This week’s parshah (reading from the Torah / Hebrew Bible) is Yitro. For those of you unfamiliar with the parshah, the climactic moment occurs when the Israelites receive Torah at Sinai--an important, and as written, over-the-top spectacle with major special effects. I’d like to take a moment to highlight another teaching in the parshah.
Yitro, beloved father-in-law to Moses, mentors him and teaches Moses the importance of delegation. God, the divine parent, whose parenting techniques would shock most family psychologists, delivers the ten utterances (ten commandments). In this list of don’ts and do's G-d also delegates. How so? Through the fifth commandment:
Honor thy father and mother, such that your days on the land will be lengthened…
As such, I’d like to lift up my parents and some of their teachings and the ways in which they mentored me.
From my father:
From my mother, z”l (of blessed memory):
From them both:
I offer you these ten utterances of my parents and hope they’re meaningful. May we all be blessed with amazing mentors, today and every day.
Yitro, beloved father-in-law to Moses, mentors him and teaches Moses the importance of delegation. God, the divine parent, whose parenting techniques would shock most family psychologists, delivers the ten utterances (ten commandments). In this list of don’ts and do's G-d also delegates. How so? Through the fifth commandment:
Honor thy father and mother, such that your days on the land will be lengthened…
As such, I’d like to lift up my parents and some of their teachings and the ways in which they mentored me.
From my father:
- Don’t do a half-hearted job
- Be a gracious host and always make room for people to stay the night
- Show up for your friends
- Learn to be a great dancer (he is), and if you aren’t a good, dance anyway
From my mother, z”l (of blessed memory):
- Life is hard. Seek out the humor in every situation and hold onto it
- Read everything you can get your hands on
- Your spiritual wellbeing is as important as your physical wellbeing. Nurture it.
- Take every chance you can to sing, even if you’re tone deaf (she was)
From them both:
- Appearances matter. Take pride in how you look and dress…. Even on Zoom
- Love the people in your life with all your being
I offer you these ten utterances of my parents and hope they’re meaningful. May we all be blessed with amazing mentors, today and every day.
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