The Language of Ahava: Recent Episodes
Rabbi David Steinhardt and Karen Deerwester
This is the final episode of this podcast season. What better finale than to bring Dads into the spotlight! We have two very special dads joining Rabbi Steinhardt and me on today's conversation. Welcome to Jamey Eisenberg and to Karl Kaufman - two amazing, thoughtful and loving Dads who are care very much about raising little people who are equally thoughtful and loving. But I know that gets complicated when children are little and parents are trying to connect all the dots. Listen in as we talk about Dad Life, Dad friendships and the role models help shape fatherhood. You will love this episode!
Today is one of those special conversations that began when Tobi Steinhardt shared a book she made for her grandson and I knew immediately that her process and her gift needed to be shared with other families. It was a photo book of A Very Strange Year - the Covid Year! And the questions I want to ask are: What will be your family story? What do you want to remember from these historic times? How will you frame experiences that flipped "normal" into something completely unprecedented?
To help us answer these question, we also have Dr. Caren Neile joining us. Caren is a magnificent storyteller herself and she teaches all of us to be better storytellers. Dr. Neille has taught storytelling studies at Florida Atlantic University for over 20 years. She is an author and co-produces and co-hosts The Public Storyteller weekly segment on Florida Public Radio WLRN, as well as countless storytelling events. Caren is the perfect guest to help us curate our own family stories and navigate all the layers of emotions and memories of these Covid years. You can find out more about Caren's work at www.carenneile.com
It's a mitzvah to be happy but is it possible? Is it authentic? Should we pretend to be happy in front of our children? Always? Sometimes? Should we ask our children to be happy...despite how they are feeling? How do we validate our emotions and still strive for joy? How can we laugh when there is suffering - in the world and even in our children's experiences?
It's not surprising that the "answers" to so many Jewish questions are layered and nuanced - giving focus and perspective to living in complicated times. Listen to this great conversation with Josh Flig and Rhiannon Reichenbach as we try to find a way to be present for our children while connecting to essential values and emotional skill building.
Thank you to our awesome guests this week!!!
When was the "last normal school year"? For 12th Graders, it was 9th Grade. For 6th Graders, it was 3rd Grade. For Kindergartners through 2nd Grade, NEVER! Our preK children were in the 2's. And our Family Time children are all "Covid babies" born during the pandemic!
So, we want to know: How has the isolation, the masking, the social precautions, the talk of catching and/or spreading a virus shaped our children? Is it a short term hiccup based on changes in children's social routines or will there be long term losses and gains that will change social and educational assumptions for a large number of children?
With co-host, Rabbi David Steinhardt and Dr. Marnee Schneider, a Pediatric Clinical Neuropsychologist from www.drmschneider.com
We bring you Part 2 of Hard Conversations with Kids. Rabbi Steinhardt sets our focus on children this week - What do our children need from us when they ask complex, almost unanswerable questions? Who do they need us to be? How can we bring comfort in an uncertain world? The conversation unites us all. And maybe...G-d is in the connection as we come together to help each other in difficult times.
Thank you again to Allison Sherman for bringing a heart-focus to our listening. To Avi Steinhardt, LCSW from AviSteinhardt.com, for helping us appreciate these are exceptional times and the struggle is real and on-going. To Louie, our favorite Blue Monster @MonsterInsight on Facebook and Instagram, for seeing what humans miss in themselves. And to our most fabulous co-host, Rabbi David Steinhardt for helping us to live better with empathy and connections.
Why doesn't G-d make Covid go away! Join us as we explore how to answer really hard questions from children when we are struggling with the same questions. How can parents be brave and positive in the face of on-going stress and uncertainty - should they even try? Listen to Rabbi David Steinhardt, psychotherapist and poet Avi Steinhardt, Louie the Blue Monster's observations of being human, and our friend and colleague Allison Sherman asking the really hard parent questions.
Rabbi Steinhardt describes seeing and living with a Jewish lens - one of empathy, care for one another, right action, of living with purpose and meaning bigger than ourselves! Karen and Rabbi discuss the possibility that there might be a "jewish imagination" for those who don't identify as "religiously" Jewish but who live Jewish values with thoughtfulness and intention. Maybe we can call it a "Jewish heart".
Happy 2022 & Shabbat Shalom!
Bedtime songs, stories and prayers are most definitely the “the language of ahava”!!! No matter how busy or long the day, children thrive with these special routines and connections. We thank our Dad Guests, Dustin Kebre, dad of two boys and M.A., LMFT at Boca Raton Counseling Center, and Howard Davis, dad of three with one-on-the-way who is managing 98% of bedtime routines! Thank you Dads for all you are and all you teach!!!
