Parashat Bamidbar is almost always read on the Shabbat immediately preceding Shavuot. What is the connection between this parashah and Matan Torah , the event that we celebrate on Shavuot? Parashat Bamidbar tells us how Beneh Yisrael encamped in the desert. Each tribe lived together in its designated place, with its unique banner. The Mishkan , where the Shechinah (divine presence) rested, was situated in the center of the camp. This arrangement symbolizes the fact that although the Jewish People consists of different groups, each with different ways of doing things, we are, ultimately, all part of one nation, of one entity, devoted to Hashem, which must be at the center of our lives. I once posed the following question to a group of young men and women from our community: If you find yourself sitting on a bus, and to your right is a Hassidic person, and to your left is a non-Jew, to which of these passengers do you relate more? To my dismay, several of the youngsters replied that they would relate more to the non-Jew. They explained that their lives far more closely resemble those of non-Jews than to the lives of Hassidic Jews who don’t use the same technology, who observe different customs, many of whom speak Yiddish, and who follow stricter halachic standards. This mistake, I believe, stems from a preoccupation with externals, from losing sight of our core identity. If we identify ourselves based on our iPhone, on our Instagram page, the videos we watch, the kinds of houses we live in, the vacations we go on, and the clothes we wear, then indeed, we might find ourselves feeling closer to our non-Jewish neighbors than to Jews from different communities and backgrounds. But this is not how we should be identifying ourselves. We are identified by our commitment to Hashem, by our mitzvot , by the Torah we learn, by the principles of emunah that we live by, and by the tefilot we recite. And if this is our core identity, then we feel a special kinship and connection with all our fellow Jews, no matter how different their lifestyle and customs are from ours. Once our identity is formed by our belief in Hashem and the Torah, then everything else is external and of limited significance. If our priority is Torah and mitzvot , then we feel a close bond with all others who share this commitment, even if they express it differently than we do. Let us take the example of siblings who find themselves in a fight. Usually, when siblings fight, it’s because they are too concerned with things that shouldn’t matter that much to them, such as money or personal honor. But when one of the two quarreling siblings faces some dire crisis, Heaven forbid, they in most cases come together and forget about the fight. Times of crisis redirects our focus onto what really matters, onto what’s really important. And when this is our focus, we realize that what we have in common far exceeds what divides us. The Torah says that when Beneh Yisrael arrived at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר – they encamped facing the mountain. Rashi, in one of the most famous and oft-quoted passages in his Torah commentary, notes that the Torah uses the singular form – ויחן , instead of the plural form, ויחנו . The singular form is used, Rashi explains, to indicate to us that the nation encamped at Mount Sinai כאיש אחד בלב אחד – “as one person, with one heart,” with perfect unity. Previously, the pasuk says, ויחנו במדבר – “they encamped in the desert,” using the plural form. At first, they were not united. But once they focused their minds on receiving the Torah, and their attention was redirected onto what really matters, they bonded together, כאיש אחד בלב אחד . When we have our priorities straight, and we focus on what’s truly valuable and important, we find that we have so much in common with all our fellow Jews. Of course, we absolutely must be respectful, friendly, courteous and kind to all people, Jew and non-Jew alike. Every human being is endowed with the image of G-d and must be respected. But our fellow Jews must be viewed and loved as family, no matter how different they are from us. This is why Parashat Bamidbar is always read before Shavuot. We are divided into different “tribes,” each in its own territory, and each with its own “flag,” its own unique characteristics and ways of doing things. But we must feel a close bond with one another, despite our differences. Shavuot celebrates Matan Torah , the event that gave us our core identity. The Torah defines who we are – a nation charged with a special mission. The more we recognize that this is who we are, that our Torah commitment defines us far more than our homes, our cars, our clothes and our vacations, the more closely we will feel connected with all our fellow Jews, and bond with them “like one person with one heart.”