Dear parents, These are beyond difficult times. For everyone. For those living in Chutz La’aretz there is a real feeling of helplessness and wanting to do more as the threat in Eretz Yisrael continues to loom large (to say nothing of the demonstrable rise in antisemitism around the world). For those living in Eretz Yisrael, […]
“Is it wrong that I feel afraid? I feel like if I had more Emunah I wouldn’t be afraid.” In one form or another parents and educators have been fielding questions like this for the past two weeks. It’s a good question. Dovid HaMelech sang in Tehillim: גַּ֚ם כִּֽי־אֵלֵ֨ךְ בְּגֵ֪יא צַלְמָ֡וֶת לֹא־אִ֘ירָ֚א רָ֗ע כִּי־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּדִ֑י, […]
It has been a week since the horrific terror attacks in Southern Israel. In that time not only have we seen the mobilization of our armed forces but also an unparalleled display of unity throughout all of Am Yisrael (at least in my lifetime). As an Israeli I can share with you that watching videos […]
How to talk to your kids about Israel I like many of you have been walking around in shock these past few days. Anger, sadness, grief, outrage, disbelief are just some of the emotions we are all experiencing. I don’t know what to say and I feel like everything I say is trite, but we […]
Whether we live in Israel, America, or anywhere in the world, our children know that Am Yisrael is going through an incredibly difficult period. They see us crying. They feel our pain, sadness, and worry. They hear us on the phone with family members, discussing the horror and tragedy. They know that we and our […]
Driving home from Yerushalayim on Motzai Simchas Torah, my normally reserved six year old son was suddenly very talkative. Having spent the day hearing the sirens overhead and staying within the safe confines of our Yeshiva, being in our car going home gave him the opportunity to speak his mind. My wife (a trained therapist) […]
As we continue to mine the precious Chinuch gems that are hidden within the Sugya of the Ben Sorer U’Moreh, we need to take a careful look at the origin story of this child. Who are the parents of such a young man? What value systems did they role model for their son? A Jewish […]
Thus far the Sugya of Ben Sorer U’Moreh has yielded some incredible parenting strategies and thought provoking ideas. Let us once again examine these wonderful pesukim in order to learn how we can best build a Torah home. כִּי־יִֽהְיֶ֣ה לְאִ֗ישׁ בֵּ֚ן סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֔ה אֵינֶ֣נּוּ שֹׁמֵ֔עַ בְּק֥וֹל אָבִ֖יו וּבְק֣וֹל אִמּ֑וֹ וְיִסְּר֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א יִשְׁמַ֖ע אֲלֵיהֶֽם […]
As we continue our exploration of the Ben Sorer U’Moreh we are now ready to delve into what type of Chinuch model our children need in order to stay loyal to the mission of Yahadus. כִּי־יִֽהְיֶ֣ה לְאִ֗ישׁ בֵּ֚ן סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֔ה אֵינֶ֣נּוּ שֹׁמֵ֔עַ בְּק֥וֹל אָבִ֖יו וּבְק֣וֹל אִמּ֑וֹ וְיִסְּר֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א יִשְׁמַ֖ע אֲלֵיהֶֽם If a man has […]
With Hashem’s help we have already gleaned so many invaluable Chinuch lessons from the Sugya of Ben Sorer U’Moreh. Let us once again delve into the waters of this beautiful Parsha so that we may continue to reap its rewards. כִּי־יִֽהְיֶ֣ה לְאִ֗ישׁ בֵּ֚ן סוֹרֵ֣ר וּמוֹרֶ֔ה אֵינֶ֣נּוּ שֹׁמֵ֔עַ בְּק֥וֹל אָבִ֖יו וּבְק֣וֹל אִמּ֑וֹ וְיִסְּר֣וּ אֹת֔וֹ וְלֹ֥א […]