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What does Yiras Shamayim really mean?Rabbi Greenwald and Rabbi Yudkowsky challenge the common assumption that fear of Heaven means anxiety, dread, or living under constant pressure. They explore the difference between unhealthy fear and a kind of fear that deepens a person’s life, relationships, and inner world.The discussion moves from childhood ideas of punishment and consequence into something much deeper. They talk about how we can help children develop yirah, why bad metaphors about Hashem can be so damaging, how values are absorbed through modeling, and why skipping stages can create confusion or even religious trauma.This is a conversation about moving from fear that constricts a person to one that opens a person up.Timestamps00:00 Fear That Protects Love02:06 Bad Metaphors About Hashem03:08 Parenting Respect Not Terror10:33 Three Levels Of Yiras Shamayim29:05 Awe Of Greatness In Practice36:21 Expanding the Self39:19 Modeling Values41:24 Trauma and Fear53:41 Truth and Love

As Pesach approaches, many families feel the pressure long before they feel the joy.In this conversation, Rabbi Greenwald and Rabbi Yudkowsky explore how to prepare for the Seder in a way that is calmer, sweeter, and more connected. The atmosphere we create around Pesach shapes what our children will carry with them for years to come.They share practical preparation to the deeper meaning of the Seder itself: how parents can make Yetzias Mitzrayim feel alive, how to speak to different kinds of children, and how the four sons are not just four personalities around the table, but parts of every one of us.They also explores the tension built into the Seder night itself: pain and praise, struggle and freedom, brokenness and redemption. What does it mean to begin with degradation and end with praise? How do we help children, and ourselves, move from constriction to expansiveness?Time Stamps:00:00 Gratitude Mindset Reset04:12 Make Prep Enjoyable07:25 Joyful Yiddishkeit09:31 Seder Prep Tips12:34 Keep Kids Engaged15:45 Four Sons Framework17:49 Archetypes In All Of Us36:02 Making Exodus Personal40:14 Opening Every Child42:36 Labels That Wound49:30 Answering the Wise Son54:53 From Degradation to Praise01:09:21 Darkness Becomes Light01:14:06 Emunah in the Night----------Listen to the Seder Crash Course Here: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/9c36d857-cba7-477a-afe0-91ed790b6edf.mp3

In this episode, Rabbi Greenwald and Rabbi Yudkowsky tackle a challenge that many parents feel deeply but struggle to explain: the difference between yelling and hitting today vs earlier generations.They explore shifts in children, parents, and society, and contemporary consequences of traditional discipline.Along the way, they touch on anger, fear, authority, self-control, and the deeper goal of parenting.This conversation does not just ask what works. It asks what a child is actually hearing beneath the reaction, and what kind of person a parent is trying to shape over time.For anyone who has ever lost their cool, questioned their instincts, or wondered how to be firm without causing harm, this episode can be a huge help.00:00 Hitting and Yelling?01:49 What changed?08:00 Lessons in a Slap13:13 Building Inner Motivation14:22 Is There Hope For Parents?16:50 Two Kinds Of Discipline18:55 Unconscious, automatic reactions23:44 Rewiring Discipline Beliefs24:40 Child runs into the street - effective intervention.28:48 When Firmness Is Necessary32:48 Cultivating Calm At Home41:31 Letting Teens Choose Well43:35 Building Real Free Will

In this conversation, Rabbi Yudkowsky and Rabbi Greenwald delve into the subject of friendship, for ourselves and for our children.Rabbi Greenwald outlines three fundamental elements of friendship - the role they play in our lives and the core of true friendships.It also addresses the pain of rejected friendships, especially in children, and how parents can guide their children in building meaningful relationships.Next the conversation touches on the different types of friendships, their benefits, and what sets enduring friendships apart from more transient relationships.It concludes with noting how nurturing and investing in friendships enhances individual and collective well-being.-----------------------Check out Rabbi Greenwald new book:https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422645352.html

Rabbi Yudkowsky and Rabbi Greenwald explore one of the most complex and emotionally charged challenges of parenting: trust. This is episode two of a three-part series focused on what it truly means to trust our children.The rabbis unpack some common fears that if unacknowledged or ignored can block our ability to trust.They distinguish between external compliance vs internal motivation -- obedience driven by pressure or fear and growth that emerges from choice, ownership, and self-direction. They challenge the assumption that constant intervention leads to better outcomes, examining the subversive impact of control on a child’s confidence, agency, and long-term development.The conversation extends into the religious and spiritual realm, considering the difference between cultivating authentic connection to mitzvot and values as opposed to outward conformity.They describe how trusting our children is an outgrowth of trusting ourselves and having the courage to give our children space to struggle, learn, and grow.Ultimately, this episode reframes trust as an act of faith in the process of growth and in our children’s potential. And it explains how meaningful connection—both in parenting and in Avodas Hashem—cannot be forced, only nurtured. 9f9tjijf-----------------------Check out Rabbi Greenwald new book:https://www.artscroll.com/Books/9781422645352.html