The Learning Curve - Mishpacha

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Eps 3. Let's Talk Chutzpah (feat. Rabbi Yechiel Spero)

Nov 26, 2025

1:01:46

In this episode, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield talk about if you should encourage your child to go to their bully's simcha, and whether Jewish MP3 players are the best or worst thing that's ever happened to us. And the big question: Are kids today more chutzpadik than ever?

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Eps 2. Let's Talk Getting Into Mesivta

Nov 12, 2025

1:13:14

In this episode, Rabbi Garfield and Rabbi Schonfeld answer our listeners' amazing feedback on the pressure conversation (and address the now-infamous "elite right" claim). And for the big question: how do we prepare our kids for mesivta?

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Let's Talk Students Under Pressure (Feat. Rabbi Aryeh Leib Smith and Mrs. Aliza Feder)

Oct 29, 2025

1:07:52

In our first episode of Season 3, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield discuss kids who have a hard time getting up in the morning and whether schools should use tuition as leverage to allow children back to school. And for the big question, are our boys and girls under too much pressure in school?

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Let’s Talk TLC’S Back To School Special (Feat. Rabbi Motty Zeiger and more!)

Aug 27, 2025

47:05

On this episode, Rabbi Garfield and Rabbi Schonfeld discuss the back-to-school struggle and hear how parents and mechanchim prepare for a new year. Plus: what can a mother do to connect to her mesivta-aged sons? And what should you do if your child is paired up with a teacher who has a difficult reputation?

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Let’s Talk Live (Feat. The Learning Curve Listeners)

Jun 16, 2025

58:36

For The Learning Curve season two finale, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield host a live Zoom and take real-time questions from our listeners. They answer: Should intelligence be prioritized over effort? How much can a parent be mechanech in the heat of the moment? Is dorming right for your mesivta-aged son?

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Let’s Talk With Menahelim (Feat. Rabbi Yehuda Brecher, Rabbi Heshy Forster, Rabbi Ahron Gobioff and Rabbi Dov Gopin)

Jun 5, 2025

1:05:47

On this episode, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield host a roundtable discussion with veteran menahelim. What does your child’s menahel wish you knew? How should a school balance your son’s unique needs with what they can realistically offer? And how can a menahel make each child feel special in a school with hundreds or thousands of students?

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Let’s Talk Tefillah (Feat. Rabbi Yitzchak Feigenbaum)

May 19, 2025

54:25

On this episode, Rabbi Garfield and Rabbi Schonfeld discuss how to best approach tefillah with your children. Also: Are gifted students being disregarded in yeshivos? And how can parents maintain their values while living in a diverse community?

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Let’s Talk Anxiety (Feat. Shifi Lieberman, LMFT)

May 6, 2025

59:28

On this episode, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield discuss how to best care for a child with anxiety. Also: We want our kids to share with us, but how do we react when they share their own bad behavior? And is “doing fine” good enough for a mesivta boy?

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Let’s Talk Raising Balanced Children (Feat. Rabbi Nosson Muller)

Apr 22, 2025

1:03:15

On this episode, Rabbi Garfield and Rabbi Schonfeld ask how we can raise balanced kids when more things are off-limits than ever before. Also, is my daughter’s school overdoing it with the tznius rules? And are yeshivos giving Rebbeim a path toward a dignified retirement?

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Let’s Talk Partnering With Schools (Feat. Rabbi Moshe Bender)

Apr 1, 2025

49:19

On this episode, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield ask: how schools can better partner with their parent body? Also: does installing a technology filter mean you don’t trust your child? And how much can we ask of our sons during bein hazemanim?

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Let’s Talk Bullying (Feat. Dr. Rona Novick)

Mar 18, 2025

54:45

On this episode, Rabbi Garfield and Rabbi Schonfeld ask: How should parents and schools handle bullying? Also: Are our children getting too much candy in school? And how much homework is too much homework?

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Let's Talk Technology (Feat. Rabbi Yossi Strickman)

Mar 4, 2025

49:53

This podcast takes an honest look at three pressing parenting concerns: the pressures of mid-winter break, the balance between Purim fundraising and meaningful Yom Tov experiences for children, and the challenges of introducing a first phone to a preteen. Guest Rabbi Yossi Strickman, founder of Project TRUST, joins the discussion to provide expert advice on safe technology use, helping parents navigate the digital world with confidence.

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Let’s Talk Challenging Children (Feat. Rabbi Meir Simcha Stein)

Feb 18, 2025

1:10:08

Is using chat GPT cheating in school? Are school bee’s the best way to encourage mastery? And the spotlight issue: How do we discipline challenging children without sacrificing our relationship with them?

