Always Respect Parents

The well known Pasuk from פרשת קדושים that tells us to fear our parents and keep Shabbat, has a little different meaning nowadays.

The classic interpretation is that we are to honor and fear our parents at all times, but we need not obey them if they tell us to violate Shabbat. Hashem’s Torah comes first.

Rabbi Twerski pointed that this Pasuk carries a different problem since the Baal Teshuva movement emerged.

We now have numerous situations where the children are far more religious than their parents.

The Rabbis teach that a son is supposed to say respectfully, “But Father, doesn’t the Torah say otherwise?” This teaching is to emphasize that there is never a justification of being disrespectful to parents who are less religious.

In general, all observant Jews should take great care in avoiding taking an elitist attitude over the secular community. Who are we to judge who is righteous in Hashem’s eyes?

This admonition to fear parents and keep Shabbat has a double message. We don’t need to obey when it comes to violating the Torah. But we must always be respectful to our parents as well as every Jew.