218. Honoring one’s Parents (2)

However, the obligation to honor one’s parents is extremely stringent, to the extent that it is not possible for every person to fulfil it in the correct manner, but nevertheless each and every person is obligated to do whatever is in his power with all his energy. Although the law is that a father who release his children from the obligation to honor him, that they are no longer obligated, and it is of course the normal thing that a father will release his sons from the obligation to honor him, he will nevertheless be punished by heaven for having transgressed the words of Chazal. We can extrapolate this from our forefather Yaakov, who was punished for the twenty-two years that he did not serve his father, and the righteous man Yosef whose life was shortened because he heard his brothers saying “your servant our father” and kept quiet. Furthermore, although a person can release his sons from the obligation to honor him, nevertheless they cannot be released from the obligation not to cause pain and disgrace.