Part rabbi, part stand-up comic, Pear charms elderly audience
VICKI CABOT
Contributing Editor
It takes just minutes for Rabbi Ian Pear to have his audience at Chris Ridge Village in Phoenix eating out of his hand.
A funny anecdote warms up his elderly listeners. A little Hebrew establishes his credibility. A few questions engage his listeners.
"How many of you have been to Israel?" Hands shoot up.
Part orator, part teacher, part entertainer, Pear delivers his message clearly and succinctly, relating how Judaism venerates the elderly and how those of a certain age (whether "certain" is over 60 or over 70 has been the subject of Talmudic dispute, he says) will benefit themselves and their community through Torah study.
While on a two-week visit to the Valley this month, the former Phoenician spoke at Chris Ridge on July 20, as well as to groups at Kivel Campus of Care and the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center's Senior Center.
"We can learn from our elders," he says. "They are gifts from God for the benefit of the rest of the community."
Using the patriarch Abraham as an example, he tells of the obligation to grow intellectually and spiritually throughout life.
"You need to pursue knowledge, to run after it," he says. It will be a source of comfort as one gets older and will be an inspiration to the community.
"You must still view life as a blessing," Pear tells his listeners. "You must make your life a blessing and inspire others with your attitude."
For information about Pear's Shir Hadash programs, including senior study opportunities in Israel, contact Pear via e-mail at shirhadash@ aol.com; regular mail at 11 E. 86th Street, Suite 7A, New York, N.Y. 10028; or by toll-free telephone at (877) YOUR-TUN.
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