BaMidbar: being in two places at once

Why does Parshas BaMidbaris stress the location -- “b’midbar Sinai b’Ohel Moed” -- at which Hashem spoke to Moshe? The Noam Elimelech suggests that the physical location is a hint to psychological paradox. The midbar, the wild barren desert, suggests feeling bereft and hopeless, without an anchor or guidance. The word “moed” in Ohel Moed is the same word we use to describe the festivals – moadim – which bring to mind feelings of joy and happiness. Life challenges us to be in these two locations at once. A person may be forced to wander through a midbar of hostile challenges, but rather than succumb to depression and defeat, a person has the power to internally maintain an “ohel moed” of joy that gives strength and solace.