These are the journeys of Bnei Yisroel...And they arrived to Eilim; and in Eilim there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palm trees... And they traveled from Refidim and they encamped in Sinai. And they traveled from Sinai and they encamped in Kivros Hata’ava. (Bamidbar 33)
Why doesn’t the Parsha (Massei) mention that we received the Torah at Har Sinai when it lists the journeys of Bnei Yisroel? If the Torah mentioned how there were date palm trees and springs at Eilim, we would certainly expect that the Torah would mention Matan Torah at Har Sinai!
Perhaps, by not mentioning Matan Torah, HaKadosh Boruch Hu is teaching us that Torah is not associated with or attached to something specific. Torah needs to permeate everything in our lives. In other words, HaKadosh Boruch Hu is letting us know that living a Torah life is the complete life itself.
וְהוֹרַשְתֶם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וִישַבְתֶם־בָהּ כִי לָכֶם נָתַתִי אֶת־הָאָרֶץ לָרֶשֶת אֹתָהּ
And you should drive out the inhabitants of the land, and you should live in it, because to you I gave the land to inherit it (Bamidbar 33:53).
Commenting on this verse, the Ramban writes:
על דעתי זו מצות עשה היא, יצוה אותם שישבו בארץ ויירשו אותה כי הוא נתנה להם, ולא ימאסו בנחלת ה'.
“In my opinion, this is a positive commandment. Hashem is commanding them to live in the Land and inherit it, because He is granting it to them [as the verse says “...and you should live in it, because to you I have granted the land to inherit it.”]. [Since it is a gift from Him,] they should not disgracefully reject this inheritance which Hashem has granted to them.”
