Parenting, Education, and Future Generations
Rabbi Landau's answers on raising children, teaching by example, and passing a living Yiddishkeit to the next generation.
Are boundaries a form of love for children?
Giving in can look like love. Rabbi Landau explains why authority and direction are part of what a child needs to receive.
Are some children just born rebellious?
The wise son and the rebellious son ask nearly the same question. Rabbi Landau explains what really separates them, and what turns a weakness into an identity.
Can a tzaddik's wish still be fulfilled after he is gone?
The Rivnitzer Rebbe always said he wanted a yeshiva after him. Rabbi Landau tells what a great mekubal said once that yeshiva finally opened.
Do children learn more from what we teach them or from who we are?
Children pick up tone, not just words, and they can tell what you really care about. Rabbi Landau on why the air of a home teaches more than its lessons.
How can I make my children want to follow my beliefs?
Children watch what believing does to their parents. Rabbi Landau explains why joy is part of the message, not an extra.
How do I balance being loving and being strict as a parent?
Always yes and always no both fail a child. Rabbi Landau lays out the Torah’s two-handed model: firm voice, soft eyes.
How do you help a child go far in life without pushing them?
Pushing a child forward feels like the way to greatness. Rabbi Landau uses the archer’s bow to show why closeness is what actually sends a child far.
Is giving my child everything at once the best way to love him?
An unlimited credit card can cut a child off from home. Rabbi Landau on the kind of giving that keeps a child connected to his source.
Is it bad to always say yes to my child?
Saying yes to everything can feel like love. Rabbi Landau says it is closer to abandonment, and explains what a child needs instead.
Should I confront my child the moment I catch him doing something wrong?
Yaakov Avinu knew what his sons had done and waited until the end of his life to say it. Rabbi Landau draws a lesson for parents who want to catch their child in the act.
Should parents accept a child who has stopped keeping Shabbos?
Accepting a struggling child can quietly tell him you have given up on him. Rabbi Landau explains why believing in him is something different, and why children feel the difference.
What does “discipline your child, for there is hope” really warn parents about?
Most people read this verse as being about strictness. Rabbi Landau finds a deeper warning inside it about the parent’s own life.
What does “Don’t say come back tomorrow and I’ll give” mean?
Shlomo HaMelech warned against putting off a gift you can give now. Rabbi Landau explains why timing is part of the gift.
What does it mean that adults are warned about the children?
Chazal say to warn the adults about the children. Rabbi Landau explains why that warning is about who the adult is.
What does it mean to parent selflessly?
A child is not there to validate a parent or reflect them back. Rabbi Landau explains the selfless question every parent should be asking.
What does it mean to serve Hashem with joy?
Obeying and crowning are not the same thing. Rabbi Landau explains why joy is how a person shows he chose Hashem.
What does “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children” mean for parents?
King David compared children to arrows. Rabbi Landau explains what a warrior actually does with an arrow, and what that asks of a parent.
What is the difference between building a child and managing a child?
A contractor and a manager both work on a building, but only one leaves something standing behind him. Rabbi Landau uses that difference to explain what chinuch is really meant to be.
What is the difference between the wise son and the wicked son in the Haggadah?
The two sons sit at the same Seder table asking almost the same thing. Rabbi Landau shows what made them turn out so differently.
What’s wrong with pushing my child to achieve what I never did?
Sometimes the pressure on a child comes from a parent’s own unfinished story. Rabbi Landau reads an old verse as a warning every loving parent needs to hear.
When is the best time to give my children an inheritance?
The same amount of money can build a life or arrive too late to matter. Rabbi Landau on why an inheritance is about the moment, not the sum.
Why did Yaakov wait until the end of his life to rebuke his sons?
Yaakov Avinu kept silent for years about what his sons had done. Rabbi Landau explains why he waited, and what it means for parents.
Why do my children ignore what I tell them?
When words and life don’t match, children follow the life. Rabbi Landau reads the verse of teaching your children as a lesson in example.
Why does a struggling child stay away from the Shabbos table?
A child can feel judged at the Shabbos table without a single word being spoken. Rabbi Landau explains what the child is really sensing.