EXOD416 Classical Jewish texts understand [the] commands to teach us not only about proper relationships to parents but also about the nature of, and our relationship to, God. In almost Freudian terms, God serves, in part, as an extension of our parents. According to the Rabbis, God is one of our parents: "There are three partners in the creation of every human being: the Holy One, blessed be He, the father, and the mother. The father provides the white matter [probably because semen is white], from which are formed the bones, sinews, nails, brain, and the white part of the eye. The mother provides the red matter [probably because of menstrual blood is red], from which are formed the skin, flesh, hair, and pupil of the eye. The Holy One, blessed be He, infuses into each person breath, soul, features, vision, hearing, speech, power of motion, understanding, and intelligence." B. Niddah 31a. Through showing honor and respect for parents, then, one learns, as Philo noted, how to relate to God. Honor and respect are fitting in each case because both God and parents have a role in bringing us into being, in nurturing us physically and psychologically, and in teaching us how to live. Both also have physical power over us- at least, in the case of parents, in our early years--and both influence us psychologically throughout our lives. We must learn these attitudes and the justifications for them intellectually, incorporating awareness of them into our perspective of ourselves and our relations to others; indeed, a portion of this lesson we must apply even to the inanimate world, recognizing our dependence on it and the aptness of our gratitude for it. Beyond our intellects, however, this knowledge must penetrate our being, shaping our personalities. Humility, care and concern for others, piety, and gratitude are the virtues one learns from honor and respect for parents. These lessons are so important that, according to the Rabbis, God puts honor and reverence for parents on a par with the honor and reference due God...