Dear Rabbi: Caring For Aging Parents

The first episode of a new series

We’re kicking off a brand new segment called “Dear Rabbi,” where we bring real-life issues to the Rabbi and actually get into it with honest, often hilarious, sometimes painful conversations about the stuff people are quietly struggling with.

First up: how to care for elderly parents without losing your mind, your marriage, or your lunch break.

In this episode, we get into:

• Setting boundaries with elderly parents (and why that’s easier said than done)

• The difference between being a caregiver and being a nurse

• Why your parents just want to feel significant — and no, a text does NOT count

• The generational divide around phones, Uber apps, and why nobody remembers their Kaiser password

• What to do when your relationship with your parents is, well, complicated

• The Rabbi’s reflection on his Holocaust-survivor father and putting yourself in your parents’ shoes

• Jay on caring for his mom while raising a young daughter and feeling guilty about feeling guilty

• ChayaLeah admitting which of her four sons she’d trust with her medications (spoiler: it’s not all of them)

Plus a hot take on Matzo manufacturers who dare to sell non-Kosher-for-Passover matzo. The audacity.

Whether you’re navigating aging parents yourself, trying to figure out how much you’re really capable of giving, or just looking for permission to laugh about the hard stuff, this one’s for you. Grab a coffee, settle in, and remember: your parents just want you to call.

I’m a podcaster, not a nurse, Mom. You want eggs? Call Goldie.

- ChayaLeah

Quotes of the Week

• A tweet does not help. A text does not help. Call me. Even if it's for two minutes. Call me. - The Rabbi

• When you're young, you always think there's gonna be time. Then you get older and realize there's actually not a lot of time - Jay

Got a question for Dear Rabbi? Email us at edjewcationpod@gmail.com or message us on Substack.