By Rebbetzin Lauren Levin
There is a longstanding custom to read the parsha of Bamidbar on the Shabbat before Shavuot wherever possible[1]. The midrash[2] stipulates that this is because the Torah was specifically given on a mountain in a desert (bamidbar).
This combination of the mountain and the desert is a fascinating one. The simplicity of desert life represent humility, which the sages contend was a prerequisite for receiving the Torah[3]. Human beings would need to relinquish their own feelings of ownership over themselves and their surroundings, to enter into the covenant with God where they committed to be ‘His treasured people[4]’.
Similarly, receiving the Torah around a mountain was far more than a coincidence. The mountain acts as a powerful symbol of the relationship between humankind and God. It marks the line drawn between heaven and earth, at the momentous time that we agreed to become God’s partners in this physical world.
In English literature the symbol of the mountain generally revolves around climbing to the summit. By contrast the emphasis of the mountain image in the Bible is not the climbing, but rather the constant connection between heaven and earth, through each individual’s relationship with God.
Faith is profoundly individual. Metaphorically speaking, every human being has their own mountain gradient. Yet in every mountain narrative in the Bible, there is a third party involved. In the binding of Isaac Abraham connects profoundly with God on Mt Moriah, with Isaac as another central character[5]. In the story of receiving the Torah, Moses has a pivotal role in connecting the people with God[6]. Another national time of revelation and inspiration was with Elijah on Mt Carmel[7]. Once again Elijah acts as the bridge that enables the connection between heaven and the people on earth. In each case, the relationships formed resemble more of a triangle than a direct slope.
This unusual paradigm signals an important message. Faith can sometimes be a lonely journey. Even at our greatest epiphanies we have never been alone. Company should not deter from our journey, but act as a support and greater fuel for the way.
As we have moved closer towards a digital society, despite having more means to communicate than ever before, loneliness has increased. In the Uk, this was brought to the fore by the MP Jo Cox who, immediately following being elected to office, began campaigning to raise the profile of the hidden crisis of loneliness. Following the Jo Cox Commission report, poignantly called ‘Combating loneliness one conversation at a time’, a minister of loneliness was introduced as a government ministerial position. An American study conducted in 2019[8] revealed that 1 in 5 young people believed they had no friends whatsoever, this led many to conclude that millennials are lonelier than their predecessors. The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated feelings of loneliness and isolation[9], causing such concern that tremendous investment was made in launching a Covid response programme to tackle the ensuing effects.
Whilst King David’s words[10] that a person is never truly alone as God is always our companion have become somewhat of a mantra in Judaism, there are also many sources that recognise the critical importance of human support, friendship, and mentorship. When the sages of the Mishna taught ‘find yourself a Rabbi, and acquire a friend’[11], and the sages of the Talmud taught ‘a person without a study partner experiences death’[12], they were recognising the intrinsic need for companionship, just as the government study has placed loneliness as high a risk category as obesity. It is this same message that is communicated through the relationship triangle formed in our bible mountain narratives.
Despite all the positive elements of the desert, we are also struck by the loneliness of the desert. The narrative of the giving of the Torah, replete with communication, support, and social interaction serves as the antidote to the remote desert life.
Being part of a loving supportive community can sometimes lure us into thinking that loneliness does not exist amongst us. Yet there are still so many even from within such communities who live in profound loneliness. The mountain – desert image that we are left with in the run up to Shavuot presents a model where we offer to be part of the ‘triangle of support’ for someone else as a part of our spiritual journey.
[1] Tosafot megila 31b [2] Bamidbar Raba 1:7 [3] Ibid [4] Shemot 19:5 [5] Genesis 22 [6] Exodus 19 [7] Kings 1:18 [8]Yougov study on loneliness 2019 [9] Mental Health in the Pandemic study, led by the Mental Health Foundation [10] Psalms 23 [11] Ethics of the fathers 1:6 [12] Babylonian Talmud, Taanit, 23a.