Siamese Twins- The situation in Manchester, England is heart-breaking. Two baby girls, barely a month old, are conjoined at the lower abdomen. Mary has no heart or lungs and is being kept alive by her sister Jodie. Jodie has a good chance… More »
Adoption- We are looking to adopt a Jewish child, preferably a baby (as yet unborn). Can you help us find one in Israel, possibly an out-of-wedlock situation. It would be a real mitzvah for all concerned. We have excellent references within… More »
Are Parents Responsible for a Child's Actions?- I recently read about some children who were murdered in a rampage. The parents of the victims were blaming the parents of the shooter. I know that parents must teach their kids right and wrong, and are responsible for their… More »
Children Waiting Between Meat & Milk- My son is nearly three years old. After eating meat, he wants to have his nighttime hot chocolate. How should I handle this matter? Is it forbidden for him? More »
Children's Honesty- I have a 10-year-old son who has recently begun lying – about everything! My husband and I are very concerned that he is choosing the "easy way out" rather than taking responsibility for his actions and doesn't foresee the consequences… More »
Damages Done by Children- Our neighbor’s 8-year-old son borrowed a toy and broke it. Should we make an issue of it? Are our neighbors obligated to pay us back? More »
Home Hebrew School- We are a Franco-American Jewish family who is currently residing in New Delhi, India. While in France we belonged to a very supportive community with its own children's education program. However, New Delhi does not offer the same possibilities. In… More »
Human Greatness- I want to achieve greatness in my life, but it seems that I don’t have a lot of natural talent. I also don’t have much money and resources, and don’t come from a well-connected family. I wonder what my future… More »
Jacob - Disciplining With Love- I have three kids and when they misbehave I want to discipline them. But sometimes I feel like that would be harming their self-esteem. What does the Torah say about disciplining with love? More »
Musical Toys on Shabbat- My two-year-old often gets ahold of his favorite musical toy on Shabbat and starts banging away at the keys. It certainly disturbs the serenity of Shabbat. Am I obligated to take it away from him? Am I even allowed to… More »
Nipples - Men- This one has puzzled me for a long time, and I thought maybe you would have an answer: Why do men have nipples? More »
Noah: Fixing Mistakes- If the generation of Noah was so corrupt, then why didn’t God just punish the people outright? Why the whole story of Noah building an ark? More »
Paying Babysitter for Shabbat Work- We’d like to hire a babysitter to watch our kids on a regular basis Shabbat morning, so we can go to synagogue. Is there a problem with arranging her to work on Shabbat and to pay her for it? More »
Punishing a Child- I have a child-rearing question. We found some coloring on the wall. We suspected our 4-year-old, and asked him if he did it. He denied it. We are not positive he did it, but he has a guilty look and… More »
Raising Children in a Jewish Environment- My husband is a university professor. We live in a small city with a very small Jewish community. I see my friends and relatives who live in cities with a thriving Jewish life and for us everything seems like such… More »
Rebellious Son (Ben Sorer U’Moreh) Punished for Future- In reading last week’s Torah portion, I was very disturbed by the section on the rebellious son (ben sorer u’moreh; Deuteronomy 21:8:21). The Torah basically says that a child is stoned to death for not listening to his parents –… More »
Religion for Children of Divorced Parents- I am struggling to cope with my ex-spouse who is openly hostile to Judaism as it pertains to the children we share custody of. I yearn for a deeper connection to Judaism, but my kids are getting so many mixed… More »
Rewarding Children- We have two boys, ages 4 and 5. They don't like to be treated differently, yet sometimes it is necessary. For example, rewarding one for using the bathroom properly would be a joke for the other. But then they feel… More »
The Spies’ Rebellion- I was reading in Numbers chapter 13 how the Jewish people arrive at the border of the Land of Israel. They send prominent men from each tribe as spies, to explore how best to conquer the land. The spies spend… More »
Workaholic- I own a business which takes most of my time. As a matter of fact, I don't have any time left over for my wife and kids or anything else. My wife and kids are the most important people in… More »
Identifying as a Jew
