Ilustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
Why does the Torah stress that it was given in the מִדְבָּר (midbar, wilderness)? What can we learn from this?
Here are two midrashim that notice how important the midbar seems to be.
נִתְּנָה תוֹרָה דֵּימוֹס פַּרְהֶסְיָא בִּמְקוֹם הֶפְקֵר.
שֶׁאִלּוּ נִתְּנָה בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים:
"לְאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֵין לָהֶם חֵלֶק בָּהּ."
לְפִיכָךְ נִתְּנָה בַּמִּדְבָּר,
דֵּימוֹס פַּרְהֶסְיָא בִּמְקוֹם הֶפְקֵר,
וְכָל הָרוֹצֶה לְקַבֵּל, יָבֹא וִיקַבֵּל!
The Torah was given publicly and in an ownerless place.
If the Torah had been given in Eretz Yisrael, people could say, “The nations of the world have no share in it.”
That’s why it was given in the midbar, publicly and in an ownerless place. So that anyone who wants to come and accept the Torah can come and accept it!
This midrash suggests that, because the Torah comes from the midbar, we know that it can be for everyone–people who are Jewish and people who are not.
- When the midrash suggests that everyone can come accept the Torah, what does that mean? What are they accepting to do?
- The midrash seems to think that Benei Yisrael have to share the Torah with anyone who wants to accept it. What does that mean? How can you share the Torah with others?
A second midrash explains the importance of the midbar in a different way.
אָמַר רַב מַתְנָה: …אִם מֵשִׂים אָדָם עַצְמוֹ כְּמִדְבָּר זֶה שֶׁהַכֹּל דָּשִׁין בּוֹ — תַּלְמוּדוֹ מִתְקַיֵּים בְּיָדוֹ. וְאִם לָאו — אֵין תַּלְמוּדוֹ מִתְקַיֵּים בְּיָדוֹ.
R. Matna said: …If you allow yourself to be treated as a midbar, where anyone can step — your learning will stick with you. If you don’t — it won’t.
- R. Matna thinks the midbar represents the value of being humble. Why is it important to have humility in order to be good at learning new things?
- Why is it important to have humility in order to learn Torah specifically?
- These two midrashim highlighted two different aspects of the midbar. Can you think of other explanations for why the Torah was given in the midbar?
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