Connecting Jewish Grandparents

Yitro: The Art of Honor

In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona explores Parashat Yitro and the Ten Commandments through a modern, family-centered lens, with a focus on the fifth commandment: honoring parents. What does honoring parents look like today, especially as adults and grandparents? This episode reframes the commandment as more than something we demand. It is something we model. Honor grows from how we treat others, respect boundaries, speak with kindness, and allow our children and grandchildren to be themselves. Sharona explores how honoring parents bridges our relationship with God and our relationships with people, and how grandchildren learn respect by watching the adults in their lives. The episode offers practical reflection questions and simple actions to help foster closeness, dignity, and connection across generations. Listeners are invited to consider how they want to be remembered and what kind of ancestor they hope to become. If you are a Jewish grandparent or parent looking to strengthen family relationships and build a meaningful legacy through Jewish wisdom, this episode is for you. To enhance your grandparenting, connect with Sharona and Grand Plan www.grandplan.kit.com To join the Grandparenting Circle with Chai Mitzvah click here. https://www.chaimitzvah.org/events/grandparents-circle/

Tu B'shvat: Practical Ways to Grow

In this special Tu b’Shvat episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, Sharona is joined by Nina Woldin from Chai Mitzvah to share practical, joyful ideas for celebrating Tu b’Shevat with grandchildren.
Many Jewish holidays require planning, preparation, and a lot of energy. Tu b’Shvat is different. It is light, flexible, and ideal for building intergenerational connection without pressure. This episode offers concrete tips Jewish grandparents can use right away, whether grandchildren live nearby or far away.
Click here to join GRANDparents’ Circle, a monthly virtual gathering for Jewish grandparents seeking connection, learning, and community.
Here is the link to FREE Tu b’Shvat Haggadah, activities, and other resources to help you celebrate meaningfully.
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If you are a Jewish grandparent looking for easy, meaningful ways to connect with your grandchildren through Jewish holidays, this Tu b’Shvat episode is for you.

Bo: The First Mitzvah of Freedom

In Parashat Bo, the Jewish people receive their first commandment while they are still enslaved. Surprisingly, it is not about escape or survival. It is Rosh Chodesh, the sanctification of time. Freedom begins with the ability to claim ownership over one’s time. In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, we explore how this Torah insight speaks to modern grandparenthood. Many grandparents experience a quiet loss of autonomy, whether through constant childcare, blurred boundaries, or the challenge of maintaining meaningful connection across distance. Through the lens of Bo, this episode offers practical guidance for reclaiming time, setting loving boundaries, and creating intentional rhythms of connection. These ideas sit at the heart of the Grand Plan approach to grandparenting, helping grandparents move from obligation to purpose. Listen now and discover how reclaiming your time can become your first step toward freedom. Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy Learn more: https://grandplan.kit.com/ Excited about the upcoming Tu b'Shvat Episode with Chai Mitzvah? Download the FREE resources now. https://www.chaimitzvah.org/product/sample-tu-bshvat-activities/

Vaera: Clarity in a World of Uneven Realities

Parashat Vaera shows us something striking. The Egyptians and the Israelites live in the same place, yet experience completely different realities. Plagues fall on one while the other remains untouched. In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, we explore how this Torah insight speaks to modern life. From social media comparisons to conversations with friends whose children or grandchildren seem to be thriving, many grandparents quietly wonder why their own reality feels so different. This episode offers a Torah-grounded way to move beyond comparison and toward clarity, perspective, and peace. Through the lens of Vaera, we explore how to stay rooted in your values and relationships even when life feels uneven. If you are ready to shift from comparison to growth, I also share how coaching can support you in creating a more aligned and meaningful next chapter. Listen now and find clarity in a world of uneven realities. If you are ready to move from feeling stuck to living with greater clarity and purpose, Grand Plan coaching offers a supportive Torah grounded space to imagine your legacy and take meaningful steps toward it. Book a FREE Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy Learn more: https://grandplan.kit.com/ Excited about the upcoming Tu b'Shvat Episode with Chai Mitzvah? Download the FREE resources now. https://www.chaimitzvah.org/product/sample-tu-bshvat-activities/

Shemot: Working Towards Freedom

Parashat Shemot opens the story of Exodus with a quiet truth. The Israelites did not recognize their enslavement all at once. It unfolded gradually, through comfort, fear, and loss of choice. In this episode of Connecting Jewish Grandparents, we explore how Shemot helps us notice where we may feel stuck or disconnected in our own lives. Not only as grandparents, but as people living in a fast, distracted world. Through Torah wisdom and practical reflection, this episode asks: Where might I feel enslaved today? What kind of freedom do I want for myself and for my grandchildren? And what small step could begin a journey toward redemption? Redemption in Torah is not instant. It begins with awareness, commitment, and a willingness to be guided. This episode offers a simple, actionable takeaway for grandparents who want to live more intentionally and pass on values through presence, not perfection. If you are ready to move from feeling stuck to living with greater clarity and purpose, Grand Plan coaching offers a supportive Torah grounded space to imagine your legacy and take meaningful steps toward it.
Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan
Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy
Learn more:  https://grandplan.kit.com

