כַּבֵּ֤ד אֶת־אָבִ֙יךָ֙ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֔ךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוְּךָ֖ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן ׀ יַאֲרִיכֻ֣ן יָמֶ֗יךָ וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ יִ֣יטַב לָ֔ךְ עַ֚ל
.הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ

“Honor your father and mother, as your God commanded you, that you may long endure and be well in the land that God gives to you.”

—Deuteronomy 5:16

We are reminded many times throughout our Torah and sacred texts to honor our parents, a commandment that is traditionally viewed as being on par even with having reverence for God. Through our prayers, our rituals, and our sacred commitments, we acknowledge the many gifts God has bestowed upon us; so, too, do we acknowledge the blessings of life and learning that are given to us by our parents. The Hebrew word for parents, horim, comes from the same root as morim (teachers). We parents, grandparents, teachers, and caregivers are obligated to teach our children wholeheartedly and to walk alongside them (or just behind them) on the many challenging paths of life’s journey.

I love ritual. Even though my family lineage is Jewish, I think one of the reasons I am so committed to Jewish religious practice is the connection I feel to the way we, as Jews, honor sacred moments in our lives together, always seeking connection to our greater family and to the Divine. I know that for some, Mother’s Day is just another Hallmark holiday, but for me—especially as a new-ish parent—it is a sacred, relaxing time set aside to lift up and honor the long list of things that the women of my family and I do for our spouses, children, and parents.

May we each take time this week to honor the matriarchs in our lives who give to our families and our communities in acts of selfless love. May we honor the sacrifices, struggles, successes, and perseverance of the women who raised us—mothers, aunts, grandmothers, community elders, and friends. May we think of those who are missing their mothers, who grieve their absence, and ruminate on words left unspoken. May we seek ways to support young mothers as they embark on the rewarding, exhausting, and humbling journey of caregiving. May we each aspire to be like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah—in all of their generosity and complexity and love—to nurture the next generation.

—Cantor Emma Lutz