The Shulchan Aruch indicates that it is customary to read and study the portion of Bamidbar before the festival of Shavuot. The Midrash posits that the word "Bamidbar" refers to an inhospitable and dangerous, inhabited by snakes, scorpions, and negative forces. The Talmud counsels against praying in caves or ruins, as they are believed to be inhabited by impure forces and demons. The desert is the headquarters of Satan, and it is in this place that Hashem asks Moses to count the children of Israel, even in an adverse environment. The Israelites were made to wander in the wilderness for forty years as a punishment for the sins of the spies. Despite being in the headquarters of negativity, God blesses and protects them.
