Q: What is the meaning of honoring parents, and why does it grant a longer life upon the Adamah? Exodus 20:12 כַּבֵּד אֶת־ אָבִיךָ וְאֶת־ אִמֶּךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר־ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ׃ “Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land (Adamah) that the LORD your God is giving you.”

What’s the difference between ground (Adamah – אדמה) and earth (Eretz – ארץ)?

A: This is a great question. The difference reveals a deep truth about relationships. While “Eretz” (Earth) suggests Arziyut, a sense of transience and a “will” that cannot be owned, “Adamah” (Soil) connects to Dimyon (imagination) and Hidamut (resemblance).

The word אדמה (Adamah) itself contains the words אמה (Amah – cubit/measure) and מדה (Midah – measurement). To resemble the Higher (Adameh L’Elyon) means to act with appropriate measure. Just as the Higher provides rain and sun in precise proportions to support life, we must apply “measure” to our own behavior.

This concept applies directly to our parents. We often think respect means closeness, but true honor requires the measure of distance. When we encounter a stranger, we naturally keep a respectful space. Even in the animal kingdom, creatures assess boundaries before contact.

By treating those closest to us, our parents, with the same reverence and “measure” we would accord a distinguished stranger, we prevent the “natural” tendency toward casualness and disrespect. There is no requirement to “love” the former generation, but rather to respect it through this measured distance.

By respecting them as someone “unknown”, for the Higher is also always unknown—you resemble the Divine. This reduces natural earthly friction, avoids the “collision” of two bodies, and ultimately lengthens the Divine life.