וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי (במדבר א, א), לָמָּה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי... אֶלָּא כָּל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה עַצְמוֹ כַּמִּדְבָּר, הֶפְקֵר, אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִקְנוֹת אֶת הַחָכְמָה וְהַתּוֹרָה
"And God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Wilderness" (Numbers 1:1). Why the Sinai Wilderness? — Anyone who does not make themselves ownerless like the wilderness cannot acquire the wisdom and the Torah.
Dr. Yair Barkai, "The Desert as a Metaphor"
The wilderness represents the absence of materialism, natural purity and humility. It gives human beings the ability to listen to their inner voice, to their true feelings, to honesty at its best, but also gives them the ability to be open and receptive to what filters into the soul of the person contemplating the infinite expanses of the wilderness.
These characteristics form the foundation for perfect acceptance of the Torah. Torah is not acquired through pride and self-importance, that materialism gives man. Those who wish to receive the Torah and wisdom must labor and train themselves to acquire suitable characteristics. Rendering mutual assistance, being satisfied with little, and welcoming guests are among the cornerstones of life for dwellers in the wilderness, forged in the difficult living conditions there. Therefore, the wilderness was a suitable place for the Israelites to become a people who accept the Lord’s Teaching
Yalkut Shimoni: Yitro 286
... Said R' Levi: The Holy One Blessed Be He appeared to them like a picture which is visible form all angles. A thousand people may gaze on it and it gazes on all of them. So is the Holy One Blessed Be God. When God spoke, every individual Israelite maintained: "To me the word spoke!" "I am the Lord your (plural) God" is not written here, rather " I am the Lord your (singular) God".
Said R' Yosi: In accordance with each and everyone's personal capacities did the word speak to him. Do not be astonished at the Manna which came down on the Israelites- each one tasting the flavor that he was capable of appreciating- the infants in accordance with their capacities... the young in accordance with their capacities... and the old in accordance with their capacities. If that was so in the case of the Manna, that everyone tasted the flavor that he could appreciate, the word of Divine revelation, all the more so!
