Judaism’s Emphasis on Family Values

By Dahlia Weinberg
University of Illinois

Around the High Holy Days I always like to eat good food, hear the shofar, and evaluate my goals for the following year. Beyond these details, my favorite part of the holiday is to stop what I am doing and spend more time with my family. Over the years I have realized how blessed I am to be a part of a warm and loving family.

Strong family values are central to Judaism. This is my favorite aspect of Judaism. To some, the classical family structure looks simple, maybe even primitive. However, I feel that strong family ties are the backbone of social stability. Of course, not everyone is lucky enough to have two loving parents, though in Judaism it is encouraged that if possible both parents take an active role in childrearing. As evidence, Israel, a country made up primarily of Jews, boasts one of the world’s highest percentages of children born in wedlock. This is an example of strong family values rooted in Jewish culture.

I conjecture that these values are a result of Jewish history. Jews have been pushed around, kidnapped and slaughtered for generations. The miserable conditions of those frequent times have forced Jews to value family and support as a means of survival. In current times, it is truly precious to have a strong family and be able to appreciate it without the barbaric actions of the societies of the past around us. A close-knit family can get through rough times such as the ones that Israel is currently experiencing. Without this type of support, the external enemies of the Jewish people would consume us.

Over this holiday I put aside my thoughts about all of the problems that exist in the world and I focused on the people that surrounded me. Besides my own family, I saw many young families with happy little babies. Watching those loving interactions gave me hope in a positive future for the Jewish people.

[Posted 10/26/03]