Connecting Jewish Grandparents

Sharona Hassan - Grand Plan

Welcome to Connecting Jewish Grandparents, your guide to intentional Jewish grandparenting and building deep connections with your grandchildren. Each episode shares practical advice, inspiring stories, and timeless traditions to help you create a meaningful family legacy. Whether you’re a grandparent, parent, or part of the ”sandwich generation,” Connecting Jewish Grandparents offers tools to strengthen family bonds across generations. Topics include: grandparenting tips, Jewish family traditions, building strong relationships, intergenerational wisdom, parenting partnerships, family legacy, and meaningful connections with grandchildren.

  1. Jun 15

    Grandparent without Korach's Mistake I Connecting Jewish Grandparents episode 46

    Are you an aunt, uncle, or grandparent who finds yourself stepping into a parenting role you weren't meant for? It is easy to offer advice that wasn't asked for or try to control outcomes, but often, the greatest gift we can provide is understanding the boundaries of our own role. In this episode, Rabbanit Sharona Hassan dives into the biblical story of Korach. While traditionally viewed as a story of ambition, we explore the tragedy of missing the holiness of the contribution you are already making. We discuss the crucial difference between parents, who manage the daily realities of life, and grandparents, who offer the unique gifts of perspective, family history, and unconditional support. In this video, you will learn: Why the "Korach mistake" is about comparing roles rather than fulfilling your own. How to distinguish between "parenting" responsibilities (schedules, consequences) and "grandparenting" gifts (stories, wisdom, safe harbor). How to stop trying to "fix" your family dynamics and start becoming the grandparent only you can be. Whether you are struggling with boundaries or looking for more fulfillment in your family relationships, this episode offers a new perspective on being a steady, wise, and supportive presence in your loved ones' lives. Join the Grand Plan community here: grandplan.kit.com Sponsor an episode here: grandplan.kit.com/profile/sponsorship #Grandparenting #ParentingBoundaries #FamilyRelationships #BiblicalWisdom #Korach #FamilyAdvice #IntergenerationalFamily #Torah #parsha #jewishfamily #judaism

    15 min
  2. May 31

    The Mistake Even Loving Grandparents Make

    In this week's Torah portion, Beha'alotecha, Miriam and Aaron join together to discuss their brother, Moses. Their conversation may be one of the Torah's earliest examples of what family therapists call triangulation: when two family members unite around concerns about a third person rather than speaking directly with them. What can grandparents learn from this ancient family dynamic? How does triangulation show up in relationships with adult children, children-in-law, spouses, siblings, and even machatanim? And what does the Torah teach us about moving from criticism and assumption toward respect, communication, and repair? If you've ever struggled with family conflict, difficult conversations, boundaries with adult children, relationships with in-laws, Jewish grandparenting, or creating a lasting family legacy, this episode offers timeless wisdom from the Torah. Last chance to sign up for Becoming the Grandparent You Want to Be https://grandplan.kit.com/profile/wor...   Topics include: • Parshat Beha'alotecha • Miriam, Aaron, and Moses • Lashon Hara in families • Jewish grandparenting • Adult children and family relationships • Children-in-law and family dynamics • Family communication and conflict resolution • Intergenerational relationships • Jewish family life • Building a meaningful legacy • Torah wisdom for modern families • Grandparenting and family connection #Behaalotecha #TorahPortion #JewishGrandparenting #GrandPlan #FamilyRelationships #AdultChildren #LashonHara #JewishParenting #JewishLife #Parsha #JewishFamily #Legacy #Grandparents #IntergenerationalConnection #TorahWisdom

    20 min
  3. May 19

    Why Repetition Matters l Naso

    In Parashat Naso, the Torah repeats the exact same tribal donations to the Mishkan twelve separate times. A human editor probably would have written: “Each tribe brought the same offering.” But Torah repeats every gift individually. Why? In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents: the Grand Plan Podcast, Rabbanit Sharona Hassan explores how repeated acts of love, ritual, and connection shape family identity and belonging across generations. The same stories. The same blessings. The same yearly gatherings. The same recipes. The same phone calls. In a world obsessed with novelty, Torah reminds us that repetition is often what builds emotional security, resilience, and lasting family connection. Enrollment closes soon for Becoming the Grandparent You Want to Be, Grand Plan’s workshop series on joyful, intentional intergenerational connection and Jewish legacy-building. https://grandplan.kit.com/profile/wor...  Podcast episodes and weekly connection emails are also available for sponsorship in honor or memory of loved ones. https://grandplan.kit.com/profile/spo... Cheesecake truffle recipe mentioned in the episode: Cheesecake Truffles Video    • Cheesecake Truffles - Easy Cooking with Kids   This episode explores: Parashat Naso, Jewish grandparenting, and legacy, Why family rituals matter, The psychology of belonging, Repetition, memory, and identity, Building meaningful connection with grandchildren  #ParashatNaso #JewishGrandparents #Grandparenting #JewishLegacy #FamilyTraditions #JewishContinuity

