Desert Storm
Location, Location, Location
History is replete with events of great significance. Of these, “Mattan Torah-The Giving of the Torah” stands out as its most significant event. Never before has the world experienced an event of such monumental importance. And never again will the world experience the revolutionary change it experienced at Mount Sinai.
Even the great revelations of the future Age of Redemption will not outdo the dramatic impact of Sinai. Indeed, the Messianic revelation will make that which occurred at Sinai on a temporary basis, endure forever.
Given in the Desert
The venue for this monumental event – where “heaven and earth were united” – was Mount Sinai, which was situated in Midbar Sinai (The Sinai Desert).
No detail of the Torah is unimportant or trivial. Certainly, no event associated with the world’s most significant revolution, can be devoid of meaning. The fact that the Torah was given on Mount Sinai, situated in the Sinai desert is, likewise, central to the entire experience. It is therefore, noteworthy that the two Torah readings prior to Shavuos (the anniversary of the giving of the Torah at Sinai) this year are named, Behar (Bechukotai) -On the Mountain, and Bamidbar-In the Desert.
We must understand, why the giving of the Torah on a mountain and in a desert, is so central to the giving of the Torah.
A desert, the Midrash explains, is a no-man’sland. Nobody lays claim to a barren, desolate wasteland. It is – to use a legal term – hefker, free for all, to come and claim. No person can claim exclusive rights to the Torah. The Torah – like the desert – belongs to no one in particular. Everyone, thus, has a right to make a claim for it.
One may raise an obvious objection to the “desert” metaphor. The Torah was not just something G-d left out in middle of nowhere for us to claim. The Torah was given to us as a gift. Furthermore, the Torah is also likened to an inheritance. Why then do we emphasize the fact that the Torah was given in a desert?
Two Dimensions of Torah
The answer lies in the realization that there are two distinct dimensions of Torah. There is an aspect of Torah that can be grasped and appreciated by the human mind. When we refer to the Torah as a gift, it is in the sense that it was placed within our intellectual reach. This aspect of Torah was indeed given to us.
There is, conversely, a higher dimension to Torah; one that is utterly beyond our mind’s grasp. So transcendent does this aspect of Torah remain, that everyone can clearly see is its Divine character. And even this dimension of Torah, the A-mighty, enabled us to access.
There is a difference, however, in the manner that we access the higher dimension of Torah. In contrast to the part of Torah which was given to us – within the parameters of our intellectual faculties – and can therefore be grasped with our mind, the higher dimension of Torah is utterly beyond the realm of intellect. To connect in any way with the divinity of Torah, we must put aside our own understanding and be receptive to the G-dly energy within Torah. Through humility and total self-abnegation – the spiritual analogue of a “desert” – one can discover the transcendent element in Torah.
By transforming ourselves into a “desert,” by totally negating our egos, G-d, in His infinite kindness, has enabled us to `pick up’ even this transcendent aspect of Torah.
Moshiach and Humility
One of the qualities that Moshiach possesses is his humility. Like Moses, the first redeemer, who was known for his unparalleled humility, Moshiach too, despite his greatness and power, is utterly humble. Moshiach, like Moses before him, take no credit for his actions. He is a transparent figure whose humility and self-abnegation allows G-d’s power to run through him.
One of Moshiach’s major responsibilities will be to reveal heretofore hidden dimensions of Torah. In order for him and us to be receptive to these mysteries we must become like the desert.
Thus, according to the Midrash, Moshiach introduces himself to the Jewish people by declaring: “Humble ones, the Time of your Redemption has arrived!”
Desert and Thirst for Knowledge
A desert is also a place that lacks water to quench our thirst. This has been employed as a metaphor to describe the spiritual state of impoverishment that characterizes our existence in exile.
How do we reconcile the metaphor that describes a desert as a symbol of humility and total receptivity to the most sublime aspects of Torah with the symbolism of a desert as a place without any water, which symbolizes Torah?
One way of understanding the connection between the two interpretations is to refer to the Biblical prophecy that uses thirst and hunger in a positive vein. It is not for physical nourishment, but an insatiable thirst for spiritual enlightenment that will occasion the Messianic Era.
This thirst comes not from a lack of spiritual water, i.e., the knowledge of Torah. On the contrary, it comes from one’s exposure to the infinite nature of Torah, in relation to which, no matter how much we learn and grasp, we will always thirst for more.
From the book Light from the Future: Shavuos by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
