Connecting Kids to Hashem: Parenting Tips | Rav Chaim Marcus

Welcome back to another episode of The Jews Next Dor! Rav Chaim Marcus. It is an absolute pleasure to be sitting with Rabbi Chaim Marcus who currently serves as the Rabbi of Congregation Israel in Springfield, NJ, The Director of Yeshivat Reishit’s American Office, and Rebbe at Bruriah High School for girls and Camp Kaylie. Previously, Rabbi Marcus was the S’gan Mashgiach at Yeshiva University and a Rebbe at JEC and Camp Mesorah. He is well known for inspiring his audiences (adults, teens, and children alike) to be the very best Jews that they can be.

In this episode, we discuss various parenting topics and strategies for raising children with strong Jewish values and connections to Tefillah, Shabbat, and Hashem through open communication, modeling behaviors, and finding meaningful ways to engage at different ages.

Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 00:57 Rav Chaim Marcus’s background and family 06:13 How does Rav Chaim parent his children? 08:06 Helping kids connect to Hashem 10:26 How to talk to children about Hashem 15:02 Reasonable expectations from children 18:39 Rav Chamim’s goal as a shul rabbi 24:05 How to make shul exciting for kids? 27:13 Most common parenting issues 32:38 The advice to parents 35:59 The importance of Tefillah