“You shall rise before the aged and show difference to the old; you shall fear your God:”
I chose this mitzvah because I feel that it is very important to establish regular interactions with people entering their older stages of life. Judaism is a religion centered around life cycle events, such as birth or B’nei Mitzvah or marriage. The most inevitable life cycle event is death, meaning that everyone has it in common. When some individuals near this event, or even for decades prior, they can begin to feel like their lives have already ended. Though she would never admit it to me, my grandma, Mom-Mom, probably feels this way.
This is Mom-Mom. She is a very caring mother and grandmother, as well as intelligent, as she has a PhD and was a college professor for many years. So, Dr. Mom-Mom. The way I practice this Mitzvah with her is by taking care of her, whether she’s fully aware of it or not. Since she has a lot of time on her hands, we usually go out for coffee around 5 times a week. During these coffee dates, she goes on about normal Jewish grandmother stuff. More often than not, I help her with technological difficulties, most of time with her Apple ID password, which she swears she didn’t change. As a teenager in today’s modern world, a really great way to honor this Mitzvah is by using our digital native skills to improve the lives of our grandparents, as well as other elders in our lives. Of course, this is the least we can do, but it is a very helpful place to start.
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