“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your G-d gives you.”  (Exodus 20:12).  For mitzvah #17, I honored my father.  Now it’s mom’s turn!!

According to the rabbis, this mitzvah honoring parents does not depend on what your parents did for you, or even whether they were good parents. Rather, we honor parents simply because they gave us the gift of life. What a bonus for me, then, that my mom gave me life AND is a great mother!!

Mom just turned 75.  I honored her by planning a special weekend for her, doing everything that she loves to do.  I rented a house in the Poconos for my parents, brother, sister and their children.  We hiked, celebrated Rosh Hashanah, played games, swam (well, only mom swam), ate yummy food and enjoyed each other’s company.  One of the highlights, though, was a video montage that I made for her, complete with a “wanted” poster, a police man, lots of photos and video messages from all of her loved ones.  She was really touched and surprised, and it felt great to honor her in that way.  Happy birthday mom!