One of the most painful challenges for religious Jews is when a child leaves Orthodoxy – in the colloquial phrase, goes off the derech. This event can elicit many different emotional reactions, from anger, to guilt, to sadness, to feelings of rejection, to fears about their other children, to concerns about what the neighbors will say, and much more.
Rabbi Menachem Bombach of Beitar Illit in Israel and the director of the Netzach Hareidi Educational Network, has done a tremendous service by publicly discussing his own experience of parenting a child who is no longer part of the Orthodox community. He wrote a blog post in the Times of Israel entitled Thou Shalt Love Your Child Who Leaves Religion and describes forthrightly the challenges and opportunities for parents who face this difficult situation.
Please listen to and share the podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).
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Music: “Happy Rock” by bensound.com