WHO’s work on the Decade action areas
To foster healthy ageing and improve the lives of older people, their families, and communities, fundamental shifts will be required not only in the actions we take but in how we think about age and ageing.
The Decade will address four areas for action:
Age-friendly environments are better places in which to grow, live, work, play, and age. We can create them by addressing the social determinants of healthy ageing and enabling all people, irrespective of their level of physical or mental capacity, to continue to do the things they value and live dignified lives.
Within this action area, WHO works with its Member States at national and local levels to develop age-friendly cities and communities, including through supporting the Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities.
Ageism is stereotyping (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards people on the basis of their age. It affects people of all ages but has particularly negative effects on the health and well-being of older people.
Within this action area, WHO is working to change how we think, feel, and act towards age and ageing by generating evidence on ageism, building a global coalition to combat ageism, and developing tools and resources that can be used by others to take action.
Older people require a comprehensive set of services to prevent, slow, or reverse declines in their physical and mental capacities. These services need to be delivered to meet the person’s needs (person-centred), coordinated between different health and social care providers, and avoid causing the user financial hardship.
Within this action area, WHO supports its Member States to understand, design, and implement a person-centred, integrated model of care by producing evidence, guidance, and resource packages.
Many older people experience declines in their physical and mental capacity which means they can no longer care for themselves without support and assistance. Access to good-quality long-term care is essential for these people to maintain their functional ability, enjoy basic human rights and live with dignity.
Within this action area, WHO works to provide technical support to countries for conducting national situation analyses of long-term care towards implementing a minimum package of long-term care as part of universal health coverage.
WHO’s work on the Decade ‘enablers’
The UN Decade of Healthy Ageing requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society response that seeks to ‘do business differently’ towards transformative and positive change for older people, their families, and communities.
The Decade calls for four ‘enablers’ to be integrated in this effort to shift the status quo. The Decade knowledge Platform convenes and supports stakeholders to work through these enablers:
Voice and meaningful engagement →
Meaningful engagement with older people themselves will be critical to each of the Decade’s action areas, as they are agents of change as well as service beneficiaries. Their voices must be heard, their dignity and autonomy respected, and their human rights promoted and protected.
WHO works to enable voice and meaningful engagement for the Decade by developing and supporting others to use innovative methodologies for amplifying voices, empowering them to influence the implementation of the Decade.
Leadership and capacity building →
Fostering healthy ageing and reducing inequity require effective governance and leadership across all sectors and at all administrative levels. Capacity building supports different stakeholders develop the relevant competences needed to ensure that older people experience health and well-being and enjoy their human rights.
WHO works to build leadership and capacity for the Decade by developing learning opportunities, mentorship programmes, and other tools that can help create a global community of change agents.
The more stakeholders are brought together across sectors and disciplines, the greater the possibility they have for leveraging resources, sharing learning and experience, supporting diffusion of policy and concrete action.
WHO works to connect diverse stakeholders for the Decade by running the Platform, a digital multilingual collaboration space; convening the Healthy Ageing Collaborative; and connecting with existing and upcoming structures and partnerships that address aspects of ageing and health.
Strengthening data, research, and innovation →
Older people are not a homogeneous group, and data must be produced and disaggregated to better understand issues affecting their health and well-being. Strengthening data and research is a key step towards informing and driving national and local actions that foster healthy ageing.
WHO works to strengthen data, research, and innovation for the Decade by maintaining an Ageing Data Portal, building the evidence base for underprioritised issues, and developing a measurement and monitoring framework for healthy ageing.
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What Is a Mitzvah?
By
Judaism Expert
Chaviva Gordon-Bennett holds an M.A. in Judaic Studies. She has written about Judaism for outlets such as Huffington Post and MazelTogether.org.
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Updated on June 25, 2019
Mitzvah (מִצְוָה; plural: mitzvot or mitzvoth, מִצְווֹת) is Hebrew and translates literally to “command” or “commandment.” In the Greek text of the Hebrew Bible, or Torah, the term is entole, and during the Second Temple Period (586 BCE-70 CE), it was popular to see philentolos (“lover of the commandments”) etched onto Jewish tombs.
The term is perhaps most recognizable in reference to the bar mitzvah, son of the commandment, and bat mitzvah, daughter of the commandment, which marks, for each, the entrance of a Jewish child into adulthood at 12 for girls and 13 for boys. In fact, a quick Google image search will return thousands of pictures from bar and bat mitzvah parties and Torah readings.
Other words do appear in the Torah in reference to the commandments, specifically with what became popularized as the “Ten Commandments,” which is actually more accurately translated from the Hebrew aseret ha’diburot as, literally, “the 10 words.“
Despite the popular understanding in the secular and Christian worlds that there are only 10 mitzvot, for religious or Torah-observant Jews there are actually 613 mitzvot in the Torah, not to mention many more, known as mitzvot d’rabbanan discussed below.
