Weekly Sermonette
Wisdom from the Wilderness

"Numbers" may be the name by which the fourth of the Five Books of Moses is commonly called, but in the Hebrew original it is known as Bamidbar, or "In the Wilderness." It is interesting to note that this parsha is always read immediately before the festival of Shavuot, "the season of the giving of the Torah." What is the connection?

The Sages teach that it is not enough for G-d to give us the Torah, we have to be ready to receive the Torah. What makes us worthy recipients of this most precious and infinite gift from G-d? This is where the "wilderness" idea comes in. A wilderness is a no-man’s land. It is ownerless and barren. Just as a desert is empty and desolate, so does a student of Torah need to know that he is but an "empty vessel." Humility is a vital prerequisite if we are to successfully absorb divine wisdom.

As long as we are full of ourselves and our preconceived notions, we will not be able to assimilate and integrate Torah into our being. Even if are already somewhat accomplished in our Torah studies, we still need to remember--as the Kotzker Rebbe put it--that "as much as you know, you are still an undeveloped wilderness."

Then there is the idea that an ownerless wilderness is there for anyone to stake his claim. No person or group of people has a monopoly on Torah. It belongs to each and every single Jew, not just the rabbis or the yeshiva students, or the religiously observant. "The Torah that Moses commanded us is the heritage of the entire Congregation of Jacob" (Deuteronomy 33:4). While we acknowledge that there is much hard work ahead of us if we are to acquire the Torah and make it ours, we also know that with diligence and effort we can succeed. Indeed, some of our finest Torah scholars throughout the generations have hailed from the simple, ordinary folk -- tailors, cobblers and the like.

Maimonides in his Laws of Torah Study (3:1) states: "With three crowns was Israel adorned--the crown of Torah, the crown of the priesthood and the crown of royalty. The priesthood was the privilege of Aaron…royalty was the privilege of King David…the crown of Torah is there ready and waiting for all of Israel... and it is the greatest crown of all."

However, while Torah may be "free for all" as a desert wilderness, we must surrender ourselves to it, emptying ourselves of our ego and our preconceptions, rather than attempting to adjust it to our own circumstances and lifestyles.

And then, like the empty, uninhabited wilderness, the Torah personality may well find himself alone and isolated. We might express our strongly held values and beliefs only to discover that we stand alone. We might display the courage of our convictions and find ourselves, like Abraham, "on the other side" of the whole world. Our principles may well prove unpopular, especially should they stand on toes or upset apple carts. No matter. Being true to G-d and His Torah means standing by it, under any and every circumstance.

May the literal title of our parshah of Bamidbar and the many lessons it conveys serve as a fitting prelude for the beautiful festival of Shavuot. May we receive the Torah with joy and earnestness so that this important festival will be both memorable and meaningful.