Asking For A Friend - Timely Issues. Timeless Torah.

Kehillas Federation
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Asking For A Friend is a podcast where real life dilemmas meet clear, thoughtful Torah perspective. Hosted by Mena Reisner, each episode features conversations with Rabbi Zimmerman, Dayan Hool, or Dayan Posen, Rabbonim with decades of experience in mediation, dinei Torah, shidduchim, family dynamics, business disputes, and the complex situations people face every day. It’s not personal psak and it’s not a shiur. Just honest, grounded discussion on the issues people grapple with behind closed doors, and how timeless Torah principles guide us through them. New episodes every two weeks. Questions or suggestions: podcast@federation.org.uk.

Episodes

  1. 1 FEB

    #4: Sholom Bayis in Our Generation: With Rabbi Zimmerman

    In the first part of The Marriage Series, Rabbi Zimmerman discusses marriage, sholom bayis, and what building a Jewish home actually requires in real life. Together they explore questions many couples carry but rarely articulate, what a good marriage truly looks like, why so many homes feel under strain, how comparison and expectations affect relationships, how couples deal with recurring conflict, and how hashkafic differences such as tznius and kashrus should be navigated within a home. Please send in questions to podcast@federation.org.uk   Timestamps: - 00:00:00 Intro, podcast overview, listener feedback, series framing, episode topic announced (marriage & shalom bayis)   - 00:03:02 Rabbi Zimmerman: purpose of marriage, ahava as giving, definition of shalom bayis (harmony)   - 00:08:02 Discussion: effort in marriage vs. natural compatibility; symphony analogy for differences   - 00:09:29 What a bad marriage looks like (transactional, taker-focused)   - 00:10:11 Role of warmth, respect, and mediums that sustain shalom bayis   - 00:13:04 Core trait for longevity: thinking about/giving to the other (two givers)   - 00:15:07 Should rabbis be involved? Proactive education vs. case triage; rabbi skill sets   - 00:23:11 Triage: distinguishing shalom bayis issues from personal/clinical issues   - 00:26:15 Blame, entitlement, and the “kugel” analogy (destructive blame patterns)   - 00:28:51 Dangers of too many advisory voices; seeking perspective vs. decisions   - 00:33:30 When to seek therapy/professional help; targeted goals; asking for help not weakness   - 00:38:34 Divorce vs. unhappy marriages: higher divorce rate but similar levels of unhappiness   - 00:45:15 Comparisons and social media: harmful, often false benchmarks   - 00:50:07 Divorce as last resort; cases where separation may create shalom   - 00:53:43 Staying together for children: weigh true benefit vs. harm to children/parents   - 01:03:31 Reducing recurring bickering: acceptance, asking halachic guidance, ongoing work   - 01:07:56 Hashkafic/minhag differences: coexistence if not harming the other or the children   - 01:15:37 Practical examples and closing remarks

    1h 18m

  2. 18 JAN

    #3: Sibling Rivalry and Family Dynamics: With Dayan Posen

    Dayan Posen examines sibling rivalry through a halachic and human lens. Why do siblings compete so intensely for parental attention? How much damage does perceived favouritism cause, even years later? What should parents be careful about at the Shabbos table, around praise, or when helping children differently? And when old grievances resurface in adulthood, is reconciliation always the goal, or are boundaries sometimes healthier? A fascinating discussion on how family dynamics shape children long after they leave the home.   Timestamps: 0:00:00 — Intro / episode overview   0:02:13 — Cause of sibling rivalry explained   0:03:35 — Comparison to peer conflicts   0:03:56 — Home as safe space / jealousy effects   0:04:53 — Parents’ limited bandwidth / favoritism question   0:06:08 — Yaakov–Yosef lesson on visible favoritism   0:09:36 — Will case causing family estrangement   0:10:20 — Halachic note on wills / differentiation   0:11:44 — Emotional vs. financial harm discussion   0:12:04 — Discreet parental help vs. public recognition   0:12:31 — Question: treat children equally day-to-day?   0:13:11 — Tailored parenting  0:13:39 — One-on-one time recommendations   0:15:18 — Practical rotation / monthly outings example   0:15:46 — Anecdote about small moments mattering   0:17:19 — Sponsor acknowledgment / dedication   0:17:40 — Remarks about the dedicatee   0:18:14 — Return to topic / impact of distractions   0:19:42 — Shabbos table as educational opportunity   0:22:30 — Managing Shabbos Q&A / tailored quizzes   0:23:26 — Guests vs. prioritizing family time   0:25:12 — Balancing parents’ needs and relationship-building   0:25:42 — Value of sharing real-life stories with children   0:27:29 — Adult grievances / moving on question   0:30:37 — Mediation: misunderstandings / “filling in the dots”   0:31:15 — When to air grievances / sleep on it advice   0:32:08 — Confrontation timing / calm approach   0:32:56 — Discussing issues with parents   0:33:57 — Children questioning favoritism / letter suggestion   0:34:30 — Writing letters as therapeutic tool   0:37:31 — Letters can facilitate dialogue / validation   0:38:44 — Spouses: can help or inflame rifts   0:41:19 — Depth of sibling wounds / impact on self-worth   0:42:07 — Report-card approach: emphasize effort first   0:44:09 — Potential for healing long-standing rifts   0:44:59 — Reconciliation depends on context / toxicity caveat   0:46:19 — Closing / episode wrap-up and call for feedback

