One of the most important lessons of the Torah is to leaders. They have to know when to step down and they have to realize that they have to prepare the next leader.

Today we begin the period of mourning for the 1st & 2nd Temples in Jerusalem. It is interesting to note that the Rabbis did not say the reason that they were destroyed was because we were overpowered but that we had committed sins against our fellow man,

The question is how Zimri could have committed such a heinous sin in public and in front of the Tabernacle. The answer is that people were not paying attention to the small details. When we forgive minor transgressions then they will commit major ones.

It should be remembered that the most quoted book at the Constitutional Convention was the Book of Deuteronomy. That the founders were deeply religious and that their writings and thoughts reflected this.

Pinchas receives a blessing from God for being zealous for God's Torah and morality. This is to teach that immorality cannot be the basis of society. Sometimes actions have to be taken.

One of the clear messages from this weeks portion is that Balak does not respect Balaam. Balaam justifies everything that Balak says & does but Balak sees Balaam as a useful idiot. Balaam does not realize that once Balak gets what he wants then he is no longer useful.

In this week's portion we get the answer to why is there antisemitism. They do not hate us because of what we do in business or for the money that we seem to have. It is not jealousy. It is because we had a conversation with God who gave us a moral code. They do not want to live according to that code so they hate us as its representatives.

Many people say that they cannot believe in God after the Holocaust. Rene Slatkin was a Mengele Twin. He was sent to Auschwitz at the age of 6. When asked about that his reply was how can you not.

While Moses's frustration with the continuing complaints from the people and his mourning his sister's death on top of it is understandable, he should have kept his feelings inside and not strike the rock.

When Miriam dies the people did not mourn her but that the well that was giving water to the Jews in the wilderness dried up. This was a major flaw in that they did not realize that the reason for the well was the righteousness of Miriam.