Rosh Chodesh Sh'vat Family, Shalom Bayit, & Community This is Where I Leave You (January 20, 2015)

Why? Because I Said So...

(יב) כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)

Exodus 20:12

(12) Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

We are often told to honor our parents--but why? What purpose does our honoring our parents serve--how does it impact our parents as people? What can we do to show "honor," "respect" or "awe" to our parents? Do we show honor differently in life than in death?

Learning from our Families

משלי א׳:ח׳

(ח) שְׁמַ֣ע בְּ֭נִי מוּסַ֣ר אָבִ֑יךָ וְאַל־תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ תּוֹרַ֥ת אִמֶּֽךָ׃

Proverbs 1:8

(8) Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

What lessons do we have to teach our siblings? Our parents? What lessons do we have to learn from them as children? As teens? As college students? As adults? Do the lessons change as we get older? How does what we have to teach change as we get older?

Sticking to (or going off) the Chosen Path!

משלי כ״ב:ו׳

(ו) חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכּ֑וֹ גַּ֥ם כִּֽי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃

Proverbs 22:6

(6) Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old, he will not depart from it.

What did we learn as children that stuck with us today? How do we "train a child up" or "train ourselves up" to stick to a certain path? What makes us want to go off our parents' chosen paths for us?

Sticking Together (Two is Better Than One!)

קהלת ד׳:ט׳-י״א

(ט) טוֹבִ֥ים הַשְּׁנַ֖יִם מִן־הָאֶחָ֑ד אֲשֶׁ֧ר יֵשׁ־לָהֶ֛ם שָׂכָ֥ר ט֖וֹב בַּעֲמָלָֽם׃ (י) כִּ֣י אִם־יִפֹּ֔לוּ הָאֶחָ֖ד יָקִ֣ים אֶת־חֲבֵר֑וֹ וְאִ֣יל֗וֹ הָֽאֶחָד֙ שֶׁיִּפּ֔וֹל וְאֵ֥ין שֵׁנִ֖י לַהֲקִימֽוֹ׃ (יא) גַּ֛ם אִם־יִשְׁכְּב֥וּ שְׁנַ֖יִם וְחַ֣ם לָהֶ֑ם וּלְאֶחָ֖ד אֵ֥יךְ יֵחָֽם׃

Ecclesiastes 4:9-11

(9) Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. (10) For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up. (11) Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone?

Why does Judaism suggest that no person go through any part of life (happy or sad) alone? How does community help strengthen us in darker times? What benefits are there to being surrounded by comforters? What benefits are there to being alone?