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Happy Mother's Day

05/09/2015 11:59:30 PM

May9

Someone once asked if the idea of observing Mother's Day is consistent with Jewish law and tradition. Not because he was bemoaning having to pay inflated prices for flowers but, as a traditionalist, the concept did not sit well with him. He suspected that identifying a single day to honor our mothers would be inconsistent with our biblical obligation to honor our parents - an obligation which applies, as the Sefer HaChinukh explains, at all times. He argued that people should strive to honor their parents each and every day and that to designate a particular day would be incongruous with our tradition.

 

Following this line of reasoning, I answered him, we should also not observe Passover or Yom Kippur. Passover since never a week goes by, especially on Shabbat, that we do not recall the Exodus from Egypt as part of our liturgy. This is just the beginning of our frequent recollection of the Exodus. According to our annual Torah reading cycle, four weeks per year are dedicated to retelling our collective experience of being taken forth from slavery to freedom and ultimately to the Promised Land. Still, it is incumbent upon us gather around the table on Seder night and stay up late telling the dramatic story of the miracle of the Exodus and the birth of our People.

 

On Yom Kippur, we ask forgiveness from one another and atonement from God. This activity, too, is not limited specifically to the 10th of Tishrei or even the preceding months. We are taught that we should constantly be involved in doing teshuva, introspection and repentance. We do not wait until next Yom Kippur to analyze our thoughts or alter our actions. Yet, on Yom Kippur, we do teshuva in a much more grand way than usual. We wear white, abstain from nourishment and focus solely on reconciling our relationships with God and man. Although it is our goal to constantly be involved in teshuva, if every day were Yom Kippur, nothing would ever get done.

 

While we indeed show gratitude and respect to our most important women every day, on Mother's Day we do so on a different scale. This weekend, we show our appreciation in a more notable way than usual as we celebrate the women who are significant to us as mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters. You are essential to our people as givers and teachers of life. Happy Mother's Day to all.

 

Rabbi Steve Suson

 
Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784