Skip to main content

Honor Thy Father

Rav Judah said in the name of Shmuel: They asked Rabbi Eliezer: How far does the honor of parents extend? 
He said: Go out and see what a certain gentile, Dama ben Netinah is his name, did in Askhkelon. The Sages sought jewels for the breast-plate, at a profit of six-hundred thousand [gold dinars] but the key that unlocked his chest with the jewels was lying under his father's head.  The did not wish to wake him from his sleep. 
The following year the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him his reward. A rare red heifer was born in his herd. When the Sages of Israel went to him to buy it, he said to them, "I know you, that even if I asked you for all the money in the world you would pay me. But I ask of you only the money which I lost through my father's honor." -Kiddushin 31-2

Honoring one's parents is a paramount mitzvah in the Torah.  It is also the undergirding of civilization.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Contact

“Between 1305 and the early 1800’s. the House of Taxis ran a form of pony express service all over Europe….   Its couriers clad in blue and silver uniforms, crisscrossed the continent carrying messages between princes and generals, merchants and money lenders.” –Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave We may think we are the first generation consumed by rapid communication but we are not.   Throughout our history it has been a priority. Of course, now in the 21 st century we must ask: are we better or worse for it?

Speech

  “To say the right thing at the right time, keep still most of the time.”     John W. Roper Those who get in trouble most often are those cannot seem to keep still, remain silent.  Life teaches many lessons.  Among the best lessons of life is one my father taught me at an early age was, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.” The contributions we make to life via our mouth are many and varied.  Most of the time, I reckon, they are not contributions at all, but things that diminish the richness of life.    

Your Worth

  A father  congratulates his daughter on graduations and was about to present her with a car, his car.   “ But before I give it to you, take it to the used car lot downtown and tell them I want to sell it and see how much they offer you for it.” The daughter went to the used car lot, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because the said it looks pretty worn out.” The father said, now “Take it to the pawn shop.” The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said, ”The pawn shop offered only $100 because it is an old car.” The father asked his daughter to go to a car club now and show them the car. The daughter then took the car to the club, returned and told her father,” Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it because “it's an iconic car and sought by many collectors.” Now the father said this to his daughter, “The right place values you the right way,” If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in the wrong place...