rear pew mirror • doug brook
Live Long to 120 “May you live until 120” is a common phrase in Judaism. Moses lived 120 years and The Dude wrote in Deuteronomy that Moses’s “eyes still hadn’t dimmed and his strength hadn’t weakened.” What’s more, early in Genesis, the Almighty Big G said that His “spirit won’t reside in man forever… so his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” Sounds like a commitment but, if so, almost everyone these days is getting shortchanged. High up on Red Mountain, overlooking the expanse of downtown Birmingham, is Vulcan — the world’s largest cast iron statue. Vulcan just turned 120 years old, so this Jewish blessing worked well for him. Perhaps it was inevitable. As one can learn from the final frontier, Vulcans have longer lifespans than humans. But perhaps the Vulcans had some inside help with their longevity — the Vulcan salute, made famous by Terran actor Leonard Nimoy, is based on a hand gesture which Kohanim use during the priestly blessing. On the occasion of Vulcan’s 120th birthday, and with the Torah reading about Moses’s supercentenarian denouement just a few months away, it’s interesting to note the surprising similarities between Moses and his iron-clad Vulcan counterpart. Because Hebrew is read from right to left, starting at the end of the Torah is appropriate. In the end, Moses stands high on a mountain getting to see the Promised Land that he’ll never be allowed to enter. Vulcan stands atop Red Mountain, looking over a land of great promise, and he’s not exactly allowed to come down for a stroll it, either. Only this column through The Talmud claims that Moses was 10 cubits tall. That’s approximately would explore 15 feet. Of course, one should take the similarities such Talmudic assertions with a pillar of salt, but Moses is traditionally between Moses regarded as extraordinarily tall. Vuland a Roman god can stands 38 cubits. That’s about 56 feet. So, both are atypically tall. What’s more, counting his pedestal, Vulcan stands at 180 feet. That’s just over 120 cubits. So, Vulcan has been living to 120 all along. Moses stretched his hand out and held his staff over the Red Sea to part the waters so the Israelites could cross through. Vulcan’s outstretched hand holds a spear from atop Red Mountain over Jones Valley which parts the mountain ranges so trains can cross through. Moses’s act at the Red Sea might seem almost magical. Vulcan presides over the Magic City, which is named for it springing into existence in the 1870s. Moses is known, in part, for hitting a rock when he was supposed to just speak to it. Vulcan stands atop Red Mountain which is named, in part, for its rocks being hit to mine hematite (red iron ore). For 40 years, Moses led the Israelites through the desert, sometimes led by a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke by day. For 40 years (plus 15 more), Vulcan held a torch instead of spear, glowing red if there was a traffic fatality in the previous 24 hours, and green if there wasn’t. Vulcan is the Greco-Roman god of the forge which is why he holds up a spear and has a hammer, block, and anvil. Moses, was the leader of the continued on previous page 46
August 2024 • Southern Jewish Life