LEV304 …the Torah specifically mentions that mothers as well as fathers are to be revered and honored, and the Rabbis construed these commands to be demanded of daughters as well as sons. (For the biblical command to honor parents, see Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16. For the command to respect parents, see Leviticus 19:3. That daughters as well as sons are commanded to honor and respect their parents, see M. Kiddushin 1:7 and B. Kiddushin 29a).

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LEV308 Honor of parents is essential to their assigned task of transmitting religious and cultural values to succeeding generations. Instruction of one's children is the only parental duty mentioned in the Bible (Deuteronomy 6:7). Children who are respectful of their parents will readily accept their guidance and instructions. The biblical command "You shall fear every man his father and his mother" is concluded with the statement "I am the Lord your God" [this verse], i.e., parents whose children fear them are able to implant reference for God in the hearts of their children. The verse following this command warns against the worship of idols. The link between parental honor and the preservation of the faith is thus clearly implied. This connection is explicitly emphasized in the Book of Proverbs: "The fear of Lord is the beginning of knowledge. … Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father and forsake not the teaching of thy mother" (Proverbs 1:7–8). It may be added parenthetically that parental honor solidifies family bonds. The survival of Jewish society as a religious and cultural community rests upon the foundation of stable family units.

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LEV311 See [[EXOD410]] Exodus 20:12 honor DORFFLOV 57

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LEV312 See [[EXOD424]] Exodus 20:12 honor DUTIES 233

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LEV310 See [[DEUT1499]] Deuteronomy 27:16 shames GATES 191

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LEV307 For the mystics, the essence of the person is the soul, though the person is a composite of body and soul.  The human parents create the body of the child, while God creates the essence, the soul of the child.  Therefore, God is the primary parent, the essential parent, the ultimate, parent, the parent of all parents.  In this view, honoring the parent is considered a commandment applicable primarily to God, and only by extension to the human parent.  Niddah 31a; Zohar 1:49, 3:219b. See also Nahmanides on Exodus 20:12.  For this reason, when there is a conflict between obeying one’s human parent and obeying God’s commandments, one is obliged to observe the divine commandment and to ignore the commandment of the human parent.  Sifra on Leviticus 19:3 HTBAJ 166

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LEV305 Both Mother and Father Should Be Treated Equally with Respect: "Honor your father and your mother." I might have understood that because the word "father" proceeds in the text, he should actually take precedence over the mother. But in another passage it states, "You shall each revere his mother and his father" [this verse]; the mother precedes. Scripture thus declares that both are equal [Mechilta of Rabbi Ishmael, Pisha, Chapter 1].

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LEV306 Concerning the duty to parents, it is said: "You shall fear every man his mother and his father" [this verse]; and concerning duty to God, it is said: "You shall fear God" [Deuteronomy 6:13]. We are thus enjoined to honor and revere them in the manner that we are enjoined to honor and revere God's great name. (Mishneh Torah, Book of Judges, Mamrim, Chapter 6:1).

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LEV314 See [[LEV694]] Leviticus 19:18 love OXFORD 37

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LEV309 It adds up, then, to reverence and awe, with a touch of fear perhaps to ensure against lapsing. There is an old saying: Familiarity breeds contempt (Aesop, The Fox and the Lion (fl. 550 BCE)). This is what mora, yir'ah would prevent and counteract. The Divinity, our parents, and our teachers of Torah share a common, continuing role: they grant us life, growth and development, physically and spiritually, so that we can realize our potentialities and fulfill our destiny toward life in the Hereafter. Therefore we owe them reverence, veneration all our life. Similarly, there should be reverence, respect, and affection for our rabbi, not a fear that would keep us from the synagogue or his classes and meetings. With our reverence, we should seek to be close to our Father in Heaven and to our teachers and rabbis. We should find gratification in the company of a good Torah educator and spiritual leader; it pays to visit such a person in his home, to learn from him and to emulate his ways. Let the "fear" of your teacher, says our text, be of the same kind as your "fear" of Heaven: in both instances let it bring you to devotion and faith.

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