Marriage in the Desert When you think of a desert, what do you think of? A desert can be a frightening place, scorching heat, arid land, no civilization, and no cell phone service. A place of “snakes, vipers and scorpions, and drought, where there is no water”. But a desert can also be a place of deep beauty and solitude: no distractions, no light pollution, and untouched nature in its raw, unfiltered state. For some, it’s a dream retreat, serene and sublime. The Torah was given in the Sinai desert. The desert is a symbol of the physical world we live in; a world not naturally hospitable to holiness, sensitivity to others, and spirituality. The physical world is considered a spiritual desert because, this world is, in the words of the Tanya, “the lowest in degree; there is none lower than it in terms of concealment of His light, and no world compares with it for doubled and redoubled darkness; So much so that it is filled with Kelipot {forced of unholiness} and Sitra Achara {the other side}, which actually oppose G‑d, saying: “I am, and there is nothing else besides me.” Yet paradoxically, the desert’s spiritual desolation can awaken an even deeper yearning. When King David was forced to flee Jerusalem and hide in the desert he said: “My soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You, in an arid and thirsty land, without water”. The spiritual challenges of the world can create a longing for G-d far more powerful than the love the soul felt in heaven. “The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert”, the opening phrase of the fourth book of the Torah, reminds us that specifically because the world is a spiritual desert, it can inspire a more passionate love to G-d. Specifically because it is not a place hospitable to civilization, its vast landscapes, shades of color, and expanses of the sky, inspire a sense of serenity, beauty and transcendence. The verse continues: “The Lord spoke to Moses in the Sinai Desert, in the Tent of Meeting”. The Hebrew word for meeting, Moed, is related to the Hebrew word Daat, knowledge and intimacy. The longing created by the desert creates a more profound intimate bond with G-d. The tent of meeting, is specifically in the Sinai desert, for the marriage between G-d and his people happens down here on earth. Unlike a relationship formed in the comforts of heaven, this divine union is forged in the trials of the desert. It is here, in the desert of life, that the deepest bond is formed. And it is here that the sacred marriage takes place. Adapted from Likutei Torah Bamidbar 4:2
ב"ה