There’s big news in the world. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel may be rekindling a friendship that has been moribund for decades. Don’t expect gorgeous new music—both men are 83. Garfunkel has experienced vocal trouble, and Simon’s hearing has gone south.  Still this is noteworthy and huge..

With so much trouble under their proverbial bridge, reconciling won’t be easy if they hope to do it for real. They can fake it—so many of us do—but that would only produce a cold piece, perhaps another lunch date next year but no real healing of broken hearts.

For this to work, both men need to examine the pain behind their rift. Each must own his part and then apologize sincerely. That’s something almost no one does. If they pull that off it would be worth more than their fame, their grammies or their fat bank accounts.

Are they up for the challenge? I dont know. Their problems have deep roots. During their Tom and Jerry days, the uber-short Simon’ envied  Garfunkel’s height–at least, that’s what the gossip wags said. Was it true? Who knows.  One hopes that by 83, Simon has gotten over that.  Another point of contention was Garfunkel’s eccentricity—the golden-voiced boy/man’s habit of ditching the limousine to hike to concert venues, driving Simon to near madness.  And that’s just the part that is publicly known. It’s likely that there’s a mountain more of stuff.

Over the decades, Simon and Garfunkel have reunited briefly once to record “My Little Town,”  about their shared childhood in Queens, again for the 1981 concert in New York’s Central Park and for the 2003 tour which was misnamed “Old Friends” tour in 2003. Other than those occasions, the tensions between them lubricated with cash, they have stayed apart.

This week, the singers shared not a park bench but lunch and apparently decided to give their friendship one last try. They are thirteen years older than the old friends whose bond they once celebrated in song. Can they do it?

In Hebrew, an elder or a zakein is zeh shekana chochma, one who has acquired wisdom and is thus worthy of respect. Perhaps they have realized that there’s no point in going to the grave harboring a grudge.

There is so much they have to gain—memories, laughs, inside jokes, and the music, even if it’s only for them. Millions of fans are rooting for them, hoping they can stroll into the sunset like the old men they once sang about.

Paul and Art have enriched our lives with their music. Maybe they will enrich our lives even more by showing us the path to peace. END