The prelude to Kabalas Hatorah

“Hashem spoke to Moshe in the Wilderness of Sinai” (1:1)

The Midrash Rabbah says: “The Torah was given with three things – with fire, with water and with wilderness... Why with these three things? Just as these things are free for all mankind, so are the words of Torah free....” The Dubno Maggid explains that fire, water and wilderness symbolize the three qualities needed to grow great in Torah. Fire: The person’s Divine service must be aflame and with fervor within him. Water: The person must thirst for words of Torah just as one thirsts for water. Wilderness: He must be content with little and be as free of materialism as the wilderness. This is a prelude to Kabalas Hatorah on Shavuos.