in the grand scheme, one commandments stands out for children. honoring one’s parents is, for good reason, the top commandment.
for the “why,” one must look to another important passage in the torah. being a parent includes the responsibility to teach their children. over the course of history, parents have delegated this reponsibility to religious institutions as well as public schools. delegation, however, comes with risks. there is no guarantee that these institutions provide instruction aligned with one’s morals or values.
in deuteronomy, there is the passage known as the v’ahavta. it is a passage that comes right after the famous declaration of “hear, o israel…” the passage provides that parents should teach the words that the lord commanded on that day to them to their children and speak of them when one sits in their house and when walks on the way and when one lies down and when rises up. deuteronomy 6:7.
with this commandment, impliedly parents have the obligation to instruct their children concerning the master of the universe’s commandments. these commandments include the ten commandments. the ten commandments were provided to the children of israel immediately prior to this pronouncement. see deuteronomy chapter 5.
thus, when children are honoring their parents, they will respectfully listen to their parents as they lay out the provisions of the ten commandments. as such, honoring one’s parents is the gateway to learning all the others.
for parents who delegate, current times requires them to act as consumers. parents should know and understand the curriculum that is to be provided to their children both at religious and public schools. parents must take the position that, as the payer for these services, that they wish that the education be aligned with certain morals and values.
parents delegating, however, should take their time to refresh or learn the material as well. parents should take the time to read the materials that their children have been provided. parents can then have meaningful conversations with children concerning the topics.
in sum, your children’s maturity into an adult is dependent upon how much effort you put into educating your children on moral and values. time spent on these matters should be viewed as an investment in the future a parent producing a morally and valued based child that is also as independent and functioning is one of the greatest accomplishments one can have in their life. it is a lot of work and something truly worthy of honor.
be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 