Parenting

Hi Rabbi - We are baal teshuva and my parents are not observant. How do we deal with this with our young kids? They do not keep shabbat, kosher etc and we dont want our kids to learn from these ways. What is the best thing to do without making an averah of kibud av ve'em? Is it ok to keep distance from them and potentially hurt their feelings if it means keeping our kids pure and observant?

Dear Rabbi, What is the best way to deal with a high school age son who eschews Torah study in favor of secular entertainment, much of that conflicts with Torah values?

If one’s parent tells their child never to do a certain activity that most people normally do, and later is deceased without ever having said otherwise, does that mean the child is forever forbidden to do that activity?

I have always thought a first born is supposed to get a greater inheritance. Unfortunately my son who is my first born has done some things that are so bad and unforgivable and he will never change his ways and I wish to cut him out of my will. Besides him, I have two wonderful daughters. I wish to split everything between them 50-50. Is this okay?

I saw your answer to a user about conversion at birth of her kids. I know several people who have had their kids converted, either shortly after birth or as toddlers, when the mother did not convert. The rabbis permitted this, because both parents wanted it. Why would your answer be different than these rabbis?

Our 24-year-old son is socially drawn to older women who have ‘motherly’ personalities rather than young men his age. His entire circle of friends is like that. His best friend is a divorced Jewish woman in her 50s who has two sons of her own around his age. He is not romantically involved with her and has no desire to be. Their friendship is purely platonic. He just considers her his best friend and they hang out together and talk on the phone a lot. This makes us uncomfortable, but we have no control over him because he is legally an adult. And his friend is older than both of us. He is planning on taking a long road trip with her this coming summer in which they camp out most nights in separate tents, occasionally stay in separate hotel rooms, and see the national parks and Disneyland. He thinks this behavior is kosher. We think otherwise. He ignores our instructions not to do this, and legally we have no recourse. What do you think as a rabbi?

I am divorced and my children are grown up. I live alone in an apartment. My parents divorced a long time ago and my mother lives by herself in another apartment a few blocks away. Besides my mother, I have no family nearby. My mother and I could save money by sharing an apartment. Neither of us ever plan to marry again. My mother still works, but she probably will retire within the next few years. Is it permitted under Jewish law for a mother and adult son to live together?