Shalom faithful readers!
Parashat Yitro brings us one of the three places in the Torah that frames the Decalogue (10 Commandments). Many rabbis throughout the ages have asked: Which is the hardest of the 10 commandments for a person to fulfill faithfully?
Of course there is no unanimous opinion, but consensus tends to lean toward the fifth commandment: "Kabed et avicha v'et imecha...": "Honor your father and your mother...." After all, some have reasoned, why else would this commandment need to be distinguished as the only one of the ten to offer the promise of a "reward" for compliance? To wit: "...so that your days may be prolonged upon the land that the Eternal your God is giving you."
Underscoring the difficulty of keeping this commandment, earlier this week I received this question from an anonymous source:
How does someone honor the commandment to "honor thy father/mother" when you've been raised with severe dysfunction and abuse at the hand of those parents?
To read my answer to this thought-provoking question, just click here.
Comments are most welcome.
Shabbat shalom and happy studying!
