To 120, Growing Old, Staying Young.

On the 27th of March, 2012, to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen, an ancient ceremony took place at Buckingham Palace.

A number of institutions presented loyal addresses to the Queen, thanking her for her service to the nation.

Among them was the Board of Deputies

of British Jews. Its then-president Vivian Wyman, included in his speech the traditional Jewish

blessing. On such occasions, he wished a well-admea-versum until 120. The Queen was amused and

looked quizzically at Prince Philip. Neither of them had heard the expression before.

Later, the prince asked what it meant, and we explained.

120 is stated as the outer limit of a normal human lifetime in Genesis chapter 6.

But the number is especially associated with Moses, about whom the terrorist says

that he was 120 years old when he died, yet his

eyes were undimmed and his strength undiminished. Together with Abraham, a man of very different

personality and circumstance, Moses is a model of how to age well. And with the growth of human

longevity, this has become a significant and challenging

issue for many of us. How do you grow old yet stay young? The most sustained research into this

topic is the grant study begun in 1938, which has traced from then till now the lives of

268 Harvard students for almost 80 years,

seeking to understand what characteristics, from personality type to intelligence to health,

habits and relationships contribute to human flourishing. For more than 30 years,

the project was directed by George Vailant, whose books, aging well and triumphs of experience, have explored this fascinating territory.

Among the many dimensions of successful aging, Valent identifies two that are particularly relevant in the case of Moses.

The first is what he calls generativity, namely,

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