In I got It!
Until a Hundred and Twenty
How many years is considered living a full life?
The common blessing of "till a hundred and twenty" is allegedly attributed to the verse in Genesis which reads: "And a man's years shall be a hundred and twenty."
However, this is actually not the basis for the blessing.
The Ibn Ezra, in his commentary on Genesis, argues that this cannot be the indication of the verse, as even after G-d had said so, people lived more that a hundred and twenty years, with Noah serving as an example. On the other hand, during the days of King David, the average life-span was 70-80 years.
The source of the blessing is unknown but is attributed by many people to Moses, who indeed lived for 120 years. As Moses was described as a "G-dly Person" in the Bible, he represents the highest potential of man, therefore marking 120 as the maximal age one can reach.
As of today, reaching the age of 120 is considered lucky and rare.
Additional righteous people reached that age, such as the sages Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai and Hillel.
Today's life-span is 70-80 years, however there have been a number of people who have lived longer, with the longest life-span being 129 years and recorded in the Guinness World Records Book.
Of the Jewish leaders who have lived over 100 years, one can find Rav Shach, who passed away at the age of 104, and Rav Kadouri, who was over a hundred years old at his passing; depending on different sources he was between 107-112 years old.
Metushelach lived the longest by reaching the ripe old age of 969 years.