Bamidbar: Wilderness and Torah

(1) Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who sanctified us with commandments and commanded us to be engrossed in the words of Torah.

On the first day of the second month, in the second year following the exodus from the land of Egypt, Hashem spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the Tent of Meeting, saying:

"And God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Wilderness" (Numbers 1:1). Why the Sinai Wilderness? From here the sages taught that the Torah was given through three things: fire, water, and wilderness. How do we know it was given through fire? From Exodus 19:18: "And Mount Sinai was all in smoke as God had come down upon it in fire." How do we know it was given through water? As it says in Judges 5:4, "The heavens dripped and the clouds dripped water [at Sinai]." How do we know it was given through wilderness? [As it says above,] "And God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Wilderness." And why was the Torah given through these three things? Just as [fire, water, and wilderness] are free to all the inhabitants of the world, so too are the words of Torah free to them, as it says in Isaiah 55:1, "Oh, all who are thirsty, come for water... even if you have no money." Another explanation: "And God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Wilderness" — Anyone who does not make themselves ownerless like the wilderness cannot acquire the wisdom and the Torah. Therefore it says, "the Sinai Wilderness."

(Numb. 1:1:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses in the Sinai desert.” This text is related (to Jer. 2:31), “0 generation, understand the word of the Lord, ‘Have I been a desert for Israel or a land of thick darkness?’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Because you said to Moses (in Numb. 21:5), ‘Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die in the desert?’ (Jer. 2:31:) ‘Have I been a desert for Israel?’ Did I act like a desert to you? Is it customary for a king of flesh and blood, when he leaves for the desert, [to find] easy living [there] just like that which he had found in his palace, either [palace] food or [palace] drink? However, when you were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and when I brought you out from there, I had you lie down on couches, as it states (Exod 13:18), ‘And the Lord made the people circumvent (Vayasev) through the desert.’” What is [the meaning of] ”circumvent?” It teaches that He made them recline in the way that kings dine (mesavin), reclining upon their beds. “And I did not even bring three fleas to trouble you. And I even raised up three redeemers for you to serve you, as stated (in Micah 6:4), ‘and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.’” Through their merit, Israel was able to travel. Through the merit of Moses there was manna, as stated (Deut. 8:3), “And He subjected you to hunger [and then gave you manna to eat].” Through the merit of Aaron I surrounded you in clouds of glory, as stated (Exod. 13:21), “And the Lord went in front of them during the day [in a pillar of cloud. And it is written (in Ps. 105:39), “He spread a cloud for a cover.” There were seven clouds: one from above, one from below, one from each of the four directions, and one going before them. [That last one] smote snakes and scorpions, leveled the mountains and valleys for them, and burned the thornbushes so that they sent up smoke. When all the kings of the East and West saw this, the peoples of the world said (in Cant. 3:6), “Who is this that comes up from the desert [like columns of smoke]?” It is also written (in Deut. 29:4), “your clothes did not wear out from upon you.” In the case of a baby, all the time that it was growing, its garments and clothes were growing along with it. Now the well [came] through the merit of Miriam, who uttered a song by the waters [of the Reed sea]. R. Berekhyah the Priest said in the name of R. Levi, “[The matter is comparable to] a king of flesh and blood who has a province. So he sends high ranking people into its midst to conduct their affairs and administer their justice. Who has to be responsible for their maintenance? Do not the people of the province have to be responsible for their maintenance? But the Holy One, blessed be He, did not act like that. Instead he sent out Moses, Aaron, [and Miriam], as stated (in Micah 6:4), ‘and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.’” Thus through their merit, Israel was sustained. The manna was through the merit of Moses. You yourself know that it is so. When Moses passed away, what is written (in Josh. 5:12)? “The manna ceased on the next day (i.e., the day after Moses died).” The clouds of glory [came] through the merit of Aaron. You yourself know that it is so. When Aaron passed away, what is written (in Numb. 21:4)? “But the temper of the people grew short on the way,” because the sun was shining down upon them (without a cloud cover). And the well [came] through the merit of Miriam, since it is stated (in Numb. 20:1-2), “and Miriam died there and was buried there. Now the congregation had no water.” And how was [the well] constructed? Like a kind of boulder or a type of hive or a type of ball. It rolled along and came with them on the journeys. When the standards [for each tribe] came to rest and the tabernacle arose, the rock would come and settle down in the court of the tent of meeting. Then the princes would stand beside it and say (in the words of Numb. 21:17), “Rise up, O well”; and the well would rise up. After that, I brought them quails (cf. Numb. 11:31). (Jer. 2:31:) “Have I been a desert for Israel?” Have I treated you like a desert? (Ibid., cont.) “Or a land of utter darkness?” Did not I become a light for you, a light by My own glory? It is so stated (in Exod. 13:21:) “And the Lord went….” Another interpretation (of Jer. 2:31): What is the meaning of “utter darkness? Have I [ever] said to you that I am bringing a benefit and delayed it? Utter darkness (rt.:'pl) can only be a term of delay, as it is used (in Exod. 9:32), “But the wheat and the spelt were not hurt, because they ripen late (i.e., are delayed: rt.:'pl).” Joshua said (in Josh. 21:45), “Not a thing has failed (npl) of any good thing which the Lord (your God) promised unto (you); it all came to you.” [And how are we to understand the rest of the verse] (in Jer. 2:31), “why did my people say, ‘we have let loose (radnu - rt.: rwd)’?” What is the meaning of “radnu?” The word is mishnaic (as in ter. 10:3), “one who removes (rwdh) a hot loaf” (adhering to an oven). They (i.e., Israel) said, “When the bread is baked in the oven and is taken out of it, can it stick to the oven again? Now we in Jerusalem were as in an oven, as stated (in Is. 31:9), ‘says the Lord, who has a fire in Zion and has an oven in Jerusalem.’ Now You exiled us to Babylon. ‘What do you still want from us?’” [That is the meaning of] (Jer. 2:31:), “why did my people say, ‘radnu’” (i.e., he has already removed us from the oven of Jerusalem). Another interpretation (of Jer. 2:31), “why did my people say, ‘radnu?” What [is the meaning of] “radnu (rt.: rwd)?” Compare what is said (in I Kings 5:4), “For he subjugated (rwdh) everything beyond the river (i.e., West of the Euphrates), from Tipsah to Gaza.” They said to [the Holy One, blessed be He,], “You have destroyed for us the sanctuary, and You have taken away your Divine Presence from us. ‘Now what do You still want from us?’” (Jer. 2:31) [Why did my people say, “He has dominion over us (radnu)]”; He said to them, “Would that I were now in the desert, where I did those miracles for you.” And so does it state (in Jer. 9:1), “Would that I were in the desert, at an inn for wayfarers….” Where? Where I was praised, as stated (in Is. 42:11), “Let the desert and its cities lift up [their voice].” [The matter] is comparable to a prince who entered a metropolis. When the inhabitants of the metropolis saw him, they fled. He entered a second one, and [again] they fled from him. He entered into another city that was ruined (harevah); and when the inhabitants saw him, they praised him. That prince said, “This city is better than all the metropolises. Here I will build myself a lodging place; here I will dwell.” Similarly, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came to the sea, it fled from Him, as stated (in Ps. 114:3), “The sea saw [Him] and fled.” He revealed Himself on Mount Sinai, [it also] fled, as stated (in Ps. 114:4), “The mountains danced like rams.” When he came to the desert wasteland (harevah), it received Him and praised Him, as stated (in Is. 42:11), “Let the desert and its cities lift up [their voice].” He said, “This city is better than all of the cities. Here I will build a lodging place.” When He came down into its midst, they began rejoicing, because the Holy One, blessed be He, was dwelling in their midst, as stated (in Is. 35:1), “The desert and the arid land shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom like a crocus.”

