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Categories:
- Education (10)
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Questions:
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Is there any place in the Torah that explicitly says that fathers are supposed to PROTECT their daughters.
- Where in "Torah" do they speak about parental responsibilities and what are father's duties towards his daughters? Is there any place there it explicitly says that fathers are supposed to PROTECT their daughters.
Are there stories which combine Jewish heritage and adoption issues?
- Although we are an inter-faith family, we are raising our children in the Jewish faith. Both of our 7 year-old children are adopted (one at 22 mos. and the other at 4 yrs). Our son states, time and again, that "I'm not Jewish." We have heard negative comments from neighbor children (such as Jews don't love G-d, etc..). But, there is a great deal of other discussion regarding "Was I born Jewish?" Are there stories which combine Jewish heritage and adoption issues? How do we deal with the neighbor kids?
Can I take my kids to Disney movies?
- My question is regarding Disney type movies. My children like these movies (as do most children), but I'm a bit bothered by some of the ideas that I would consider pagan in some of the fairy tales - Sleeping Beauty especially! Other moves I think are probably fine. I saw lots of kippas at Disney World, including long payim, so I would guess it is not all bad. We are quite observant at this point and I want to know what to do - if anything, about these movies.
Children's bedtime prayers
- Please tell us more about that wonderful tradition of citing the angels and the Shechinah in children's bedtime prayers; it sounds perfect for our daughter, age 4.
Explain the blessings for children.
- Why do we bless the girls on Shabbat to be as the matriarchs, while our boys are blessed to be as Ephraim and Monaseh?
How do I explain why we don't celebrate Christmas to my child?
- I have a 5 year old daughter who attends Sunday school and temple and understands that there is a difference between Christians and Jews (i.e. she points to houses lit up with lights and says Christians live there) but she still thinks that Santa will give her gifts. As my wife was not born Jewish her folks do give my daughter gifts on Christmas though we in no way celebrate it in the home (no tree, lights, celebration.) What response do I give to her insisting that even though she knows Santa does not come to Jewish peoples homes she does expect him to give her gifts. I feel that maybe she is too young to discourage this too harshly? Any advice on this and understanding Christmas for such a small child would be greatly appreciated!
How do we tell our children that their grandmother is losing her memory?
- How do we tell our children that their grandmother is losing her memory? That soon she may not remember their names? They are under ten years old. Their grandma is almost 80. She recently found her wallet in her chiller drawer of her refrigerator. She recently asked me, "who is my son's wife? All of her older sisters lived many years with the same illness.
How do you explain G-d to young children?
- How do you explain G-d to young children? How do you answer them when they ask: "Where is G-d?"
Is it ever OK to physically punish a child?
- I'm concerned about my just-12-year-old daughter (the eldest of 5 girls) and her mother. Both are headstrong. The daughter not happy. Makes angry faces. Says "I hate you" with great meaning. Says to me (too) "I wish you were dead." My question is this: is it ever OK to physically punish a 12 year old girl?
Is it OK for a Jewish kid to go a Christian youth group?
- Is it OK for a Jewish kid to go a Christian youth group?
Jewish resources on fatherhood
- I work for the National Fatherhood Initiative. As a conservative Jew, I am perplexed by the fact that we have no resources on fatherhood issues from our religion. Please inform me if you know of any Rabbi or author who studies this.
My child is disillusioned with Judaism. What should I do?
- When faced with a Jewish youth who is disillusioned with Judaism, whatdo you do to spark his interest, if anything. Are such things just normalgrowing pains, or bad up bringing?
My son says we force religion on him...
- My 14 year old son tells me that he chooses not to be Jewish, that we force his religion on him. What should we do?
Should I raise my kids Jewish if it is against their fathers wishes?
- I am a divorced 29 year old woman with two kids ages 4 and 6. The divorce was very upsetting, and my brother died shortly after. Since then my religion has become very important to me, and I want to raise my children Jewish. We have joined a reform temple and I like that to start with. However, when I was married I was agnostic, and religion was not a part of our life. My ex-husband, who sees the kids two days a week, is uncomfortable with this and does not share my views. Should I raise my kids Jewish if it is against their dad's wishes? Or should I just keep a Jewish home and let the rest follow, and not put the kids in Hebrew school, etc.?
Slapping daughters upon menstruation.
- When I got my first period at age 14 my grandmother slapped my face (gently). She told me it was a Jewish tradition. What is this tradition about?
What can we say to our son who wants to pierce his ear?
- Our son just got home from his first semester of college and wants to get his ear pierced. We are against it but he says he's 19 years old and its his body. What should we do or say?
What keeps Jewish kids Jewish?
- What factors in a child's life most impact whether he or she will later seek mates that are also Jewish when he/she grows up? Does the % of Jews in his school (assuming he/she also goes to Hebrew School and a full-time Hebrew school is unaffordable) play a large role?
Who is the real father? Bio or Adoptive?
- After a long conversation with a friend I was left to ponder the following situation. A woman becomes pregnant and the father of the child is not known. She marries another man and has her child. Under Jewish law, how does that child relate to the woman's husband? Is the husband considered the child's father automatically, of would he have to adopt the child? In either case, does the child have the same right of inheritance as another child belonging to this couple? Or, is the relationship something entirely different? Also, is the answer for a couple living in ancient times the same answer that would apply to a couple today? I hope you can help shed some light on this.
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