Midrash sur Les Proverbes 3:9

Our Rabbis were taught: It is said (Ex. 20, 12) Honor thy father and thy mother, and again it is said (Pr. 3, 9) Honor the Lord with thy wealth; Scripture compares the honor of father and mother unto the honor of Heaven. Again it is said (Lev. 19, 3) Ye shall fear every man, his mother and his father; and again it is said (Deut. 10, 20) The Lord thy God shalt thou fear; Scripture compares the fear of father and mother unto the fear of Heaven. Agam it is said (Ex. 21, 17) And he that curses his father or his mother shall surely he put to death; and it is said (Lev. 24, 15) Whosoever curseth his God shall hear sin. Scripture compares here the blasphemy of father and mother unto that of Heaven. However, as far as beating is concerned the comparison is impossible; and so also should it be according to the logic of law; for these three — Heaven, father and mother — are partner in the child.

5) It is written (Shemoth 19:12) "Honor your father and your mother" and (Mishlei 3:9) "Honor the L–rd from your wealth." Scripture likens honoring father and mother to honoring the L–rd.

(Prov. 3:9:) HONOR THE LORD WITH YOUR SUBSTANCE AND WITH THE FIRST FRUITS OF ALL YOUR PRODUCE. Thus if you are handsome, do not be shameless in sexual matters, lest people say: So and so is handsome but not restrained in sexual matters. For that reason, HONOR THE LORD WITH YOUR SUBSTANCE.¹⁹Tanh., Deut. 4:12; PRK 10:3; PR 25:2.

Another interpretation (of Prov. 3:9): [HONOR THE LORD WITH YOUR SUBSTANCE.] If your voice is pleasant, recite the Shema', and cross over before the Ark (to lead in the recitation), because of <the teaching>, HONOR THE LORD WITH YOUR SUBSTANCE, [with whatever he has endowed you].

[Hiyya bar Adda, the son of bar Qappara's sister, had a pleasant voice; so bar Qappara said to him: My son, recite the Shema', and cross over before the Ark (to lead in the recitation), because of <the teaching>, HONOR THE LORD WITH YOUR SUBSTANCE, with whatever he has endowed you. Another interpretation (of Prov. 3:9): HONOR THE LORD WITH YOUR SUBSTANCE. Serve him with your substance, before you are serving him without substance (i.e., in poverty).]²⁰For another interpretation of the section, see William G. Braude and Israel J. Kapstein, Pesikta de-Rav Kahana (Philadelphia: JPSA, 1975), p. 189, n. 12. They find a wordplay in the Hebrew word for “substance” and translate the last sentence thus: “Honor Him while you have your wits, before you are led to do foolish things after you have lost your wits.”