Rabbi Steinhardt discusses the role of ritual in times of "transition" and "darkness" and remembers his own dad-exhaustion when his children were little. We hope you find comfort, security and love at the end of your day. Shabbat Shalom for this week!
Everyone agrees. Hanukkah is not a Jewish Christmas! Yet, each family can choose traditions and meaningful celebrations that reflect their individual families and the diverse culture we live in. Rabbi David Steinhardt reminds us that when children are grounded in Jewish traditions and Jewish identity, they will understand the meaning of Hanukkah even with a little "glam and glitz" added to their celebrations.
With enormous gratitude to our awesome guests: Amiee Mittleman, Rachel Sobel from WhineandCheezits.com, and Naomi Gordon, ECC Director at B'nai Torah Congregation of Boca Raton.
Surely, the Grandparent Club is truly the best club to be in! Yet, the grandparent relationship, especially with grown children, can get complicated in this modern world. Listen to this celebration of Jewish ideals and values, to connections of Ahava, as grandparents, parents and grandchildren live and love with thoughtfulness and sensitivity.
With a very special thank you to Gail and Marshall Burack for being extraordinary guests on this podcast.
"I AM a Jewish Mother" is a conversation to honor the strength and joys of being a Jewish Mother. Listen as three Jewish moms describe what being a Jewish mom means to them. Each mom is unique. Each family history is different. Yet, there are critical shared values and a shared voice. I think the final question should be to Rabbi Steinhardt: are the unflattering stereotypes of past generations losing some of their relevance? So many questions still remain of female power in the home versus in the world, of choosing to live Jewishly in a diverse and secular world, of roles and culture. To be continued...
Everyone wants and needs peace - peace within, peace in our families, peace in our world. But is it even possible when you are living with young children? Listen to this conversation with Rabbi David Steinhardt, Morah Laura Lenes and Adiel Hoch, dad of a toddler with one more on the way. Peace may be defined as equanimity, wholeness, balance, connecting to the "now". But it's definitely shared...Shabbat Shalom!
The title of this episode is where Ahaha Shabbat began 4 years ago - bringing nature to the center of a multi-sensory, outdoor Shabbat experience for families with young children. Rabbi David Steinhardt reminds us “In every blade of grass there is a song. In every blade of grass there is a prayer”. Let’s use this Shabbat-Nature connection to slow down, to pause to truly see the beauty around us, to learn to be caretakers of nature and each other. And through children’s eyes, we can reconnect to what is essential for peace and happiness. Let's hug a tree today. Shabbat Shalom!
What is a "Modern Jewish Family"? How is Jewish family life changing in a modern world of busyness and other commitments? How is it the same, holding onto essential values and meaningful traditions? This podcast goes from "faking it" to authenticity very quickly in a thoughtful conversation among friends who are truly and fabulously the best of "modern Jewish families"!
Rabbi Steinhardt shares the Schehechyanu Blessing as a way of celebrating "firsts" - first steps, first days of school, the firsts of a new year! What if...we sanctify moments, choose to live with awareness, connect to gratitude, to the miraculous moments in a day? I believe we give our children a gift - to live with joy and hope!
Listen to the end to hear Rabbi's blessing over the children, over grown children trying to live in light!
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Steinhardt and Karen are joined by Rabbi Amy Pessah for a thoughtful conversation on meaningful ways to say your sorry. Empathy, caring and connections all come together as we acknowledge our mistakes and learning to do better. Yom Kippur "lessons" for grown-ups and children who are less than perfect.
For more info about Rabbi Amy Pessah, check out her website - ASoulfulJourney.com and her book, Parenting on a Prayer at benyehudapress.com
Karen and Rabbi David Steinhardt talk with psychotherapist, Avi Steinhardt, and Louis, the Blue Monster about MONSTER BIG FEELINGS!!! Always so much to learn for our Monster-Friend, including how to honor the wild feelings while feeling safe and protected.
Check out Avi & Louie's videos on Instagram and Facebook - at Monster Insight
Rabbi Steinhardt reminds us we can be ok with sadness, in ourselves and in others. When we hear the shofar this year, listen for the cries. It's a time for reflection and open-hearted listening. The lessons of emotional intelligence, of feelings, are as true in Judaism as they are in Early Childhood.
Rabbi Steinhardt reminds us that the questions that lead us home are: Who are we? Where are we? How are we? Let's live with the awareness that we are not perfect, that we can't live "unapologetically". We can live finding new beginnings in our mistakes and learning together.
Welcome to our first Ahava Podcast! Rabbi David Steinhardt and I talk about bringing more love, Ahava, into day-to-day life. We are exploring connections to children, to families, to community, and to ourselves. In this Episode, we talk about Getting Ready for Rosh Hashanah - anticipation or anxiety? Let's "get ready" together...with rituals and trust!