A majority of the delegation that Moses sent to scout out the land came back with a bad report. Only Caleb and Joshua were positive. They stood by the truth and were proven right.

The reason that the delegation that Moses sent to the Land of Israel misrepresented the Land was that they were afraid they would have to put the mitzvot into action.

We can only operate on the information provided to us. The problem is that sometimes we are given bad information. Then we make a bad decision based on that. We have to try to understand what good information is and ignore those who are going on the bad.

This week's Haftorah carries an important message. We do not build a society on the power of an army alone. It has to have the moral infrastructure to support it. Without that they all else falls apart.

God tells Moses to appoint 70 elders to help him lead the people. The lesson for a leader is that he cannot do it all alone. He has to delegate. Also, he has to recognize that he has to prepare the next generation of leaders.

Gratitude is one of the most important lessons that we can learn. The Jews in the wilderness were given everything but were not grateful. They were afraid that now that they were free they were responsible for their actions.

Aaron is commanded to light the Menorah every day in the Tabernacle. This comes after the presentation of the gifts of the leaders of Tribes. This is to show that as important as the gifts were, the real holiness is doing the everyday tasks.

Samson is a flawed individual. His story teaches us what happens when a person has power but does not control his desires.

The warnings in this week's portion do not mention a lack of spirituality. It goes into the breakdown of society. And that breakdown is caused by fear & insecurity. That eventually leads to disaster.

Lag Baomer reminds us that our society cannot be static. We can raise or lower our status, economically, socially, or religiously. It is all up to us.