There are many reasons given (the significance and meaning) as to why #Bamidbar (the Torah reading titled “in the Wilderness/Desert”) is always read before #Shavuot, the festival of the Giving of the Torah:
One is that Torah wasn’t given in a built-up and established place where people “own real-estate” and there are the haves vs. have-nots, where some people have first rights etc. Not so with Torah, in a wilderness everyone has access, it is open to all! #Bamidbar #Shavuot
Another message is to teach us that Torah can take root, survive, thrive & flourish anywhere. Torah isn’t better suited or destined for special holier places, it was given in a Wilderness, in a Desert to remind us of that. Torah belongs anywhere we are. #Bamidbar #Shavuot
Another big theme of #Bamidbar (aka The Book of Numbers) is the census. That’s another reason for this Torah portion to be a prerequisite for #Shavuot & the Giving of the Torah: people count. You need everyone on board. Torah isn’t for the top third, or only the interested kids.
#Bamidbar speaks of the travels of the Jews in the wilderness, how the tabernacle was disassembled & reassembled for their 42 stops. Think of this regarding the future of Torah in Jewish history, packing it up, taking it along, reestablishing it anywhere we ended up. #Shavuot
And a pre-#Shavuot visual: #Bamidbar describes the flags of the tribes, and in many ways, Torah is our banner, our emblem, our allegiance, our unifying & rallying pennant. “And the flag was still there” despite & throughout everything.