Happy Thanksgiving! I want to share my thankfulness for my parents and give them honor.
One of the Ten Commandments is to Honor your Father and your Mother. How do you 'honor' them? In Judaism, it is recommended that a person do the following to show honor to their parents.
Some forms of honor mentioned in halacha (Jewish law):
- Not sitting in a parent's seat (don't take their seat when they get up, don't sit in their 'usual' seat.)
- Not to negate a parent's words, especially in public. (If this is absolutely necessary, one should still do so in a respectful way, and certainly avoid embarrassing the parent.)
- To stand when they enter the room (I haven't seen this practically, except in families of Rabbis and tzaddikim (righteous men). A parent is allowed to forgo this honor.)
- To provide financially for a parent in need
- Not to refer to a parent by name, but rather by "Father," "Dad," "Mother," "Mom" or similar
- To tend to a parent's needs before oneself or other relatives
- To honor a grandparent before one's own parent, since the parent is also obligated to honor their parents
- Not sitting in a parent's seat (don't take their seat when they get up, don't sit in their 'usual' seat.)
- Not to negate a parent's words, especially in public. (If this is absolutely necessary, one should still do so in a respectful way, and certainly avoid embarrassing the parent.)
- To stand when they enter the room (I haven't seen this practically, except in families of Rabbis and tzaddikim (righteous men). A parent is allowed to forgo this honor.)
- To provide financially for a parent in need
- Not to refer to a parent by name, but rather by "Father," "Dad," "Mother," "Mom" or similar
- To tend to a parent's needs before oneself or other relatives
- To honor a grandparent before one's own parent, since the parent is also obligated to honor their parents
These are a few of the ways we honor our parents. Try putting these into practice in your family. Give thanks this Thanksgiving for your parents!
