Heavy – כָּבְדוּ – Kavdu

Now Israel’s eyes were dim with age (Genesis 48:10).

The end of the book of Genesis is also the end of Jacob’s life. We are told that he (Israel) cannot see. The word the Hebrew uses is Kavdu – כָּבְדוּ or Heavy … his eyes were heavy, weighed down by age. What makes our sight or vision heavy? Perhaps it is the double edged sword of experience. As we grow, age and live our lives we find ourselves learning from every encounter and endeavor. We use this accumulation of experiences to formulate our ideas of how the world works and what to expect of it.

Whether it be personally or professionally, we need this studied accumulation to navigate the world, to sustain ourselves and continue to thrive. We are aided by having a good perspective of what to expect and how to react in familiar situations and with different personalities. This kind of approach lightens the ways in which we view the world.

Sometimes, these accumulated experiences weigh down our sight. The weight of what we think we know darkens our vision. When our vision becomes heavy – כָּבְדוּ – Kavdu with age — we do not allow room for wonder or we enslave people in our expectations of how they will act. Instead of cultivating wisdom and wonder, we engage the world with cynicism and skepticism.

Since Father Time is undefeated, we must consider the ways we maintain the clarity of our sight – whether it is what we see with our eyes, our minds or our hearts.