"Honor your father and your mother so that your days will be lengthened upon the Land that Hashem your G-d gives you." (Shmot 20,12)

Many people ask how it is possible that Eretz Yisrael, in spite of its great importance, is NOT mentioned at all in the "Ten Commandments" which Hashem chose to reveal to the Children of Israel on Mt. Sinai and which afterwards were inscribed in the Tablets of the Covenant!

One who examines the above verse will discover that this question is erroneous in its basic assumption; for it is promised, to one who honors his parents, a lengthening of days specifically in Eretz Yisrael. And from this, it is possible to extrapolate the opposite - that exile is brought upon Israel because of the contempt of the children for their parents.

But these revelations raise a new and much more difficult question - what is the connection between honoring one's father and mother to the settling of Eretz Yisrael?

Honoring one's father and mother is apparently a matter for the individual, and the settlement of Eretz Yisrael, and the exile from it, is a matter concerning the entire nation!

For our answer, we will be aided by the words of Rabbenu Don Yitzchak Abarbanel (Z"L) who wrote in his commentary to the Fifth Commandment:

"The basic importance of this mitzva is that the traditions handed down from parents to children will be important in the eyes of Jews so that they will believe in it and will rely on it..."

That is to say, through the parents, the children of all subsequent generations of Israel are able to: identify with the first generation of our nation, that had gathered at Sinai, in the wilderness of Moav and again at Mt. Grizim and Mt. Ebal; enter into a Covenant with the Holy One Blessed Be He; acknowledge that according to this covenant there is the possibility of eternal existence of Israel in its land - in terms of reward for being faithful, or the certainty of exile - in terms of punishment for fickleness.

From this understanding, the halacha which states "If his father said to him (his son): 'Desecrate the Shabbat' - the son shall not listen to him." For in this case, the father breaks with the task that has been given to him to transmit the Covenant that is between Israel and HaKadosh Baruch Hu, to his son; thereby canceling the obligation of the son to honor his father.

It is derived from this that besides the significance of respect between children and parent in the private domain, the fulfilling of the mitzva of honoring one's father and mother has a top national priority.

We, who love the Nation of Israel and Eretz Yisrael, must think about this issue in our day-to-day behavior with our parents.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Shalom Horowitz

Rabbi Horowitz is a Rav Mechanech at the Ulpana Girls Academy - Kiryat Arba

Please address your questions or comments to the Ulpana Girls Academy - Kiryat Arba