"In the Sinai Desert..." Our Rabbis expounded precious understandings through this text in Bamidbar Rabbah 1. It is only left to ask why HaShem did not use consistent measures in this verse. When it describes where they were, the general location (the Sinai Desert) is mentioned first and only afterwards does it specific 'in the Tent of Meeting;' but when it mentions the time the specific is mentioned first, 'on the first day of the second month,' and afterwards the general - 'in the second year.'It appears, actually, that in a very intelligent fashion the verse did use consistent measures. This can be understood in the same way they explain "...see there is a place near Me..." (Shemot 33:21) in Bereshit Rabbah 68, saying 'that the place of the Holy One is secondary to Him.' From this perspective, every place is secondary in relation to the place where Gd encamps. Therefore, in our verse, the Tent of Meeting is actually the encompassing measure and the desert is secondary to it. In order that we read the verse from this perspective, the second half was joined to it 'on the first of the month...in the second year.' The phrase 'Tent of Meeting' is actually the encompassing measure, and therefore was placed second just as the words 'second year' were placed afterthe phrase 'on the first day of the month.' You can know how immeasurably awesome is the place where the Lord is from the fact that six hundred thousand men of Israel stood in the two cubits between the poles of the ark (Bereshit Rabbah 5). Though it appears little to the eye, it is great from the persoective of the One who dwells there, Blessed be He.