(ב) דָּבָר אַחֵר, פְּקֹד כָּל בְּכֹר זָכָר וגו', הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (שיר השירים ו, ח ט): שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וגו' אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי וגו', מָשָׁל לְאָדָם שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ פְּרַגְמָטוֹטִין שֶׁל אֲבָנִים, שֶׁל זְכוּכִית, וְהָיָה מוֹצִיאָן לַשּׁוּק וְלֹא הָיָה מַבְחִין בַּמִּנְיָן, שֶׁלֹא הָיָה מוֹצִיאָן בְּמִנְיָן, וְנִכְנָס לְהַנִּיחָן וְלֹא הָיָה מַנִּיחָן בְּמִנְיָן, שֶׁלֹא הָיָה מַשְׁגִּיחַ עֲלֵיהֶם שֶׁהָיוּ שֶׁל זְכוּכִית, וְהָיָה לוֹ פְּרַגְמָטֵיס אַחַת שֶׁל מַרְגָּלִיּוֹת נָאוֹת וְהָיָה נוֹטְלָהּ וּמוֹצִיאָהּ בְּמִנְיָן וּמַנִּיחָהּ בְּמִנְיָן. כָּךְ כִּבְיָכוֹל אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, לְאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם לֹא נָתַתִּי מִנְיָן, לָמָּה, שֶׁאֵין חֲשׁוּבִין לְפָנַי כְּלוּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה מ, יז): כָּל הַגּוֹיִם כְּאַיִן נֶגְדוֹ. אֲבָל אַתֶּם בָּנַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שיר השירים מו, ג): הָעֲמֻסִים מִנִּי בֶטֶן וגו', לְכָךְ מוֹנֶה אֶתְכֶם בְּכָל שָׁעָה, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: פְּקֹד כָּל בְּכֹר זָכָר, הֱוֵי: שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְלָכוֹת וגו' אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי, אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
(2) Another interpretation: "Number all the first-born males..." (Numbers 3:40) This is what is written (Song of Songs 6:8-9): "There are threescore queens ... My dove, my undefiled, is but one ..." Compare in parable to a person who had a sales-bundle of glass stones and would bring them them to the market, but would not notice their number, since he would not bring them out by number. He would go in to put them away and would not put them away by number, since he would not care about them, as they were glass. But he had one sales-bundle of precious pearls, and he would take it and bring it out by number and put it away by number. Similarly, so to speak, the Holy One Blessed be He said to the nations of the world, "I have not assigned a number. Why? Because they are not important to me at all. As it says (Isaiah 40:17), 'All the nations are as nothing before Him.' But you are My children, as it says, (Isaiah 46:3), 'that are borne [by Me] from the birth ...' Therefore, I count you all the time." Therefore, it is said "Number all the first-born males." That is: "There are threescore queens ... My dove, my undefiled, is but one ..." - these are Israel.
(ז) וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי (במדבר א, א), לָמָּה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי, מִכָּאן שָׁנוּ חֲכָמִים בִּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים נִתְּנָה הַתּוֹרָה, בָּאֵשׁ, וּבַמַּיִם, וּבַמִּדְבָּר. בָּאֵשׁ מִנַּיִן (שמות יט, יח): וְהַר סִינַי עָשַׁן כֻּלּוֹ וגו'. וּבַמַּיִם מִנַּיִן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שופטים ה, ד): גַּם שָׁמַיִם נָטָפוּ גַּם עָבִים נָטְפוּ מָיִם. וּבַמִּדְבָּר מִנַּיִן וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי, וְלָמָּה נִתְּנָה בִּשְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הַלָּלוּ, אֶלָּא מָה אֵלּוּ חִנָּם לְכָל בָּאֵי הָעוֹלָם כָּךְ דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה חִנָּם הֵם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה נה, א): הוֹי כָּל צָמֵא לְכוּ לַמַּיִם, דָּבָר אַחֵר, וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל משֶׁה בְּמִדְבַּר סִינַי, אֶלָּא כָּל מִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה עַצְמוֹ כַּמִּדְבָּר, הֶפְקֵר, אֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לִקְנוֹת אֶת הַחָכְמָה וְהַתּוֹרָה, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: בְּמִדְבַּר סִינָי.
(7) "And God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Wilderness" (Numbers 1:1). Why the Sinai Wilderness? From here the sages taught that the Torah was given through three things: fire, water, and wilderness. How do we know it was given through fire? From Exodus 19:18: "And Mount Sinai was all in smoke as God had come down upon it in fire." How do we know it was given through water? As it says in Judges 5:4, "The heavens dripped and the clouds dripped water [at Sinai]." How do we know it was given through wilderness? [As it says above,] "And God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Wilderness." And why was the Torah given through these three things? Just as [fire, water, and wilderness] are free to all the inhabitants of the world, so too are the words of Torah free to them, as it says in Isaiah 55:1, "Oh, all who are thirsty, come for water... even if you have no money." Another explanation: "And God spoke to Moses in the Sinai Wilderness" — Anyone who does not make themselves ownerless like the wilderness cannot acquire the wisdom and the Torah. Therefore it says, "the Sinai Wilderness."