As we begin a new book of the Torah, Bemidbar — which translated from Hebrew means “in the desert” — let’s ask the question, what is the overall theme of Numbers and what is the connection to the festival of Shavuot?
Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin’s introduction to the book of Numbers suggests that it is a book of transition. It represents the liminal space between freedom from slavery and arriving in the Promised Land.
Every year, this parashah is read on the Shabbat preceding Shavuot. Why? Perhaps, as a reminder that the Torah was given in the wilderness of Sinai and not a specific location like Jerusalem. The Midrash suggests that the giving of the Torah in the desert sends a message that it is available for anyone who wants to makes claim to it (Mechilta 20). Had the Torah been given in a location associated with ownership or a tribe, that tribe could claim exclusive rights to it in the future.
When thinking of the desert, I usually imagine endless sand dunes, blistering sun and caravans of camels. For the medieval grammarian, Rabbi David Kimchi, midbar is related to the word “guide” or “lead” and associated with the grazing of flocks (Sefer Hashorashim). This definition is, not from a modern geographical view, related to annual rainfall; rather, the midbar is any place void of human settlements or agricultural cultivation.