Origins
The first appearance of the word mitzvah is in Genesis 26:4-5 when God is speaking to Isaac about staying put despite the famine that was plaguing the land.
“And I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and I will give your seed all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will bless themselves by your seed, because Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments (mitzvot), My statutes, and My instructions.”
The term mitzvah goes on to appear more than 180 more times throughout the Hebrew Bible, or Torah, frequently in reference to the commands that God gave to individuals or the greater Israelite nation.
The 613 Commandments
The concept of the 613 mitzvot, although it is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah itself, arose in the 3rd Century CE in the Talmud, Tractate Makkoth 23b,
The 365 negative commandments correspond to the number of days in the solar year, and the 248 positive commandments correspond to the individual’s limbs.
If you’ve heard someone discuss a good deed or nice thing someone did or was considering doing and heard someone say, “It’s a mitzvah,” this isn’t exactly the correct usage of the term. Although there’s a high likelihood the deed they were discussing could fit nicely into one of the 613 mitzvot or commandments found in the Torah, it’s a colloquial use of the term.
Interestingly, this common use of the term mitzvah to refer to any type of good deed is quite old, having originated in the Jerusalem Talmud in which any charitable act was referred to as ha’mitzvah, or “the mitzvah.”
The Rabbis’ Commandments
Beyond the 613 mitzvot from the Torah, there are mitzvot d’rabbanan (דרבנן), or commandments from the rabbis. Essentially, the 613 commandments are known as mitzvot d’oraita (דאורייתא), which the rabbis understood to be strictly mandated by the Bible. Mitzvot d’rabbanan are additional legal requirements that were mandated by the rabbis.
A good example here is that the Torah tells us not to work on the Sabbath, which is a mitzvah d’oraita. Then there is the mitzvah d’rabbanan, which tells us not to even handle specific objects that could lead one to work on the Sabbath. The latter, in essence, safeguard the former.
Some other well-known mitzvot d’rabbanan:
- Washing hands before eating bread (known as al netilat yadayim)
- Lighting Shabbat candles
- The celebrations of Purim and Chanukah
- The blessings before eating food
- The laws of eruv, or carrying on Shabbat
In the instance that a mitzvah from the Torah conflicts with a rabbinic mitzvah, the Torah-based mitzvah will always win out and take precedence.
The Mitzvah Tank
If you live in New York, Los Angeles, or another major metropolitan area with a large Jewish population, chances are you’ve seen The Mitzvah Tank. Operated by the Chabad Lubavitch movement, this tank drives around and provides opportunities for Jews who otherwise might not to fulfill various mitzvot, including putting on tefillin or, during certain holidays, to fulfill commandments related to those holidays (e.g., waving the lulav and etrog on Sukkot).
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What’s the Point of a One-Time Mitzvah?
Photo: Lubavitch Archives
So I walk into a random office and ask a guy to put on tefillin. Perhaps just to get rid of me, he agrees. I strap him up, help him read Shema, shake his hand and leave. In and out in 3 minutes.
I’m at a circumcision. During the inevitable ten-minute delay waiting for the baby to be sent down to the ceremony, I persuade the nervous father to put on tefillin. I explain to him the connection between circumcision and tefillin, which are both referred to in the Torah as a sign of our connection to G‑d, and he confides to me that this is the first time he’s worn tefillin since his bar mitzvah.
Afterwards, while the guests are eating, I circulate through the crowd offering the family and friends their own chance to do the mitzvah. Many are happy for the opportunity, while some need a bit more persuasion. I’ve found that the best way to overcome their initial hesitation is to enlist partners and children to the cause. Almost every young lady wants her guy to do something Jewish, and which parent could resist a sweet little 3-year-old lisping, “Daddy, please show me how you put on those funny black boxes, and let me answer Amen to your blessing”?
But what have we gained from guilt-tripping a guy into tefillin? It’s just a one off, with no guarantee of any followup. Is he any more religious, committed or switched on than before I started nudging him?
At least when you walk into someone’s office, or chat to them at a function, there is a chance of building a longer relationship for the future; indeed, many of my now closest friends started off as chance acquaintances. But what about when you stop someone on a street corner or in a shopping mall, and tie him up? That’s really hit and miss. While I appreciate that the soul of a Jew is shining through for those few moments, I sometimes wonder why we bother putting him through his paces in the first place.
This question was once posed to the Lubavitcher Rebbe by a not-yet-religious individual. The Rebbe had compared adding extra mitzvahs into one’s daily routine to wearing a tie, which adds beauty and splendor to one’s whole ensemble. In response, the man asked what seems to be an ingenious question. He pointed out that the Rebbe’s analogy would hold true only for someone already wearing clothing; however, were a naked person to don a tie, rather than looking better, he’d look completely ridiculous.
