If some parts of the Torah seem far-fetched to the more skeptically-minded among us, Parshat Balak must seem downright crazy. Then again, imaginative play is a critical component of a healthy child, and perhaps this too is Torah.

As my dad wrote to me after I began my first year of rabbinical school: "You have to know that my love is unending whether I am physically present or in God’s hands.   You don’t have to be scared for me – this is our expression of faith. You don’t have to be scared for you – the material is easier or harder but you will find ways to reach your goals."

“Use your words!” Rest assured you aren’t the first parent to try to instill this concept. It’s also the tough lesson Moshe learns in Parshat Chukat.

“Need a penny, take a penny. Have a penny, give a penny.” I’m sure you’ve seen the little sign at a grocery store. It’s anonymous charity. The idea is that there exists a pair of strangers at any given time, one who needs the extra penny and one who has the extra change to supply it.

Life with a “threenager” (or a child of just about any age) means rebellion is all too familiar. But parenting, like Parshat Korach, is about boundaries as much as anything else.

One of the areas where I struggle the most as a parent is holding myself back in order to let Shiri explore the world on her own. It’s much faster to climb a flight of stairs when I pick her up, but she needs to be able to take each step, one by one, to truly learn how to do it. The same is true of trying new foods or engaging in any other new experience.

Whether it’s a giant sand dune or a strange, foreign land, new experiences are all about perspective. In Parshat Shlach Lecha, this too is Torah.