Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Daily Advice. Today, Eli chose the topic of standing up in honor of others.
We know that there was a rabbi mentioned in the Gemara who was unable to study because he was not feeling well. He was weak and ill. What did he do? He went and sat in the study hall. Why did he sit there? So that when the rabbis walked in and out, he could stand up for them.
There is reward for standing up in honor of Torah scholars. We know that it is a great commandment to stand up for a Torah scholar. One has to recognize that by standing up for his rabbi, he demonstrates that he has awe of his rabbi, just as a person has awe of the Creator of the World.
There is also a matter that is very unfortunate: standing up for elderly people. It is a commandment to stand up for them. I say that because, unfortunately, the Pele Yoetz writes that this has become a forgotten practice. You see someone elderly walking by, and you give a little shuffle—perhaps you move slightly—but the commandment is to stand up completely. One must stand up fully.
By the way, when does this obligation end? It ends when a person turns seventy. Once we turn seventy, we no longer have that obligation. That is why many rabbis were sad when they reached the age of seventy. Why? Until then, they were able to stand up for others. “All right, I will stand up now anyway,” they might say, “but it is not the same.” They were no longer obligated in the same way.
When an elderly person comes by, that person is being sent to you so that you can earn merit. The same applies to a parent, something that many people have unfortunately forgotten. A person has to stand up for a parent when the parent walks in, even if it happens one hundred times. Whether it is once in the morning and once in the evening, or the parent is constantly walking in and out, one must stand up each time.
That is why the rabbis advise parents not to trouble their children too much by going in and out repeatedly. “Go in and out,” they say, “but do not do it so many times that you are exhausting your children.” On the other hand, if you see children who love commandments, let them do it. Let them get up and go out, because you are giving them great merit.
This is such an easy commandment. One must understand that elderly people are present for a reason. There is a reason you are encountering this person, and a reason this person is walking past you or walking into the school. It is for your benefit and for your merit. That is why this person is coming to you.
But the problem with elderly people is that we do not always pay proper attention. Therefore, we have to be very careful to make sure that when elderly people walk by, we stand up for them. We stand up for wise people, for rabbis, for the elderly, and for parents. It is also a very great commandment to stand up for one’s in-laws.
It is an easy commandment to fulfill. May this commandment, with God’s help, tip the scale in our favor. I wish you a happy New Year. God bless you. Amen.