Midrash וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (ירמיה ט, א): מִי יִתְּנֵנִי בַמִּדְבָּר מְלוֹן אֹרְחִים וְאֶעֶזְבָה אֶת עַמִּי וגו', הֵיכָן שֶׁהָיִיתִי מִתְקַלֵּס, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה מב, יא): יִשְׂאוּ מִדְבָּר וְעָרָיו חֲצֵרִים תֵּשֵׁב קֵדָר יָרֹנּוּ ישְׁבֵי סֶלַע, לְנָשִׂיא שֶׁנִּכְנַס לִמְּדִינָה וְרָאוּ אוֹתוֹ בְּנֵי הַמְּדִינָה וּבָרְחוּ, נִכְנַס לַשְּׁנִיָה וּבָרְחוּ מִלְּפָנָיו, נִכְנַס לְעִיר חֲרֵבָה וְקִדְּמוּ אוֹתוֹ וְהָיוּ מְקַלְּסִין אוֹתוֹ, אָמַר הַנָּשִׂיא זוֹ הָעִיר טוֹבָה הִיא מִכָּל הַמְּדִינוֹת, כָּאן אֲנִי בּוֹנֶה כֵּס נָאֶה, כָּאן אֲנִי דָר. כָּךְ כְּשֶׁבָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַיָּם בָּרַח מִלְּפָנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קיד, ג): הַיָּם רָאָה וַיָּנֹס, וְכֵן (תהלים קיד, ד): הֶהָרִים רָקְדוּ כְאֵילִים, בָּא בְּמִדְבַּר חָרְבָּה, קִדְּמָה אוֹתוֹ וְקִלְּסָה אוֹתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יִשְׂאוּ מִדְבָּר וְעָרָיו חֲצֵרִים תֵּשֵׁב קֵדָר יָרֹנּוּ ישְׁבֵי סֶלַע, אָמַר זוֹ הָעִיר טוֹבָה לִי מִכָּל הַמְּדִינוֹת, בּוֹ אֲנִי בּוֹנֶה כְּנֵסִיָה וְדָר בְּתוֹכָהּ, הִתְחִילוּ שְׂמֵחִים שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא דָּר בְּתוֹכָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה לה, א): יְשֻׂשׂוּם מִדְבָּר וְצִיָּה. "Would that I would be in the wilderness, in a wayfarers’ lodge, and I would leave my people…” (Jeremiah 9:11), where I would be lauded, as it is stated: “Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voice, the villages that Kedar inhabits; rock dwellers will sing” (Isaiah 42:11). This is analogous to a prince who entered a province, and the residents of the province saw him and fled. He entered the second, and they fled from before him. He entered a city in ruins, and they greeted him and were lauding him. The prince said: This city is better than all the provinces. Here I will build a fine throne; here I will reside. So, when the Holy One blessed be He came to the sea, it fled from before Him, as it is stated: “The sea saw and fled” (Psalms 114:3), and likewise, “the mountains danced like rams” (Psalms 114:4). He came to the desolate wilderness; it greeted Him and lauded Him, as it is stated: “Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voice, with courtyards inhabited by Kedar; rock dwellers will sing.” He said: This city is better for Me than all the provinces. In it, I will build an inn and reside within it. They began rejoicing that the Holy One blessed be He resides in it, as it is stated: “Wilderness and wasteland will be glad, [and the desert shall rejoice]” (Isaiah 35:1).
What is the Midrash teaching us? Why do the other cities run away from the prince but the uninhabited area is happy to welcome the prince?
The Bear Mayim Chayim says the Midrash is bothered why the possuk needs to say במדבר סיני if they had not yet moved from the Sinai desert, obviously they were there? The Midrash is telling us that the Torah had to be given to mankind for everything else understood the greatness of Hashem and was scared to confront Him. Only mankind which is like a מדבר due to their total lack of understanding the grandeur of Hashem welcome Him. However, after going through such an experience of the revelation from Hashem it leads one to feel humble and that is hinted in the words Har Sinai, the low mountain. According to this take, I suppose the lesson is that despite the great ignorance of man, G-d gave us the Torah and we should be greatly humbled by that knowledge.
Another approach to explain the Midrash is that the prince is bringing new law and order to the land. The settled cities already have their lives set and don't want to be disturbed. They don't see that they are missing something the way that they are currently living. It is only the place that that nothing that realizes they are truly lacking and welcome in the prince. The lesson is that to be driven to acquire Torah, one must recognize that without Torah one is lacking in knowledge of the חוקי חיים.
צמאה לך נפשי כמה לך בשרי בארץ ציה ועיף בלי מים כן בקדש חזיתיך לראות עזך וכבודך, My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You, in an arid and thirsty land, without water As I saw You in the Sanctuary, [so do I long] to see Your strength and Your glory. The Baal Shem Tov reads it כן בקודש, just as I longed and pined for G-d during the days of the desert (golus,) so too I should have the same feelings during the geulah. It is the sense of yearning present during times of spiritual depravity which are a struggle to match during the good times. It is that desire, that sense of yearning and lacking, which is important to receive the Torah.
The last piece of Sfas Emes this week says בשבת שלפני שבועות צריכין להכין לקבלת התורה כי השבת ניתן קודם התורה שהיא הכנה לקבלת התורה. Working on the desire, the need to have Torah is an important step in reading one's self for קבלת התורה.
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