It’s perfectly normal to have anxiety when your child makes the transition from being solely in your care to daycare or preschool. In fact, it’s not so different from the anxiousness Israelites might have felt as they prepared themselves for new leadership after Moshe.

I didn’t really believe it when people told me that love evolves. Married couples told me the love I felt for my husband wouldn’t always feel the same as it did on our wedding day or at any other point in our relationship. Then I found out it was true.

Our day-to-day choices usually aren’t as dramatic as blessings versus curses or life versus death, but the message we take away from this week’s Torah portion is that even seemingly inconsequential decisions can affect our lives in meaningful ways.

As the parent of a young child, I find that my world moves at a breakneck pace. To get out the door on time in the morning means that we have a system in place that works like a well-oiled machine. We’re basically a relay team. Shiri gets up, I feed her while Duncan showers and dresses, then he dresses Shiri while I walk the dog.

How do you handle criticism? Our Torah portion suggests that a rebuke has inherent value if you can use it to learn and grow.

As someone who has been in school or working in schools for much of my adult life, I know firsthand there is something simultaneously magical and infuriating about the first day of school. I’m so excited I usually can’t sleep the night before. I jump up awake at 4:00 a.m., ready to go face the day, the year, and the newness of it all.

Know any stubborn and rebellious children? This week’s Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, is for you.