The Hebrew translation of the United States is "The Lands Of The Agreement." This is different from most other languages. The reason is that Jews recognized the uniqueness of the US and its foundation.

The were commanded not to go to war with Edom and Moab even though they were denied passage through their lands. One of the reasons is you do not go to war when there are valid alternatives.

When Miriam dies the well dries up. The people were not aware that they had water in her merit. This teaches us that there are many people who do a job that without their efforts we would not be able to exist but we do not know who they are.

One of the issues we have are nay sayers. These are people who claim you cannot do anything. When asked why, they reply that it has never been done before. We learn not to be such especially when we follow God's plans.

Of the scouts, 12 gave a bad report but 2 did not. One was Joshua, who was Moses's main student and designated successor, & the other was Celeb, who was Miriam's husband. We can see the influence of Miriam in his decisions.

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.