Kiddushin

because she sways him by words; therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, placed the honour of the father before that of the mother. It is revealed and known to Him Who decreed, and the world came into existence, that a son reverences his father more than his mother, because he teaches him Torah, therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, put the fear [reverence] of the mother before that of the father. A tanna1 recited before R. Nahman: When a man vexes his father and his mother, the Holy One, blessed be He, says: ‘I did right in not dwelling among them, for had I dwelt among them, they would have vexed Me.’ R. Isaac said: He who transgresses in secret is as though he pressed the feet of the Shechinah for it is written: Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.2 R. Joshua b. Levi said: One may not walk four cubits with haughty mien,3 for it is said, the whole earth is full of His glory.4 R. Huna son of R. Joshua would not walk four cubits bareheaded, saying: The Shechinah is above my head. A widow's son asked R. Eliezer: If my father orders, ‘Give me a drink of water,’ and my mother does likewise, which takes precedence? ‘Leave your mother's honour and fulfil the honour due to your father,’ he replied: ‘for both you and your mother are bound to honour your father.’5 Then he went before R. Joshua, who answered him the same. ‘Rabbi,’ said he to him, ‘what if she is divorced?’ — ‘From your eyelids it is obvious that you are a widow's son,’6 he retorted: ‘pour some water for them into a basin, and screech for them like fowls!’7 ‘Ulla Rabbah8 lectured at the entrance to the Nasi's house:9 What is meant by, All the kings of the earth shall make admission unto Thee, O Lord, For they have heard the words of Thy mouth?10 Not the word of Thy mouth, but ‘the words of Thy mouth’ is said. When the Holy One, blessed be He, proclaimed, lam [the Lord thy God] and Thou shalt have none [other Gods before me],11 the nations of the world said: He teaches merely for His own honour. As soon as He declared: Honour thy father and thy mother,12 they recanted and admitted [the justice of] the first command [too]. Raba said, [This may be deduced] from the following: The beginning of Thy word is true:13 ‘the beginning of Thy word,’ but not the end!14 But from the latter portion of Thy declaration it may be seen that the first portion is true.15 It was propounded of R. ‘Ulla: How far does the honour of parents [extend]? — He replied: Go forth and see what a certain heathen, Dama son of Nethinah by name, did in Askelon. The Sages once desired merchandise from him, in which there was six-hundred-thousand [gold denarii] profit, but the key was lying under his father, and so he did not trouble him.16 Rab Judah said in Samuel's name: R. Eliezer was asked: How far does the honour of parents [extend]? — Said he, Go forth and see what a certain heathen, Dama son of Nethinah by name, did in Askelon. The Sages sought jewels for the ephod, at a profit of six-hundred-thousand [gold denarii] — R. Kahana taught: at a profit of eight-hundred-thousand — but as the key was lying under his father's pillow, he did not trouble him. The following year the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him his reward. A red heifer was born to him in his herd.17 When the Sages of Israel went to him [to buy it], he said to them, ‘I know you, that [even] if I asked you for all the money in the world you would pay me. But I ask of you only the money which I lost through my father's honour.’ Now, R. Hanina observed thereon, If one who is not commanded [to honour his parents], yet does so, is thus [rewarded], how much more so one who is commanded and does so! For R. Hanina said: He who is commanded and fulfils [the command], is greater than he who fulfils it though not commanded.18 R. Joseph19 said: Originally, I thought, that if anyone would tell me that the halachah agrees with R. Judah, that a blind person is exempt from the precepts,I would make a banquet20 for the Rabbis, seeing that I am not obliged, yet fulfil them. Now, however, that I have heard R. Hanina's dictum that he who is commanded and fulfils [the command] is greater than he who fulfils it though not commanded; on the contrary, if anyone should tell me that the halachah does not agree with R. Judah, I would make a banquet for the Rabbis. When R. Dimi came,21 he said: He [Dama son of Nethinah] was once wearing a gold embroidered silken cloak and sitting among Roman nobles, when his mother came, tore it off from him, struck him on the head, and spat in his face, yet he did not shame her. Abimi, son of R. Abbahu recited: One may give his father pheasants as food, yet [this] drives him from the world; whereas another may make him grind in a mill the Shechinah into a narrower place than what they occupy, viz., the whole earth. must obey her husband, just as a son his father. merely theoretical. merchandise and so he could not break it.