Honor Your Father and Mother

The Ten Commandments says to “Honor your Parents.” It does not command “love” your parents. The Torah is very free with the word love in love the stranger, love your neighbor, and love G-d; however, it had the brilliance to recognize possible difficulties some may have with parents. At the very least, the Torah states that parents are always to be honored. Whether we agree or disagree, we must do so with deference and respect. We must look out for their needs with the same sense of responsibility they had when they cared for us. We must teach our children how to honor parents properly. Encourage them to express their opinions in a respectful way, whether or not they agree with you. And of course, model the same behavior in your own interactions with your parents. They will learn the most from that.