(Ibid. 12) "Honor your father and your mother": I would think (that they are to be honored) with words. It is, therefore, written (Mishlei 3:9) "Honor the L rd from your wealth." Just as there, "wealth," here, too, food, drink, and a new garment (are understood). Variantly: "Honor your father and your mother': (Leviticus 19:3) "A man, his mother and his father shall you fear," this tells me only of a man. Whence do I derive (the same for) a woman/ Whence do I derive (the same for) a tumtum (one of indeterminate six) or a hermaphrodite? It is, therefore, written "Honor your father and your mother," — in any event. Just as with honor (of parents) there is no distinction between a man or a woman, so, with fear. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: It is written: "A man, his mother and his father shall you fear and My Sabbaths shall you keep." Just as with (keeping of) Sabbath, there is no distinction between a man or a woman, so, with honor (of parents), there is no distinction between man or woman, tumtum or hermaphrodite. Rebbi says: Beloved is the honoring of parents by Him who spoke and brought the world into being, His having equated their honor and fear to His honor, and their curse (i.e., their being cursed) to His. It is written "Honor your father and your mother" and, correspondingly, "Honor the L rd from your wealth" — their honor being equated. It is written "A man, his mother and his father shall you fear" and (Devarim 6:13) "The L rd your G d shall you fear" — their fear being equated. I is written (Exodus 21:17) "And one who curses his father and his mother" and "A man, if he curse his G d" — their cursing (i.e., their being cursed) being equated. Come and see their reward. It is written "Honor the L rd from your wealth" and, correspondingly, (Ibid. 10) "And your bread will be filled with grain"; Honor your father and your mother" and correspondingly, (Ibid.) "so that your days be prolonged." The L rd your G d shall you fear" — (Malachi 3:20) "And there shall shine for you, who fear My name, a sun of bounty." "A man, his mother and his father shall you fear and My Sabbaths shall you keep." It (fear of mother and father) is likened to Sabbath. What is written of Sabbath? (Isaiah 58:13) "If you keep your feet from (dishonoring) the Sabbath … (14) then you will find pleasure in the L rd and I will set you on the heights of the earth, etc." R. Eliezer says; It is revealed and known to Him who spoke and brought the world into being that a man honors his mother more than he does his father because she cajoles him with words — wherefore he placed father before mother vis-à-vis honor (i.e., "Honor your father and your mother"). And it is revealed and known to Him who spoke and brought the world into being that a man fears his father more than he does his mother because he teaches him Torah — wherefore he placed mother before father vis-à-vis fear (i.e., "A man, his mother and his father shall you fear"), "compensating," as it were, for the lack. __ But perhaps whoever comes first in Scripture takes precedence in practice? (This is not so,) for it is written "A man, his mother and his father shall you fear," (the Hebrew phrasing implying that) they are equivalent vis-à-vis practice.

It is written (in Prov. 3:9), “Honor the Lord with your wealth.” Thus if you are handsome, do not be uncontrolled in sexual matters, lest people say, “So and so is handsome but not restrained in sexual matters.” For that reason, “Honor the Lord with your wealth.”¹¹10:3; PR 25:2. Another interpretation: Do it from your wealth, before you [must] do it without your wealth (i.e., in poverty).¹²For another interpretation of the section, see William G. Braude and Israel J. Kapstein, Pesikta de-Rav Kahana (Philadelphia: JPSA, 1975), p. 189, n. 12. They find a wordplay in the Hebrew word for “substance” and translate the last sentence thus: “Honor Him while you have your wits, before you are led to do foolish things after you have lost your wits.” Another interpretation: “If your voice is pleasant, recite the Shema', and cross over before the ark (to lead in the recitation), because of [the teaching], “Honor the Lord with your wealth (honcha),” with whatever he has endowed you (hanancha). (Prov. 3:9:) “Honor the Lord with your wealth.” There is a story about a person who amassed wine and oil but did not take out his tithes properly. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to him? He put a squally wind (i.e., an evil spirit) in him, so that he took a staff and began to smash the [wine and oil] barrels. A member of his household rebuked him. What did [the owner] do to him? He took the staff and cracked him on his head. He said to him, “The spirit is helping me, and you are rebuking me?” [The other] said to him, “Give me the staff, and I shall also smash away.” He gave him the staff. While the [first] one was smashing one [barrel at a time], the other was smashing two [at a time]. What made this happen to him? [It was] because he had not taken out his tithes properly. As R. Levi said, “There is a story about a person who took out his tithes properly. Now he had a certain field, and the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him a mind to prepare half of it for sowing and half as storage place for water. So when a year of drought came, he sold a sea'h of wheat for a sela' and a sea’h of water for three sela'. He announced and said, ‘Come and buy a sea’h of water, which makes three sea’h of wheat.’ What made this happen to him? [It was] because he had taken out his tithes properly.” For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22), “You shall surely tithe”.

What is written following this? Three times thou shalt keep a festival unto Me in the year (ibid., v. 14). The Holy One, blessed be He, established the festival of unleavened bread, on which He performed miracles in their behalf in Egypt; the harvest festival (Shavuot), on which He gave them the Torah, the fruits of which they were to enjoy in this world and their interest in the world-to-come, as it is said: My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and My produce than choice silver (Prov. 8:19); and the feast of ingathering (Sukkoth), on which the Holy One, blessed be He, fills their homes with blessings, as is said: Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine (Prov. 3:9–10). Thus it is said: The choicest first-fruits of thy land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God (Exod. 23:19).