Once upon a time, before I switched to Apple’s Mac, I used to need a computer technician from time to time. A visit from the computer guy was always a source of some stress—he would sit for an hour and a half, installing and uninstalling software, speaking in a language full of "default settings," and in the end, he would often take the computer with him for a day or two.
I vividly remember one such time when I asked him to install Microsoft’s new operating system—Windows something-or-other. He, in turn, asked to erase my entire computer in order to do it. Sweating and nervous, I asked, “Why delete everything? Just install it on top of the current system.”
He looked at me with a condescending gaze and declared firmly: “It’s not possible! If you want to install a new operating system, you have to get rid of the old one!”
And suddenly, I understood—not only what he was saying technically—I also understood why G-d insisted on giving the Torah specifically in a barren, desolate desert. I understood because I remembered the Rebbe’s explanation: in order to receive the Torah, you must erase everything familiar and known. You have to approach Torah study like a blank, white sheet—without preconceived notions, without concepts inherited from home.
Why?
Because if you want to install a new operating system, you must first remove the old one. And the Torah is an operating system for our lives, maybe not the newest on the market, but definitely equipped with the strongest antivirus that exists.
The Rebbe explained that this is why Parshat Bamidbar is always read before Shavuot. Because the best preparation for receiving the Torah is to be like a desert—empty, clear, and ready to receive, just like the wilderness.
I thought: whenever a person reaches a point where they feel a real (and probably painful) need for change, they must be ready to erase their old operating system and install a new one. It’s scary to step out of the familiar into the new and unknown, but there really is no other way. Just like the technician told me back then:
“If you want to install a new operating system, you have to get rid of the old one.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Zalman Wishedski