Hashkafos, mindsets, insights and tools

so that your children will not merely have Torah in their life,

but will have life in their Torah.

אין השכינה שורה אלא מתוך שמחה

אין שמחה כהתרת הספקות

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“We are raising a generation of young people who are very observant but not very religious.”

(HaRav A. Feldman shlit”a)

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The “Why” of this course:

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The issues parents (and educators!) face today:
 

Vision: From the above quote of Rav Feldman shlita it is clear that we are struggling to live up to the goal of having our children connecting to the Shechina through simcha! Or as one young person put it – you can have Torah in your life – but no life in your Torah!
 

Academics: Yediya chitzoniyus does not automatically become yediyah pnimis (Admor of Piaseczna) – our children know more information than ever before, but it is not penetrating their neshamos.

Personal Growth: We all struggle with The School Conundrum: What is needed for a school to excel in highly controlled “observance” and elite academic “yediyah chitzonis” inhibits slow personalized “religious” growth and individualized sincere “yediyah pnimis”, and vice versa. This, in turn, creates a challenging home dynamic – which in turn affects school challenges!

Discipline and Structure: “The Yeshiva exists for the hatzlacha of the talmidim, the talmidim are not there for the hatzlacha of the Yeshiva.” (Rav Chaim Epstein zt”l) What is good for the school and its “name” is not always good for the student, and vice versa. And at home, what is best for a particular child may not be the best for the “family reputation” and vice versa. Even more difficult - what is best for one child or student, may not be the best for another!

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Why davka today more than in previous generations:

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• The outside world is much scarier than ever before, and in the process of creating controls - the content, beauty, and hashkafa of Yiddishkeit is being taken for granted.
   

• Today there is huge emphasis on externals and the bottom line.
   

• It is hard to be a “hero” today. Everyone is a “good Ben Torah” and a “good frum BY girl” - young people do not feel a sense of accomplishment or that they are needed.
   

• “Religious” internal growth (as contrasted to external “observance”) is hard to measure and thus is not immediately recognized in the students’ world of family and certainly not school.
   

• Shidduch “Crisis” - We will put form over content and do what is good for the resume or “name” rather than what is good for their neshama.

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The “Success Criteria” and Goals of this course:

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• Parents will have the midos, tools and confidence to deal with their children as individuals.
   

• Parents will be able to help each child personalize his/her growth without compromising the integrity of the home.
   

• Parents will have a variety of sources and tools to confidently answer all basic questions.
   

• Our children will be inspired and have vision and clarity of purpose.
   

• Each child will feel validated as a unique contributing member of Klal Yisroel.
   

• Our children will have the tools and self confidence to carry Yiddishkeit throughout their adult lives, wherever they end up.

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The “What” of this course:

 

This online course consists of 28 classes that are 60 minutes each. Each participant will receive all the source materials – which are available on the screen during the class and can be downloaded for future use and reference. The materials and concepts can all be adapted to work within any and all home styles and cultures. (The first two cohorts of the Teachers Course had participants from Yerushalyim, Gateshead, Manchester, Vancouver, Lakewood, Brooklyn, Queens, Baltimore, Cleveland, Atlanta, South Bend, Houston, Dallas, Miami, San Diego, Palo Alto, and Los Angeles!)

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The “Uniqueness” of this course:

 

This course was created from the ground up specifically for parenting frum teens. This is not simply another “love your child and all will be well” lecture – though that is a part of it. And it is not simply a “parenting tips” course. Rather, the purpose is to give parents an insight into the “thinking, struggles, and mindset” of today’s frum teenagers. It stresses the importance of building trust and growing through mistakes (our own, and our children's), and gives parents the vision, hashkafa, practical tools and Torah sources to create a positive and honest atmosphere within the home which will foster real communication and allow each of you children to grow and mature into a thinking ben Torah/bas Yisroel who is excited about their Yiddishkite. The tools, insights and explanations of the parenting concepts and the Ikarei Emunah are based on my 30 years of real classroom experience and mentoring teens all over the world. This course will ensure that the next generation will not simply have Torah in their life but will have life in their Torah!