THE CABALA OF 45

A new study suggests that memory, reasoning and comprehension can start to slip as early as age 45; it was previously believed that cognitive ability does not decline before the age of 60.

The age of 45 is commonly known as mid-life crisis when the individual suddenly begins to question the meaning of life, having lived four and a half decades. The 22 letters of the Hebrew are each designated with a value; 45 makes the word Mah/What – what is life's purpose?

The Cabala explains, Chochma, the name for the power of the right side of the brain, can be broken down into two words: Choach/Power and Mah/What – the power to question. For the first 45 years the human being knows what is what but after that he wonders – what is what?

The righteous people are said to bring the Power of What into the earth while the rest of the world brings the power of Baan/52 into the world; 45 is the gematria of Adom/Human and 52 is the gematria of Behama/Animal – when the animal arises, the human descends then merges.

By losing mental acuity, the ego becomes reduced, forcing the person to question their ways and their deeds; the dissolution of the ego allows death to come without pain. Beautiful is the world provided by the Creator, making each stage of life crucial to living.