Arid has a negative connotation. It sounds like a land or scenario lacking the proper atmosphere for growth, life, and beauty. After a second glimpse, however, we’re reminded of the Torah’s presentation to us in an arid desert, the Sinai Desert.
The medrash in Bamidbar Rabbah tells us that the Torah was given through three mediums: fire, water, and the desert. The commonality between these three is that they are all free and accessible. So too, the Torah costs nothing as it is available to anyone who seeks it.
Additionally, the Torah was given through the medium of a desert to remind us that a prerequisite to absorbing from the Torah and truly embodying it is to remove oneself and make oneself barren like a desert. By stripping our superficial layers and seeking G-d’s will, which is embedded in the Torah, we become like that desert, where the echoes of Matan Torah still resonate today.
Similarly, we find that Moshe Rabbeinu, who was able to remove his total sense of self, the embodiment of “humblest of all men,” was able to be the clear glass (aspaklaria hame’ira), the conduit through which the Torah was given. Whereas other prophets received their messages through a somewhat opaque glass conduit (aspaklaria she’eino me’ira), Moshe was able to cleanse his sense of self and deliver Hashem’s messaging in its purest form. Then, no wonder, Moshe gets coined as the “ne’eman,” trustworthy one, to Hashem, an aphorism used only about him. Only someone who engages in the process of making themselves arid for G-dliness can reach that heightened level of G-dliness.
As we prepare for Matan Torah, the path ahead is crystal clear!