Vayechi: Blessing Our Real Offspring, Not the Family of Our Dreams

What happens when the family we imagined is not the family we received?
In this episode, we turn to Parashat Vayechi and Yaakov’s final blessings to explore one of the most tender challenges of parenthood and grandparenthood. Learning how to bless the children and grandchildren we actually have, not the ones we once dreamed of.
Yaakov does not offer equal or idealized blessings. He sees his children clearly, with honesty, disappointment, love, and courage. Through the crossed hands of Ephraim and Menashe, we learn that blessing is not about control or approval, but about truly seeing who stands before us.
This episode speaks directly to grandparents navigating differences in values, religious choices, family structures, and life paths. It offers a compassionate reframe for grief, pride, and love that often coexist, along with practical reflections for blessing without fixing.
If you have ever felt proud and heartbroken at the same time, this episode is for you. A powerful conversation about legacy, letting go, and the kind of love that makes room for who our descendants are becoming.
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Vayigash: Moving to Your Grandchildren: Gift or Quiet Enslavement?

Moving closer to your grandchildren is often framed as the ultimate act of love. But what happens when that gift slowly becomes a loss of freedom, identity, or voice? In this episode on Parashat Vayigash, we examine Yaakov’s descent to Egypt as both a reunion and the beginning of bondage. What starts as safety, abundance, and family closeness quietly turns into dependency and constraint. It is a story many grandparents recognize today. This conversation explores the unspoken emotional costs of relocating for family, the joy of being needed, the danger of over-sacrifice, and how love can turn into obligation when boundaries are not named. Whether you are considering a move, have already relocated, or feel torn between gratitude and resentment, this episode offers Torah-rooted insight and practical wisdom for staying connected without losing yourself. Honest. Uncomfortable. Essential listening for grandparents navigating proximity, purpose, and choice.
Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan
Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy
Learn more about Grand Plan → bit.ly/GrandPland

Hanukkah: How do we find light amid the darkness?

This week’s podcast is a special Hanukkah episode for grandparents who are holding both joy and grief at the same time. Hanukkah is not a holiday of easy happiness. It is a holiday of fragile light, lit precisely when the world feels uncertain. In this episode, we explore what grandparents uniquely offer during moments like these: emotional safety, ritual, continuity, and love. We talk about how simple acts, lighting candles, music, comfort foods, sharing stories, and creating warmth, shape how children experience Jewish life and resilience. This is not about pretending everything is okay. It is about choosing presence, meaning, and connection anyway. If you are a grandparent wondering how to celebrate Hanukkah with intention, comfort your grandchildren, and model Jewish strength without fear, this episode is for you.
Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan
Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy
Learn more about Grand Plan → bit.ly/GrandPland
FREE Hanukkah Gift: https://grandplan.kit.com/hanukkahfun
Listen now for practical ideas, gentle reflections, and a reminder that your light matters more than you may realize.

Vayeshev: Guarding Your Family's Dreams

Discover the deeper meaning of Yosef’s dreams and Yaakov’s powerful choice to “guard the matter.” This Vayeshev episode explores how grandparents can protect and nurture the dreams that shape a family’s identity. Learn how to hold hope through uncertainty, how to model resilience for your grandchildren, and how to turn your inner dreams into a living legacy they will carry forward. If you want to raise grandchildren who feel rooted, inspired, and connected, this episode will guide you through Torah themes toward guarding the dreams that matter most. Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan
Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy
Learn more about Grand Plan → bit.ly/GrandPland
FREE Hanukkah Gift: https://grandplan.kit.com/hanukkahfun

Vayishlach: The Powerful Method for Reconciliation

This week’s episode (19) explores Parashat Vayishlach and the extraordinary reconciliation between Jacob and Esau (Yaakov and Eisav). Their reunion offers a powerful method for healing conflict in our own families today. We break down the three-step process hidden in the parasha: creating emotional safety, seeking help and reframing internally, and offering a meaningful gesture that honors the other person’s dignity. Drawing on both Torah wisdom and modern research on conflict repair, Sharona speaks to grandparents, parents, and anyone longing to rebuild closeness. If you are navigating tension or distance with family, this framework brings hope, clarity, and a gentle path forward.
Book a Free Legacy Planning Call with Sharona → https://calendly.com/grandplan
Ready for Coaching? → https://grandplan.kit.com/legacy
Learn more about Grand Plan → bit.ly/GrandPland
Join the Grandparent Circle: bit.ly/GrandPCommunity