Pensamiento judío sobre Deuteronómio 5:16

The commandment then emphasizes that the reward promised is not a natural sequence, but an act of Divine kindness, one that in light of the natural tendency to honour parents if only from a sense of gratitude, is hardly warranted. The mitzvah element of the commandment addresses itself first and foremost to the poor, who invest in looking after their father and mother rather than ensure they do not lose their inheritance.

But to resume. Should those of our co-religionists—and it is of them alone that I speak—who imitate the followers of other religions, maintain that when they torment their bodies, and renounce every joy, that they do so merely to discipline the faculties of their souls by inclining somewhat to the one extreme, as is proper, and in accordance with our own recommendations in this chapter, our answer is that they are in error, as I shall now demonstrate. The Law did not lay down its prohibitions, or enjoin its commandments, except for just this purpose, namely, that by its disciplinary effects we may persistently maintain the proper distance from either extreme. For, the restrictions regarding all the forbidden foods, the prohibitions of illicit intercourse, the fore-warning against prostitution, the duty of performing the legal marriage-rites which, nevertheless, does not permit intercourse at all times, as, for instance, during the period of menstruation, and after child-birth, besides its being otherwise restricted by our sages, and entirely interdicted during the daytime, as we have explained in the Tractate Sanhedrin—all of these God commanded in order that we should keep entirely distant from the extreme of the inordinate indulgence of the passions, and, even departing from the exact medium, should incline somewhat towards self-denial, so that there may be firmly rooted in our souls the disposition for moderation.³⁴Cf. Moreh, III, 35, and H. Deot, III.

There are commandments that serve as reminders of the fundamental commandments, such as the observance of the Sabbath, which commemorates the work of Creation, and the cessation of slave labor, which recalls the Exodus from Egypt. Similarly, the Passover, the matzah, the bitter herbs, the Feast of Tabernacles, the mezuzah, the hand and head Tefillin, and the tzitzit are all reminders. Although the blue thread is not indispensable, similar to how the absence of bitter herbs does not invalidate the obligation of eating matzah, the blue thread serves as a reminder. Therefore, the robe of the High Priest is entirely made of blue, and the golden plate on the headgear is tied with a blue cord. However, one should not wrap themselves in a prayer shawl or perform a complete mitzvah while in the marketplace, as the heart may be more prone to wander after the eyes than during prayer. I mention this because I have witnessed many individuals who are not God-fearing, yet they wrap themselves in a prayer shawl out of self-respect. The ephod and the breastplate also serve as memorials. Similarly, the sciatic nerve, which is prohibited for consumption, serves as a reversal of the eating of the Passover offering. Now I will explain that just as when a father receives upon himself and his descendants the obligation of hearing the voice of the father, as in the days of Purim and the laws of fasting, it is written in the scroll (Esther 9:27), "And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter of Purim." They established the days of Purim for themselves and for their descendants, as the prophets and elders of the earlier generations enacted these fasts due to the calamities that befell them. Thus, they fulfilled the words of the four fasts that are recorded in the Twelve Prophets. If one does not transgress the commandments of our Lord, it is enough. And the reason for this matter is so that the kindness that the Lord bestowed upon Jacob, who alone is our father and does not share it with others like Abraham and Isaac, is remembered. For the Lord chose him and did not mix with his descendants, unlike those whom the Lord did not choose, like the Canaanites, as mentioned in the Torah (Genesis 9:25): "Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren." Canaan, who is from the descendants of Shem, the father of all the Hebrews, was cursed and not redeemed through their food and wine, as it is stated. And the prophet said (Hosea 12:3): "He took his brother by the heel," and the meaning of "the sons trembled" (meaning, the sons of Jacob) is explained there in Hosea. And it testifies regarding Judah, and afterwards it says, "in the womb he took his brother by the heel," which means that the Lord granted him strength so that his hand would grasp the heel of Esau before he emerged from the womb. And he did not do so for every newborn. And those who claim that this occurred after his birth is not plausible, for it is written, "His hand took hold," and if it were according to their words, it would have been written, "And afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold." Furthermore, while he was still in the womb, Jacob grasped his brother's heel, and in his strength, he contended with God and struggled with the angel but could not prevail. And behold, he has a great merit. Additionally, according to the wisdom of physicians, each organ retains the impression of its form if it is healthy, and the opposite is true as well. And because it is written (Genesis 32:26), "And he touched the socket of Jacob's thigh," therefore, he would not eat from that day forward. They are obligated to show honor to their father, and I needed to elaborate on this matter because it is understood according to the straightforward meaning. Only the statute is mentioned, and there is nothing like the rite of circumcision. As it is written (Leviticus 12:3), "And on the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." It is also written concerning the matter (Deuteronomy 5:16), "The orphan and the widow you shall remember, for you were slaves in Egypt, and you shall not overpower the works of my hands, says the Lord."