One of the most striking things that I have heard from students and families about the first Shabbat under quarantine has been the extent to which so many people created a much “more spiritual Shabbat” than the one they were used to. This phenomenon points to a number of lessons that we can use going

In a recent article, I wrote that getting one’s child into the habit doing acts of chesed is something that is caught, not taught–a line that resonated with a number of readers. But the power of “caught, not taught” in religious parenting can be even more subtle and deep than just modeling behavior that we

In a previous life, I worked a job in which I received about one hundred emails a day, most of which demanded some kind of response. Needless to say, I came to despise that inbox. A number of months ago, I had to sit shiva and emails started arriving en masse yet again. This time,

For the last number of years I have talked to adolescents about arguments (not proofs) for the existence of God. We explore concepts like intelligent design (e.g. the human body is so complex and intricate that it could not all be random) or that the continued existence of the Jewish people against all odds points

A number of years ago I was asked what parents and educators could do to teach our children about the message of the Chanukah candles. I refer here not to the lighting itself, or the laws pertaining to it, nor the songs, games, gifts and food that have become the hallmarks of many a celebration,

How does one learn to be grateful to God for what one has? There’s one answer from the 13th century, but if you are a parent it should be a little frightening. The Torah commands one to respect and have awe for one’s parents. A philosophical question (or the very realistic question of some children)

For all our talk about passion and trying to do away with boredom, let us be honest and admit that at times it seems it’s unavoidable. As we have said before, the very nature of doing the same things repeatedly can lead to a dullness of the senses, no matter how committed you may be.

What am I going to tell the kids about this? As an educator, that’s the first thing that pops into my mind every time something tragic happens in the news or IN the community. I’m going to walk into class and it is going to be the elephant in the room. I can ignore it,

“I’m bored.” “How was school today, dear?” “Boring.” “How was the class outing?” “Boring.” “There’s nothing on TV.” “It’s boring.” “There’s nothing to do on Shabbat except read!” “I’m bored.” It is said that Heinrich Heine once wrote that “I fell asleep reading a dull book and dreamed I kept on reading, so I awoke

I have been giving a lot of thought lately to the sense I have that there isn’t enough talk about God in schools. By this I mean not that you don’t hear the Name being mentioned–certainly in a Chumash or Navi class it is (almost) unavoidable–but rather that we don’t always talk about Him as