Care for the Incapacitated Parent: A Case Study in Classic Jewish Family Norms

ABSTRACT Classic Jewish sources suggest that many of the stresses families face today were common centuries ago, and evaluation of this tradition may offer helpful guidance to modern families striving to sort out relationships between parents and their adult children. This article presents (1) an overview of filial responsibility in general as understood in classic Jewish writings; (2) an examination of obligations of adult children toward their aged and infirm parents in particular; and (3) a consideration of insights and inferences from these classical writings that may be useful in the formulation of contemporary attitudes and policies toward the needs of the elderly.