The Ropshitzer Rebbe zy”a (Sefer Zera Kodesh) writes that these pesukim are meant as a source of encouragement for every Yid, even those on the lowest level who have given up all hope, and is instructing them how to reconnect to Hashem.
The pasuk states: “In the Sinai Desert in the Ohel Moed.” The desert is a place that is very lowly. Nothing grows there and it is infested with wild animals. Still and all, this lowly place became the home of the holy Mishkan and Ohel Moed and was the place where Hashem spoke to Moshe Rabenu. This teaches us that even the lowliest person can serve Hashem on the highest level through the power of the Torah. The Torah has the power to lift up the lowly and raise them to great heights.
The Power of Torah Raises One’s Thoughts:
The Medrash Tanchuma explains this pasuk with a moshol of a prince who came to visit a city. When the residents saw him, they all ran away. He went to a second city, and the people there also fled. He then entered a city that was desolate, and the people saw him and began to praise him. He said, “This is the best city. I will build my palace here and I will live here.”
So too, Hashem came to sea, and it fled before Him, as is stated (Tehillim 114:2): “The sea saw and fled.” He revealed Himself on Har Sinai, and the mountain ran away, as is stated (ibid:4): “The mountains danced like rams.” He then went to the desolate desert, and He was accepted and extolled, as is stated (Yeshaya 42:11): “The desert and its cities shall raise their voice.” Hashem said, “This desert is better than all the other places. I will build My home here and I will dwell here.” Everyone then began to rejoice, as is stated (Yeshaya 35:1): “Desert and wasteland shall rejoice over them, and the plain shall rejoice and shall blossom like a rose.”
Rav Simcha Bunim of Peshischa zy”a explains (Sefer Kol Simcha) that all of the miracles Hashem performed were intended to bring everyone to recognize that He is the Creator of everything and he controls every aspect of the world. The purpose of this was to instill firm emunah within them. However, this awareness was only temporarily. A short time after the miracle occurred, they lost this recognition and did not remember it anymore to the same extent as they did when they first occurred. Thus, it was merely a “memory”, as is stated (Tehillim 111:4): “He made a memory of His wonders.”
The Torah was given to create this same level of recognition on a permanent basis. This is the meaning of the verse (Shemos 32:16): “The writing was a writing of G-d.” Hashem wrote the Torah in a way that whenever one reads it, his thoughts are uplifted to allow him to recognize Hashem’s control of the world.
Accordingly, the Medrash is saying that the sea and the mountain “ran away”, meaning that the influence of the miracles that occurred in these places was fleeting and did not last forever. However, when He came to the “desert” – a euphemism for the Torah, which is referred to as a desert (Zohar Hakadosh, Bamidbor 117B) – He gave us the Torah, which allowed this recognition to remain eternally. Therefore, He chose to build His dwelling place there, as through the Torah one can connect with Him at all times, which is why it is a perfect home for His Shechinah.