The obvious import of the query is to question the value of any one mitzvah when performed by an otherwise unobservant person. When someone does nothing else Jewish and has no intention to change, what is the point of adorning oneself with a frilly appendage? It seems not only hypocritical, but foolish too.
The Rebbe agreed that a naked man wearing a tie might indeed look silly, but contended the very act of putting a tie would probably wake him up to the fact that he’s naked in the first place. Sometimes the incongruity of being simultaneously underdressed but over-accessorized can lead you to rush off to cover yourself up.
Aside for the intrinsic standalone value that each mitzvah has, mitzvah observance can also be contagious. Agreeing to opt in, even just once, can have far-reaching effects. There have been untold thousands of Jews who have made permanent changes in their lives for the better, just because they agreed to try it once.
Rabbi Elisha Greenbaum is spiritual leader of Moorabbin Hebrew Congregation and co-director of L’Chaim Chabad in Moorabbin, Victoria, Australia.
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Save One Life, Save the Entire World (Including Yourself)
MAY 24, 2019RABBI DAN MOSKOVITZ, TEMPLE SHOLOM, VANCOUVER BC
Image
What is the most “popular” mitzvah?
Tikkun olam, repairing the world.
And, why?
Because of what we learn in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a): “Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.’ Because we are created in God’s image.
This means everyone – not just Jews.
Like, for example, Alan Kurdi’s lifeless three-year-old body lying in the surf of a Turkish beach. Do you remember that image? Like you, it visits me in my dreams (nightmares).
It is the refugee crisis that we no longer notice. Replaced with other images: children separated from their parents at the US Southern Border. Anti-immigrant sentiments are growing in around the globe. Nativism and toxic forms of nationalism are on the rise. There has been a renewed anti-Semitism. We have witnessed the largest increase in attacks against Jews in American (and Canadian) history. We feel powerless.
But we are not. We can save one life – and in so doing, we can save the entire world.
Eight times in the past two years, my congregation, Temple Sholom of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada has done precisely that. We are trying to do it again and we need your help.
Our temple has taken responsibility for a young Syrian-Kurdish couple, Esther and Zara, who fled Aleppo with almost nothing. They are currently living in Iraqi Kurdistan. They are preparing to immigrate to Vancouver, BC Canada to resettle in our beautiful city.
Their situation is dire. Zara has lost his job and its meager wages. Esther, who has worked as an English interpreter, is similarly underemployed.
I came to know Esther from her urgent letters and text messages when our congregation began to sponsor Syrian refugees. As press reports began to go viral I received dozens of direct messages from desperate families asking our congregation to save their lives. I imagined Raoul Wallenberg receiving similar pleas. I asked myself: WWRD? What would Raoul do?
I knew.
The task was overwhelming. We were already helping two families. The resources that our synagogue could devote to this were depleted. I directed inquiries to the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society (JIAS) in Toronto and other immigrant aid agencies in Canada.
But, Esther was persistent in her emails, Facebook posts, and pleas. I got to know her as a human being, not a “refugee.” She wanted to start a family. She understood and appreciated Israel and the Jewish people. She identified with our story and our experiences.
I tried to look away, but I could not. Our congregation had done its part, hadn’t it?
But, that Talmudic text kept grabbing at me. “Save one life, save the entire world.”
The program that allowed the Canadian Government and private individuals to sponsor nearly 50,000 Syrian refugees has ended. The quotas have returned to “pre-crisis” levels. Our immigration lawyers said it would be nearly impossible to get an asylum slot. It could take five or more years through normal immigration wait times.
We reached out to our partners at the Anglican Archdiocese who had acted as our Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) for our previous families. A miracle occurred. A slot for Esther and Zara opened up. We filed the paperwork. Esther and Zara have received conditional approval for immigration to Canada.
There is one catch – and this is where you come in. We must raise $50,000 by July 1, 2019 to be held in trust, so that we can assure the Canadian Government that we have the financial resources to cover settlement expenses for their first 12 months in Canada.
Our congregation has raised $15,000 from private pledges. We need to raise the remaining $35,000 in the next six weeks.
Temple Sholom has set up a US non-profit to help with this effort (www.thesholomfund.org) and we have partnered with one of Esther’s former NGO clients, Dr. Virgil Faloon, who has created a GoFundMe page to raise money as well.
Please help by making a lifesaving donation today. Save one life, save the entire world – in a time when the world most certainly needs saving.
Rabbi Dan Moskovitz is the rabbi of Temple Sholom in Vancouver, British Columbia.
https://rac.org/blog/save-one-life-save-entire-world-including-yourself
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