Honor Your Father and Your Mother - Rabbi Zamir Cohen

Honor your father and your mother. The verse mentions the father before the mother. When it comes to reverence, each person shall revere his mother and his father. Here, the mother is mentioned before the father. The Gemara asks, "Why is that?" The Gemara answers as follows. It is revealed and known before the Holy One, blessed be He who created man, that He knows all human psychology. It is revealed and known before Him that a child honors his mother more than his father. And why is that? Because she persuades him with words. The mother soothes, offers sweets. So, by nature, the child is more attached to his mother and honors her more than his father. Therefore, the Torah commanded, "Honor your father and your mother." So that the father would not be less than the mother. Even though by nature you want to honor your mother, remember that honoring your father, serving him a cup of tea, caring for him, is no less important than honoring your mother. On the other hand, when it comes to reverence, from whom does a child feel more awe, the father or the mother? From the father. It is written, "Each of you shall revere his mother and his father." Mentioning the mother first shows she is as important as the father, deserving equal reverence and respect.