Building a career in holiness

The following post has been provided by a member of the Avot Today Facebook group, Shmuel Gorenstein. All group members are reminded that they are welcome to participate actively in Avot Today, both by submitting items to share on the group and by posting comments and thoughts on other people’s posts. Don’t be shy – just participate!

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איש אמו ואביו תיראו

(קדושים יט:ג)

“(Each) man shall fear his mother and his father” (Kedoshim 19:3)

 It is significant that, after the admonition "You shall be holy", the first commandment to be mentioned is to fear one’s parents. It is thus apparent that the first step toward the realization of the ideal of holiness is the necessity of fearing one’s parents, which is the first rung of the ladder of fear of Hashem.

•  The fear of parents causes their teachings to be more effective, especially in the original plan to teach the Torah in the home (as set forth in Devarim 6:7 and 11:19).
  
  
•  The attitudes of awe and obedience towards parents are essential for the eventual awe and obedience toward Hashem.

The fact that the Shabbos follows, as the second step toward the goal of holiness, is actually because of the first step. The influence of parents upon the children is most abundantly exercised on the Shabbos day, when the family are together all day. In addition, the lessons of the Shabbos are the foundations for all of our thoughts concerning Hashem.

But, most important of all, is the effect of the above factors on the young mind, when the parents begin teaching him: "He that learns when a child... is like ink written on new paper" (Elisha ben Avuyah, at Avot 4:25), and "the youthful learning" (Shabbos 21B) is the most effective.

This is the foundation for a career of Kedusha.

[Rav Avigdor Miller]