In the story of the spies, we have to ask, weren't these the same people who witnessed the crossing of the Reed Sea? Didn't they realize that they were under divine protection? The answer is that they were still in a slave mentality. Not only did they not trust in God, but they did also not trust in themselves.

The scouts sent by Moses overestimated the power of the people of the land. They forgot that the Jews had God on their side.

Last night Israel fulfilled a Biblical obligation to prevent a clear and present danger from happening. The Bible is clear on this. We are not a suicidal people. If you want peace, have a strong army ready to do their job.

The people who complained about the manna were complainers who did not care about anything but liked to complain. That is why they were punished. When something is wrong, we should try to improve it.

Miriam meant well when she complained about Moses's seemingly neglect of his wife to Aaron. Even though she meant well, it was still wrong. This teaches us that even the great can make mistakes.

The reason that the Jews were kept in the wilderness for forty years was to rid them of their slave mentality. God wants us to worship Him from our free will, not as slaves.

God is in control of the world. The problem is that we do not always see it. Sometimes we blind ourselves to the obvious signs, but they are there for all to see who wish to.

The fact that Aaron, Moses's brother and High Priest would go up and clean out the menorah in Tabernacle shows us that no job is beneath us when in service to God.

The Torah recounts the gifts of the leaders of the tribes to the Tabernacle individually, even though they are all the same. This shows that we are individuals but that together we make up society.

In the Torah, it is the responsibility of the thief to make the victim whole. That they are connected by his act of theft. Until he does so, he cannot atone for his sin.