bereishis

[hankman]

>From the summary of opinions posted by RMB on lifespans in Bereishis and some comments:

“R. Saadiah Gaon (10th cent.) discusses this issue in his introduction
    to Tehillim. He writes that the longevity of these early generations
    was part of God's plan for the rapid proliferation of mankind on
    the earth.....”

Not the biggest kashe in the world, but why then would they start to have children at an advanced age if rapid proliferation was the goal?
Perhaps with great longevity came a much longer period for sexual maturation? If true would that also mean that intellectual maturation took much longer as well?

“R. Yehudah Ha-Levi (12th cent.) discusses the issue in the Kuzari
    (sec. 95). He believes that it was only the individuals listed who
    lived long. Each of the individuals listed was the heart and essence
    of his generation and was physically and spiritually perfect.
    The Divine Flow was transmitted from one generation to another
    through these exceptional individuals.”

How does R. Yehudah Ha-Levi deal with Terach who was an idolator? Clearly he was not 
spiritually perfect.


“... R. Moses Ibn Tibbon (late 13th cent.) He suggests that
    the years given for people's lives were actually the years of
    "malkhutam ve-nimuseihim," i.e., the dynasties and/or customs that
    they established.”

This comment will apply to R. Nissim of Marseilles as well. I presume they held that people had what we today would consider a normal life span. this would mean they were not having the first born at the advanced age of over one hundred. Thus the named son must have been a later generation descendant. (I assume that they did not generate a son in their old age and die shortly thereafter as was the case with Boaz). So if their life spans were similar to ours then was Shes really not a son of Adam but really a descendant several generations down? Ditto for Ennosh, was he really a great ...  grandson of Sheis? But this notion of the the years given in Bereishis not pertaining to one single man, but to a dynasty of several generations of normal life span, runs into difficulty with Noach and his 3 sons. If we follow suit with this notion then Shem, Cham and Yefes were not his sons but descendants born  500 years later. Yet they all went into the Teiva together? So how is that a normal life span for Noach? Why weren’t the generations between Noach and Shem, Cham and Yefes saved as well? When the Torah says “vayoled es X” that is not to be taken literally but just to mean a later descendant chosen to be named in the lineage?


“
R. Saadiah Gaon writes (Emunot Ve-Deot, end of
    chap. 7) that in the era of the redemption the human lifespan will
    be approximately 500 years. Presumably, at that time we won't be
    bothered by those long lifespans in Genesis anymore!

    (Note that Radak, comm. to Is. 65:20, is a bit stingier. He predicts
    lifespans of only 300 to 500 years. See also his commentary to
    Ps. 92:15. But the 12th century Babylonian Gaon R. Samuel b. Ali
    predicts lifespans closer to 1000 years!)”

This quote leads to an issue I will expand upon slightly in another post. But the basic issue is if the world is Charuv at 6000 years and yemos Moshiach are before the olom is charuv, (while olom keminhago noheig) there is not enough time left (we are now 5778) for a life span of 300 to 500 years let alone 1000 years.

Kol tuv

Chaim Manaster






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