Page 39 - HaMizrachi YmYm 2020 FLIPv3

Mrs. Naomi Schrager
FIVE
ָ
ָ
ך ֶּ מ ִ א ת ֶ א ְ ו ךי ִ ב ָ א ת ֶ א ד ֵּ ב ַּ כ
Parents, G-d and Gratitude

M idway HaDibrot, the quarantine due to the Covid-19 pan- all of which are important during this
through
we
Aseret
demic has forced certain types of
uneasy time.
are
commanded
to
halt as unemployment rates soar and
honor our father and mother. The progress and innovation to come to a However, for some, the crisis has
traditional breakdown of the Ten businesses shut. Those who several presented a tremendous challenge in
Commandments is five and five – months ago looked to their future the fulfillment of kibud horim. The
the first five define our relationship with great excitement are now putting time-honored tradition of reciting
with G-d, and the second set of five plans on hold and have more ques- mourner’s kaddish with a minyan has
gives boundaries for our relationship tions than answers. In Judaism, when been shuttered along with our syna-
with our fellow man. Kibud Horim we seek answers to these looming gogues. It is a painful proposition for
would fit well in the second five but questions, we look to the Torah and children in the year of mourning to
strangely is found among the first. we look to mesorah, specifically, our consider a lapse of months without
parents and grandparents. We look saying kaddish. Additionally, many
In Masechet Kiddushin, the Rabbis are missing yahrzeit for their par-
explain there are three partners in backward in order to move forward. ents. Mourners have looked to poskim
the creation of every child – father, Though chidush or thoughtful inno- and communal leaders for innovative
mother, and G-d. When one honors vation is a hallmark of Torah life, it solutions. Though a minyan requires
their parents, G-d considers it as if is always with an eye, and more than 10 men to be physically together,
He too is honored. Similarly, when just a nod to tradition. recent Rabbinic rulings allow for
a child says Kaddish for a deceased For many, this time at home has the recitation of kaddish in a virtual
parent, bestowing posthumous filial brought an opportunity for deep minyan. Many have ruled against it,
honor, one does not mention the loss introspection. Social media posts, but have offered alternative solutions
at all. Instead, by publicly praising blogs and even YouTube videos for those who want to honor their
G-d, the child affirms the teachings encourage people who are stuck at parents with the recitation of kaddish.
and legacy of the parent. home to ‘take stock of what’s really
The Ten Commandments were given important.’ Gratitude is suddenly In Judaism, innovation and tradition
are not mutually exclusive. Perhaps
to the Jewish people at the moment of trending, and people are realizing the reason why Kibud Horim was
our birth as a nation. Our continued how much they have to be grateful included in the first five dibrot was
existence is dependent on the unbro- for. The Sefer HaChinuch explains to drive this point home. Respect
ken transmission of that moment that the reason we must honor our for our parents (and grandparents)
– in other words, mesorah. Chasdei parents is the tremendous debt of ensures that our advancement will
Crescas (Spanish Philosopher, 14th gratitude we owe them. Typically, we always be rooted in tradition.
century) explains that this mitzvah’s fulfill this commandment through
importance is linked to the fact that physical acts. We rise when our par- As the world cautiously looks towards
parental authority is the primary ents enter the room, we run to pour reopening, we hope the lessons we are
basis for mesorah. The successful them a glass of water. With social learning will not be lost. May we have
transmission is dependent on each distancing, these aspects of Kibud deep gratitude for those who have
child’s respect for the human links of Av VaEm are unlikely. However, paved our way and may this respect
the chain of tradition. phones and video conferencing allow and admiration lead to a deeper
us to continue to show gratitude and appreciation of the Divine.
The first two decades of the 21st-cen- respect by frequently calling and
tury has been a time of rapid and being present, even if not physically
intense advancement. Leaders are close. As an added benefit, showing Mrs. Naomi Schrager, a master educator,
characterized by their ability to be gratitude to others is a proven way to produces Jewish learning content for
‘forward thinkers’ and to embrace increase happiness, feelings of con- students around the world and teaches
innovation. Recently, the global nection and even fostering optimism, post-high school students in Israel

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