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Children must relate to their parents with honor and reverence. In Jewish law, honor involves helping one’s parents. (See the next section.) Reverence involves treating them with veneration. (See section 5.) These mitzvot apply equally to the mother and the father. To make this clear, the Torah mentions the father first when discussing honor: “Honor your father and your mother.” This is because many children are naturally more inclined to help their mother. So here the Torah puts the father first, teaching us that he is to be helped just as much as the mother. However, the Torah mentions the mother first when discussing reverence: “Each of you must revere your mother and father.” This is because many children are naturally more inclined to revere their father. So here the Torah puts the mother first, teaching us that she is to be revered just as much as the father.
