רמב"ן במדבר פרק יא
ויאמרו מי יאכלנו בשר - כי לא היה לכל העם בשר לאכול בכל יום, אע"פ שאכלו ממנו פעמים רבות. והיה למקצתם מקנה ואכלו ממנו הגדולים, כמנהג המחנות ומקומות היוקר. אבל בדגים אמרו (פסוק ה) זכרנו את הדגה, כזוכר הנשכחות, כי לא אכלו דגים מיום צאתם ממצרים ועד הנה
“And they [the Israelites] said: ‘If only we had meat to eat!’” Because not everyone had meat to eat daily, despite the fact that they did eat it a lot. And a few of them had flock and the rich ones ate from them, according to the custom of wealthy places. But regarding the fish they said (verse 5): “We remember the fish”, like one who remembers that which [up to that point] had been forgotten, because they had not eaten fish from the day they left Egypt until this point. [Translation by Uri L’Tzedek]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. This commentary refers to the time when the Israelites were wandering in the desert after leaving Egypt. Why did some of them eat meat daily?
2. Is it fair that not everyone had equal access to the same foods?
3. Do people from different economic backgrounds have the same access to food today?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)