91¸£ÀûÉç

Prayer for the Day presented by Rabbi Warren Elf of the Liverpool Reform Synagogue.

Good morning.

Many people have told me over the years that one thing they admire about Judaism is the emphasis on family and family life.

On one level I understand that and on another I am surprised by it.

A lot of Jewish life revolves round the family and the home. There is a duty to respect, even honour, our parents. There is also a duty to raise and protect our children, teaching them Torah, a trade and to swim. I think that covers moral and religious teaching, earning a living to support ourselves and a family, and keeping ourselves alive and saving others.

There is also the duty to look after the elderly and respect them.

Yet not all Jewish families are as united and cohesive as we might hope for and there can be all sorts of issues, family break down, fall outs and more. Families are families, in any community, and we try to be the best we can but it does not always work out.

In fact, if you look at the early examples of families in the Bible, I am not sure that Abraham or Isaac or Jacob were the best role models. Quite the opposite in some ways! And later Biblical families were not much better – and some a darn sight worse.

But family and community are important, with the family being the basic unit as part of a community. The ideal family would be one where there is love and respect and care for each other, unconditionally.

So my prayer this morning is that I always love, respect and have compassion for all members of my family, unconditionally. I pray that when I slip up or fall short of this, I am big enough to apologise and work to restore the right relationship. I also pray that I can help others to do the same.

Show less