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EXODUS — 20:12 honor

EXOD432 The mitzvah of honoring parents is one of the few religious obligations in the Torah with a promise attached to it. Placing it in the Torah in this way stresses its importance: "Honor your mother and father, so that your days may be long on the land that God gives you." According to the Mishnah, honoring parents is one of the few religious obligations for which one is rewarded in this world and in the world to come (Talmud Peah 1:1). In order to help us understand what "honoring one's parents" means in everyday life, the rabbis have taught that honoring them includes providing them with food, drink, and clothing, as well as guiding their footsteps as they grow older. The Book of Leviticus [19:3] also states the children are to "revere" their parents. Some said that it literally means to stand in awe of them. Others suggested that it means that we should respect them because we are afraid of them. According to another interpretation in the Talmud (Kiddushin 31b), to revere one's parents means that a child should not sit in their chair, speak in their place, or contradict what they say. Clearly, we see from this statement the great respect that was expected to be given to parents by their children. [Author continues with twenty-six statements from Jewish sources providing examples of honoring parents].

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EXODUS — 21:37 pay

EXOD619 From the following ordinance, we can derive a moral lesson. The Bible evinces compassion, even for a thief. The thief suffers less embarrassment when he steals an ox, as compared to a sheep. He must carry away the sheep in his arms, and the owner's neighbors may well suspect the stranger's motives. But an ox may be led by its halter, and observers naturally suppose it belongs to the man leading it. Therefore, the penalty is less for a sheep because the theft is more obvious, and the thief is more easily spotted. The Bible even feels compassion for the lawbreaker who must suffer the penalty for his transgression.

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EXODUS — 23:7 falsehood

EXOD842 In the following Talmudic story, we see that it is permissible to bend the truth in order to make a bride feel good. Our rabbis taught: How does one dance before the bride? Bet Shammai says: "A bride as she is." But Bet Hillel says: "A beautiful and graceful bride." Bet Shammai then said to Bet Hillel: "If she were lame or blind, would you say to her 'A beautiful and graceful bride,' since the Torah says 'Keep far from a false charge'" [this verse]? Bet Hillel said to Bet Shammai: "According to you, one who made a bad purchase in the market, should you praise it before him or defame it? Surely you should praise it. Therefore the sages say: "One should always be pleasant towards people." [Talmud Ketubot 16b-17a].

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EXODUS — 23:7 falsehood

EXOD852 Without truth, human society and human relationships cannot long endure. A customer must be able to trust the seller from whom he or she makes a purchase. A homeowner has to assume that the tradesperson will do an honest job in repairing his or her home. A client has to believe his or her lawyer. A patient must trust his or her doctor. Unless people tell each other the truth, our most basic relationships will disintegrate. It is not surprising that Judaism places great emphasis upon the importance of telling the truth. The Torah says: "Keep far from falsehood" [this verse]. The Talmud says that "the seal of God is truth" (Shabbat 55a). And after we die, the Midrash says that each one of us will stand in judgment before God, and the first question we will be asked is "Were you honest in your dealings with each person?" (Talmud Shabbat 31a). [Author then lists thirteen Jewish sources on telling the truth).

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EXODUS — 25:11 gold

EXOD943 The phrase "Honor God more than your Wealth" may also be translated as "Honor God more than the one who gives you your wealth," meaning your father. For God gave wealth to your parents, and they gave it to you. A case in point: If both your teacher who taught you God's word and your father are in prison, you should first save your teacher who taught you the Torah [Talmud Baba Metzia 33a] [Sefer Chasidim, paragraph 275].

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EXODUS — 25:22 cherubs

EXOD948 Why were there two cherubs? To teach you that Torah should be studied by two people learning together as study partners. How can you tell who would make a good study partner? If you notice a robust young fellow being humiliated by rogues but he remains silent, that is the person you should choose as your study partner. You should know that whoever is despised by people through no-fault of his own will be exalted in the end [Sefer Chasidim, paragraphs 959-960].

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EXODUS — 34:6 compassionate

EXOD1025 Rabbinic thinkers employed the Hebrew term middot in describing types, temperaments, characteristics, and dispositions of people. The most famous of all the middot are the 13 Divine attributes of God, as expressed in Exodus 34:6–7. These include mercy, loving–kindness, and forgiveness. A person possessing good traits was called a baal middot, which was understood to mean one who possessed good qualities. [Author then presents numerous Jewish sources commenting upon various character traits, proper behavior and etiquette.]

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LEVITICUS — 19:3 each

LEV291 Avoid Antagonizing Your Son: The Torah says, "Every person must respect his mother and father" [this verse]. Literally translated, this verse reads "Every person, his mother and father, they must respect," whereby tira'u, "they must respect," is written in the plural. It is as if the phrase "they must respect" refers to the son, his father, and his mother – – the three of them must respect each other. Thus, parents should not infuriate and antagonize their son to the point that he loses control of himself and rebels against them [Sefer Chasidim, paragraph 565].

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