Let My People Know

"The prohibition against quarreling is no less important than any other prohibition"

 

The mitzvot to honor one's parents and to bring kin together are not dependent on the personal nature of the relationship but on the very connection itself. 

The Sages have explained that the mitzvah to honor one's father and mother is like the mitzvah of honoring the Divine, of showing respect for the Creator, for the root of life. 

Even if one thinks one's parents are not on the right path, one still has to honor them and come close to them. 

Anyone who tries to force his own way of life on others cannot expect them to accept him with love.

As the Sages have said, "Just as it is a mitzvah to say something that will be listened to, so it is a mitzvah to refrain from saying that which will not be listened to." 

It should also be kept in mind that the prohibition against quarreling is no less important than any other prohibition.

Therefore, wherever relationships become ruptured, it is preferable to effect a reconciliation. 

–Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
 
From "Heritage and Family in Teshuvah by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz