Parsha Pearls

The last verse in sefer Vayikra says, אֵלֶּה הַמִּצְוֹת. The first verse in sefer Bamidbar says, וַיְדַבֵר ה' אֶּל-מֹשֶּה בְמִּדְבַר סִינַי.

Based on the Midrash Rabba (Bamidbar 1:7), the Ba’al HaTurim writes that through the connection of these verses, the Torah is teaching us a major life lesson: אם אין אדם משים עצמו כמדבר אינו יכול לידע תורה ומצות - “If a person does not make himself like a desert, he will not be able to know Torah and mitzvos.”

The question that remains for us to answer is: “What does it mean to make yourself like a desert”?!