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Is there an obligation to give respect (in the form of physical provision) to a grandparent whose child, your parent, died? For example, if Ruvein has Shimon and Shimon has Levi, and Shimon dies, is Levi obligated to give respect to Ruvein?

I ask this from a gemara in Sotah (daf mem-tes amud alef) where it says a story of Rav Acha bar Yaakov who raised his grandson Rav Yaakov and then when Rav Yaakov got older he was asked by Rav Acha bar Yaakov to get him some water; he didn't and said, I'm only your grandson. And (I assume) the reason Rav Acha bar Yaakov raised him was that his child was no longer living.

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    MosheY - Welcome to Mi.Yodeya and thank you for bringing this very interesting question here and for stating the assumptions on which it is predicated. See you around!
    – WAF
    Jul 25, 2012 at 21:05

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The Maharsha asks your question. He answers that, although grandsons are like sons for some things (e.g. the mitzvah of pru urvu), a grandson doesn't count as a son with regard to honoring. This implies that there is no independent obligation to honor a grandfather.

‏...אע״ג דבני בנים הרי הן כבנים... היינו לענין מצות פ״ו... אבל לענין כבוד אב אינו כבנים...‏

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  • Thank You. I know there is no actual halachic obligation to honor ones grandparents themselves but there is (or so i have heard that there is) an obligation to honor them because while doing so it honors your parents.
    – MosheY
    Jul 25, 2012 at 22:16

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