    17 min
  4. May 11

    Grandchildren Need to Know Where They Belong l Bamidbar

    In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, the Grand Plan podcast Rabbanit Sharona Hassan explores one of the deepest human needs revealed in Parashat Bamidbar: the need for identity, belonging, and a place to call home. In the Torah, every shevet (tribe) had: a place in the camp, a flag, a community, a shared identity No one wandered the desert alone or disconnected from family and purpose. What does this teach us about raising connected Jewish families today? In a world where children and grandchildren are growing up increasingly disconnected from family history, community, tradition, and identity, grandparents have a unique role to play in helping the next generation know: who they are where they come from and where they belong Sharona shares a moving personal reflection about her family’s annual “Bubbie Shabbat” reunion at the Dead Sea, a tradition created by her grandmother that continues more than a decade after her passing. Through this story and the lens of Bamidbar, this episode explores how intentional family rituals create lasting Jewish continuity and emotional belonging across generations. In this episode: Parashat Bamidbar explained, Jewish identity and belonging, why family traditions matter, the psychology of belonging and resilience, how grandparents shape family legacy, Jewish continuity in a disconnected world, creating meaningful intergenerational connection, why children need strong family stories and roots Research consistently shows that children who know their family stories and feel connected to their family identity demonstrate greater resilience, emotional security, and confidence. This episode explores how Torah wisdom anticipated this truth thousands of years ago. Learn more about the Becoming the Grandparent You Want to Be workshop series with Grand Plan, designed to help grandparents build joyful, intentional, and lasting relationships with grandchildren through Jewish wisdom, practical tools, and meaningful connection. https://grandplan.kit.com/profile/workshop This episode of the Grand Plan Podcast is available for sponsorship in honor or memory of loved ones, to celebrate simchas, anniversaries, birthdays, and meaningful milestones. https://grandplan.kit.com/profile/sponsorship Interested in joining a future workshop series or bringing Grand Plan to your community? Reach out to learn more. #ParashatBamidbar #JewishGrandparents #JewishParenting #JewishLegacy #JewishContinuity #Grandparenting #FamilyConnection #JewishFamily #TorahWisdom #Belonging #Identity #JewishEducation #IntergenerationalConnection #JewishLife #Bamidbar #FamilyTraditions #JewishPodcast #Parenting #Grandchildren #LegacyBuilding

    18 min
  5. May 3

    Why Grandparents Matter Most in Hard Times | Behar Bechukotai

    In this episode of the Grand Plan Podcast: Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Rabbanit Sharona Hassan explores a powerful question:  What happens when life doesn’t go according to plan? Drawing on Parshat Bechukotai, this episode dives into the Torah’s framework for disconnection, misalignment, and the path back to clarity and connection. Sharona unpacks: Why the Torah emphasizes awareness before correction The deeper meaning of “Briti Yaakov, Briti Yitzchak, Briti Avraham” Why relationships begin with what’s closest to us The surprising role of the Matriarchs (Sarah, Rivka, Rachel) in shaping legacy The hidden message in Yaakov’s name and its connection to redemption How Elijah the Prophet (Eliyahu Hanavi) represents hope across generations Why grandparents are essential anchors of Jewish continuity This episode is a powerful reflection on identity, legacy, and the emotional inheritance we pass down, especially in times of uncertainty. If you're a grandparent, parent, or someone thinking about your legacy, this conversation will shift how you see your role in the Jewish story. Sponsored in loving memory of Ilya Gamel Want to sponsor an episode in honour or memory of a loved one? Click here: https://grandplan.kit.com/profile/sponsorship Want to unpack more about your place as a Jewish grandparent in the legacy left by the patriarchs and matriachs? Learn more here: https://grandplan.kit.com/profile/workshop   #JewishGrandparents #ParshatBechukotai #JewishLegacy #TorahWisdom #FamilyConnection #EliyahuHanavi #JewishParenting #Grandparenting #JewishContinuity #LegacyBuilding

    14 min

About

Welcome to Connecting Jewish Grandparents, your guide to intentional Jewish grandparenting and building deep connections with your grandchildren. Each episode shares practical advice, inspiring stories, and timeless traditions to help you create a meaningful family legacy. Whether you’re a grandparent, parent, or part of the ”sandwich generation,” Connecting Jewish Grandparents offers tools to strengthen family bonds across generations. Topics include: grandparenting tips, Jewish family traditions, building strong relationships, intergenerational wisdom, parenting partnerships, family legacy, and meaningful connections with grandchildren.