Why the Torah Was Given in the Desert — Lessons on Humility, Unity, and True Spiritual Growth

A member of a Reform congregation once told his wife proudly: “I paid our rabbi to fast for me on Yom Kippur.”

His wife, offended, exclaimed: “What, am I not Jewish enough to fast? Go pay him to fast for me too!”

They truly believed that if they paid the Reform rabbi to fast on their behalf, they could eat freely while “outsourcing” their atonement. The rabbi, of course, accepted full payment.

That night, the man stopped by the rabbi’s home, and found him sitting at a table, enjoying a full meal. “What’s this?” he demanded. “We paid you well to fast for us!”
“Don’t worry,” replied the rabbi. “I’m fasting for you. I’m only eating for myself.”

The story is humorous, but it opens a deeper question about what it truly means to take personal responsibility for one’s spiritual life, and why the Torah was given in the desert, of all places.

Why Was the Torah Given in the Desert?

The Shulchan Aruch notes: “We always read Parashat Bamidbar Sinai before the festival of Shavuot (the Giving of the Torah).” There are several reasons for this, but one in particular stands out.

The Talmud (Eruvin 54a) teaches: “If a person makes himself like a desert, open to all, his Torah will endure. If not, his Torah will not endure.”

The desert symbolizes humility and openness. Just as the desert is ownerless, and free for all to pass through without permission, so too a person who empties himself of ego and becomes humble like the desert is able to truly receive and retain the Torah.

This raises a deeper question: If humility is the key, why was the Torah not given in a valley — the lowest place of all? Why on Mount Sinai?

The Mirror in the Water: A Lesson in Connection

Shlomo Hamelech wrote: “As water reflects a face to a face, so the heart of a person reflects the heart of another” (Mishlei 27:19).

The holy Rabbi Shalom of Belz asked: why use the example of water? Wouldn’t a mirror be better for reflection? Mirrors already existed in the days of Moshe, and certainly in Shlomo's time.

He answered: To see your reflection in a mirror, you can stand tall. But to see your reflection in water, you must bend down. Only by crouching low can you truly see yourself reflected.

If you want to connect with another’s heart with true empathy, you must lower yourself in humility. Arrogance blocks understanding, while humility opens hearts.

Unity and Humility: The Twin Conditions for Receiving Torah

At Mount Sinai, the Israelites reached perfect unity: “And Israel camped there opposite the mountain as one man with one heart.” They arrived with a shared purpose and desire: to receive the Torah.

The Torah is often compared to water which flows naturally from high to low places. Likewise, divine wisdom flows only into humble hearts.

Water also gathers only in whole vessels. If the vessel is cracked, the water seeps out. So too, Torah cannot rest in hearts divided by arrogance, resentment, or ego. It requires oneness and wholeness.

The portion of Bamidbar, describing Israel’s entry into the desert of Sinai, is always read before Shavuot. It reminds us that Torah is acquired only through humility and unity.

These two traits are inseparable, as the Belzer Rebbe explained through Shlomo's verse: only by bowing toward another can hearts truly reflect each other.

Why a Mountain and Not a Plain?

If humility is essential, wouldn’t a plain be more fitting?

The message is subtle but profound: humility does not mean self-negation or weakness. The Torah was given on a mountain — not the tallest, but still elevated, to teach that while we must bow low like the desert, we must also stand tall in purpose.

One must humble oneself before truth, yet know his worth as a bearer of the divine image. The same mountain you climb in humility will, in time, raise you to new heights.

The sages say: “He who lowers himself will be uplifted, and he who raises himself will be brought low.” Just as one cannot “eat for oneself” while “fasting for another,” spiritual growth cannot be outsourced. Torah is not inherited or purchased — it is earned through personal effort, humility, and unity with others.

The Timeless Message

The Torah was given in the desert, on Mount Sinai, to teach us that receiving truth requires two opposites in harmony:

• To be humble like the desert, open and receptive.

• To be firm like the mountain, grounded in purpose and faith.

Only through humility and unity can divine wisdom dwell among us — just as only through shared responsibility can a people truly live as one.