Highlighting: “Chinuch With Simchah” by Rabbi Yaakov Bender. Mesorah Publications Ltd. 2024. English. Hardcover. 256 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1422639856.
(Courtesy of Artscroll) Mothers and fathers, morahs and rebbeim and even principals and menahalim have so many questions on chinuch, especially in these challenging times. So many questions… and one address for all those looking for sensible and practical answers, firmly rooted in our Torah wisdom: Rabbi Yaakov Bender, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway.
Rabbi Bender is a nationally acclaimed rosh yeshiva who has made Darchei Torah one of the country’s premier schools, and who travels the world speaking about chinuch issues. “Chinuch With Simchah,” the fourth in this much-hailed series, once again lets parents benefit from Rabbi Bender’s wisdom, experience and insight.
Will giving a child a “kosher” MP3 player open the door to dangerous technology or will it prevent the child from discovering more problematic devices? At what age is it appropriate for a child to go to the funeral of a grandparent? Eretz Yisrael is at war and my twelve-year-old daughter wants to go to an ice cream party. Should we tell her it’s inappropriate? How should I, as a parent, and my child, deal with a courtyard bully? And what if the bully is an adult?
In “Chinuch with Simchah,” Rabbi Bender gives us answers to these and to more than 200 other pressing questions. He includes both specific guidelines and also discusses the principles of chinuch and parenting that his advice is based on.
It is quite extraordinary how much is contained in these brief questions and answers. We learn when and how to discipline and when to look away, how to understand our children’s lives and worldview, and how to foster respect without creating distance. And, yes, how to raise Torah-true, stable, happy and mentchliche, polite, children even in the 21st century. Though the answers are brief and to the point, we can feel the warmth and love that Rabbi Bender has for every child—and his decades of experience in handling the myriad challenges of chinuch today.
