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<DIV>From the summary of opinions posted by RMB on lifespans in Bereishis and
some comments:</DIV>
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face="Times New Roman">R. Saadiah Gaon (10th cent.) discusses this issue in his
introduction<BR> to Tehillim. He writes that the longevity of
these early generations<BR> was part of God's plan for the
rapid proliferation of mankind on<BR> the
earth.....”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">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?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">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?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><BR>“<FONT face="Times New Roman">R. Yehudah Ha-Levi (12th cent.) discusses
the issue in the Kuzari<BR> (sec. 95). He believes that it was
only the individuals listed who<BR> lived long. Each of the
individuals listed was the heart and essence<BR> of his
generation and was physically and spiritually perfect.<BR> The
Divine Flow was transmitted from one generation to another<BR>
through these exceptional individuals.”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">How does <FONT style='face: "Times' New
roman?>R. Yehudah Ha-Levi deal with Terach who was an idolator? Clearly he was
not </FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">spiritually
perfect.</FONT><BR>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>“<FONT face="Times New Roman">... R. Moses Ibn Tibbon (late 13th cent.) He
suggests that<BR> the years given for people's lives were
actually the years of<BR> "malkhutam ve-nimuseihim," i.e., the
dynasties and/or customs that<BR> they
established.”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">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?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">“</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">R. Saadiah Gaon writes (Emunot Ve-Deot, end
of<BR> chap. 7) that in the era of the redemption the human
lifespan will<BR> be approximately 500 years. Presumably, at
that time we won't be<BR> bothered by those long lifespans in
Genesis anymore!<BR><BR> (Note that Radak, comm. to Is. 65:20,
is a bit stingier. He predicts<BR> lifespans of only 300 to
500 years. See also his commentary to<BR> Ps. 92:15. But the
12th century Babylonian Gaon R. Samuel b. Ali<BR> predicts
lifespans closer to 1000 years!)”</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">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.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">Kol tuv</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman">Chaim Manaster</FONT></DIV>
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