    47 min

  3. 5 JAN

    #2: Getting Your Child Into School Today : With Dayan Hool

    Dayan Hool addresses the realities and dilemmas around school admissions today. What can a school reasonably expect from parents? What responsibility does it have to children left without a place? How should families balance what’s right for their child with communal norms, donor influence or social pressure? And when is opening a new school actually the correct solution? A clear, grounded look at an issue that affects almost every frum family.   Timestamps [0:00:00] - Podcast Introduction: "Asking for a Friend" Episode 2 [0:00:30] - Dayan Biography: Dayan Hool [0:01:30] - Topic Overview: School Admissions [0:02:30] - Halachic Framework for School Admission Policies [0:12:39] - Parental Behavior and School Admission Criteria [0:36:54] - Handling Children Without School Places [0:48:21] - Discussion on Opening New Schools [0:55:36] - Parents' Strategies for School Admission

    1h 1m

  4. 21/12/2025

    #1: Bringing Up Children in Today’s Generation: With Rabbi Zimmerman

    In the first episode of Asking for a Friend, Mena Reisner sits down with Rabbi Zimmerman to explore the questions shaping today’s Jewish childhood. Why are so many more children anxious? Has therapy become too normalised? Should parents be concerned about the sheer amount of instant frum entertainment? What should we make of teenagers constantly travelling abroad? And how does a parent respond when a child says, “But everyone in my class has it”? A wide-ranging and honest conversation that opens the series by giving voice to the dilemmas parents think about all the time but rarely discuss openly.   Chapters: [0:00:00] Introduction to Podcast and Purpose [0:02:53] Resilience and Adversity in Modern Childhood [0:07:21] Emotional Understanding vs. Emotional Determination [0:09:06] Therapy - Purpose and Pitfalls [0:10:10] Labels and Diagnoses in Modern Education [0:15:31] Spoiled Generations and Parental Influence [0:19:36] Responding to Religious or Educational Drift [0:24:27] Navigating Teenage Trips and Social Pressures [0:58:41] School Selection and Expectations [1:05:36] Defining Success Beyond Traditional Paths [1:12:54] Closing: Back to Basics [1:14:01] Closing Remarks and Listener Invitation

    1h 16m

  5. 04/12/2025

    Introducing: Asking For A Friend

    Asking For A Friend is a new podcast from Kehillas Federation, exploring the real questions that come up in everyday life, in halacha, hashkafa, chinuch, relationships, community, and everything in between. Hosted by Mena Reisner, each episode features one of the Federation’s senior Dayonim, Rabbi S. F. Zimmerman, Dayan Posen, or Dayan Hool, offering grounded Torah perspective drawn from years of guiding families and communities. This trailer offers a first look at the conversations to come. New episodes every two weeks. Please email podcast@federation.org.uk with your questions & feedback...

    3 min

Trailer

About

Asking For A Friend is a podcast where real life dilemmas meet clear, thoughtful Torah perspective. Hosted by Mena Reisner, each episode features conversations with Rabbi Zimmerman, Dayan Hool, or Dayan Posen, Rabbonim with decades of experience in mediation, dinei Torah, shidduchim, family dynamics, business disputes, and the complex situations people face every day. It’s not personal psak and it’s not a shiur. Just honest, grounded discussion on the issues people grapple with behind closed doors, and how timeless Torah principles guide us through them. New episodes every two weeks. Questions or suggestions: podcast@federation.org.uk.

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