"The light of day / Crept beneath my eyelids / And pushed sleep away..."

Even as structure and routine begin to crumble, ritual observances don’t stop for the virus. As did many generations of Jews before us, we must adapt ritual to this unprecedented way of life, and Shabbat services, a mainstay for nursing home residents, necessitated creative adaptation.

The following poem, from Al Vorspan's posthumously published "Scrapbook Memoir," offers insight into aging with humor and grace – plus an important, biblical life lesson at the every end.

I pray that this pandemic may be lifted speedily from this planet – and when it is, may we be able to look back without shame at the way we behaved and how we treated one another.

I wonder: Do souls see and remember? Are they aware of what goes on among the living? Do they have feelings? Are they close with God? Do they only see and connect with people they love? Does this connection last for eternity?

“For the first time in American history, we have more people over 60 than under 18,” says Marc Freedman, an expert in the social implications of our aging population.

At a recent Torah study, my rabbi mentioned the Lamed Vav Tzadikim, “righteous ones,” and the significance of the number 36 in Judaism. She had my attention. Could there be something special about my birth year? I wanted to know more.

Rabbi Laura Geller's new book, Getting Good at Getting Older, is a whimsical do-it-yourself guide to empower boomers to deal with the challenges of aging.

When 91-year-old Deana came to visit me, she came to find comfort and solace a year and a half after her beloved husband Alvin died – but it turned out that she spent more time teaching me Torat Chayim (the Torah of Life). In the process, she lifted both of us a little higher on the ladder of holiness.