At the end of the parashah, we read about the tragic plague that befell the Jewish nation, due to an aveirah that was planned and instigated by Bilaam HaRasha. He told the Moabites, זימה שונא אלו של אלקיהם, "The G-d of these hates adultery..." and he advised Moav to cause the Jewish people to sin with adultery.
It states (25:1), אל לזנות העם ויחל בשטים ישראל וישב מואב בנות, "Yisrael settled in Shittim, and the nation began to sin with the daughters of Moav." Shittim/שיטים is the name of the location, but it also means to stroll (as in Bamidbar 11:8, העם ושטו). The Or HaChaim writes, "The pasuk reveals the cause of the sin. It was because the nation strolled outside Machaneh Yisrael and went to where the daughters of Moav were, because שיטים means to stroll, as in the pasuk העם ושטו (Bamidbar 11:8). This resulted in adultery."