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Let’s Talk Seminary (Feat. Mrs. Rivki Eichenstein)

Sep 2, 2024

47:05

In our season 1 finale episode, Rabbi Garfield and Rabbi Schonfeld discuss the most relevant topic in a high school girl's life: seminary. They discuss how the goals of seminary goers have changed, how the cost impacts the decision to go, and if " seminary brainwash" is a legitimate concern. Also: How should a divorced spouse deal with drastic chinuch differences with their ex-spouse? And the BIG question: Where does the pressure to get into seminary stem from, and should it matter?

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Let’s Talk General Studies (Feat. Rabbi Avraham Glustein and Rabbi Dov Portwicz)

Aug 19, 2024

1:12:55

On this episode, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield discuss a hot topic in boys chinuch: The role and importance of general studies in cheder and elementary schools. They discuss the challenges yeshivos face in implementing (and staffing) a general studies curriculum that is valued by students and parents. Also: What is the best way to work with a stubborn or rigid child? And the Big Question: Our son is very bright and a metzuyan in yeshiva, so why isn't he learning more than the basic secular subjects?

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Let's Talk Mesivta (Feat. Rabbi Yaakov Bogart)

Jul 22, 2024

1:09:51

On this episode, Rabbi Garfield and Rabbi Schonfeld discuss one of the most impactful decisions a parent can have in their son's lives... where to send them for mesivta. They discuss the best way to best your child up for success in mesivta and beyond, and how to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible. Also: What to really do when your child's school has different shittos than you? And the big question: What is the parent's role and the yeshiva's role when choosing a mesifta for a child?

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Let's Talk Kids' Mental Health (Feat. Dr. Shmuel Mandelman PhD)

Jul 8, 2024

55:44

On this episode of the pod, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield delve deeper into mental health with renowned educational-developmental clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Shmuel Mandelman PhD. They discuss the single most important thing a parent can do to ensure positive mental health outcomes in their children, and the importance of choosing the best possible practitioners when it comes to a mental health professional. ALSO: Why does Rabbi Garfield appreciate when his students lie? How should we talk to our kids about vaping? And the big question: How do I know when my child's behavior is normal vs. when it's time to get my child help?

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Let's Talk Therapy (feat. Dr. Yossi Shafer PhD)

Jun 23, 2024

59:25

In this episode, Rabbi Garfield and Rabbi Schonfeld discuss the stigmas around mental health with Dr. Yossi Shafer PhD. Also: Does the "work it out yourselves" approach to sibling rivalry actually work? Is it so bad if my daughter plays games on my phone when she needs to be entertained and quiet in public? And the BIG QUESTION: Do kids these days need therapy more than ever?

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Let's Talk Camp (Feat. Rabbi Armo Kesseus and Mrs. Debbie Selengut)

Jun 3, 2024

1:54:27

Featuring Rabbi Armo Kesseus and Mrs. Debbie Selengut, on this podcast, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield ask the questions you need to know before you send your kids to camp. ALSO: If you don't like the rules why do you send your child to that school? Are teacher gifts an unfair bribe? And the BIG QUESTIONS: How are camps prepared to handle the extremely sensitive issue of abuse? And what would be a big enough issue to warrant a child being asked to leave camp?

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Let's Talk Gemara (Part 2) Featuring Rav Aaron Lopiansky

May 20, 2024

1:10:58

In part two of this important topic, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield continue their discussion about gemara with Rav Aaron Lopiansky. How do you reconcile the Torah's view of the age of the world with the theories that the scientific community suggest? How should we be teaching children that eisav soneh Yaakov practically, when they might have regular interactions with the umos haolam? And the BIG QUESTION: How do we relay to boys who are struggling with gemara that they are as equally as important as the metzuyanim? The Learning Curve is a podcast hosted by Rabbi Ari Schonfeld and Rabbi Yerachmiel Garfield tackling the important parenting issues facing frum families today

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Let's Talk Gemara (Part 1)

May 5, 2024

42:23

On our first ever episode, Rabbi Schonfeld and Rabbi Garfield discuss the burning questions parents have about raising their children. Is there any validity to the opinion that forcing middle school boys to go to shul on Shabbos is the way to go? When your child reports "facts" that don't line up with that the teacher says, who do you believe? And the BIG QUESTION: Is it possible my son is not cut out for Gemara? The Learning Curve is a podcast hosted by Rabbi Ari Schonfeld and Rabbi Yerachmiel Garfield tackling the important parenting issues facing frum families today.

The Learning Curve - Mishpacha

The Learning Curve - Mishpacha

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