As we begin Parashat Bamidbar - the first portion in the book of Numbers - we read:
God spoke (vaydaber) to Moses in the wilderness (bamidbar).
It’s notable that the Hebrew verb “to speak” and the word for “wilderness” share a common root: d-b-r. The Torah may be suggesting here an important connection between the wilderness and speech - and more specifically divine speech.
There are, in fact, numerous Biblical descriptions of Godly encounter that take place in a deep wilderness setting. Before Moses discovers the burning bush, for instance, he drives his flock “achar hamidbar” - “beyond the wilderness. ” In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah encounters the still, small voice of God after traveling “bamidbar derech yom” - “a day’s journey into the wilderness.”
It is not difficult to understand why the desert habitat has been regarded by many spiritual traditions as a natural locus of divinity. At first glance, the wilderness might seem to be a wasteland - a “God-forsaken” environment unable to support life. But desert biomes are actually vital, and dynamic ecosystems teeming with a wide array of geological variety as well as significant plant and animal biodiversity. Anyone who has ever lived in a desert will surely attest that this world is truly a living, breathing environment.
At the same time, the wilderness may be symbolically regarded as elemental terrain - an existential place far from the “noise” of culture, artifice and ego. This form of spiritual experience is indeed available even to non-desert dwellers: a mindfulness or way of life that seeks to strip away these outer layers so we may discover, like the ancient Israelites, the divine word that dwells at the elemental core.
In the end, the journey into the wilderness is one that leads both inward and outward: to the outermost reaches of experience and the innermost reaches of the human soul - the place where the voice of God may truly be heard.
Postscript: In honor of Shabbat Bamidbar, I encourage you to learn more about the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, a regional center for environmental leadership located in the Arava desert (in Southern Israel). The Arava Institute is an important learning center that encourages environmental cooperation between Israelis, Palestinians and other peoples, promoting peace and sustainable development on a regional and global scale.