Staying Young
It states (Tehillim 71:9) זקנה לעת תשליכנו אל, "Do not cast me away at the time of old age." The Baal Shem Tov zt'l explained that this means we shouldn't become old in our avodas Hashem. We should always stay young and fresh.
In Kotzk, people would call a ninety-year-old person a “thirty-year-old three times”. They didn't want to become old and inactive. They wanted to stay young and prepared for change and growth.
It states (19:4) ואשא אתכם על כנפי נשרים ואבא אתכם אלי, "I bore you on eagles' wings, and I brought you to Me." Rashi (Tehillim 103:5) writes that the bird is called נשר because נשר also means to shed, and the eagle sheds its feathers every year.
It states (Tehillim 103:5) תתחדש כנשר נעוריכי. Rashi writes that this means we should be young like the eagle. Just as the eagle receives a new set of feathers yearly, so should we become rejuvenated every year. We should have a youthful spirit, always prepared to grow higher, to know more, and to reach new horizons.
