Positive Mitzvah 209: Respecting the Sages and the Elderly
Leviticus 19:32 "You shall stand up before an elderly person and give respect to a sage"

A learned sage and an elderly person have gained much knowledge through their studies and life experience. It is appropriate to respect these achievements.

We are commanded to honor the sages and the elderly.

We can do this by offering them a seat on the bus, listening attentively to their words, not contradicting their opinions and always being respectful.

We should especially try to keep this Positive Mitzvah with our own grandparents, whom we should try to visit often and enable them to enjoy our company. If they live far away, we can write them letters and send pictures. When they tell us stories, we should show interest, even if we have heard them before!

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Every person is a microcosm of the entire Creation. When a person brings harmony between his G-dly soul and his material life, he brings harmony between the whole of heaven and earth.

From: Bringing Heaven Down to Earth by Tzvi Freeman - tzvif@aol.com