(א) כׇּל־הַמִּצְוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ הַיּ֖וֹם תִּשְׁמְר֣וּן לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת לְמַ֨עַן תִּֽחְי֜וּן וּרְבִיתֶ֗ם וּבָאתֶם֙ וִֽירִשְׁתֶּ֣ם אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥ע ה׳ לַאֲבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ (ב) וְזָכַרְתָּ֣ אֶת־כׇּל־הַדֶּ֗רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹלִֽיכְךָ֜ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֛יךָ זֶ֛ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר לְמַ֨עַן עַנֹּֽתְךָ֜ לְנַסֹּֽתְךָ֗ לָדַ֜עַת אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֧ר בִּֽלְבָבְךָ֛ הֲתִשְׁמֹ֥ר מִצְוֺתָ֖ו אִם־לֹֽא׃ (ג) וַֽיְעַנְּךָ֮ וַיַּרְעִבֶ֒ךָ֒ וַיַּאֲכִֽלְךָ֤ אֶת־הַמָּן֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־יָדַ֔עְתָּ וְלֹ֥א יָדְע֖וּן אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן הוֹדִֽיעֲךָ֗ כִּ֠י לֹ֣א עַל־הַלֶּ֤חֶם לְבַדּוֹ֙ יִחְיֶ֣ה הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֛י עַל־כׇּל־מוֹצָ֥א פִֽי־ה׳ יִחְיֶ֥ה הָאָדָֽם׃ (ד) שִׂמְלָ֨תְךָ֜ לֹ֤א בָֽלְתָה֙ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָ וְרַגְלְךָ֖ לֹ֣א בָצֵ֑קָה זֶ֖ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃
(1) You shall faithfully observe all the Instruction that I enjoin upon you today, that you may thrive and increase and be able to possess the land that ה׳ promised on oath to your fathers. (2) Remember the long way that your God ה׳ has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, in order to test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts: whether you would keep the divine commandments or not. (3) [God] subjected you to the hardship of hunger and gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, in order to teach you that a human being does not live on bread alone, but that one may live on anything that ה׳ decrees. (4) The clothes upon you did not wear out, nor did your feet swell these forty years.
Was giving manna a test? An affliction? A blessing?
״הַמַּאֲכִילְךָ מָן בַּמִּדְבָּר ... לְמַעַן עַנּוֹתְךָ״? רַבִּי אַמֵּי וְרַבִּי אַסִּי, חַד אָמַר: אֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ פַּת בְּסַלּוֹ לְמִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ פַּת בְּסַלּוֹ, וְחַד אָמַר: אֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה מִי שֶׁרוֹאֶה וְאוֹכֵל לְמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רוֹאֶה וְאוֹכֵל.
§ Apropos the verse: “And he afflicted you and caused you to hunger, and fed you with manna” (Deuteronomy 8:3), the Gemara expounds related verses. The Torah states: “Who feeds you manna in the desert which your fathers did not know, in order to afflict you” (Deuteronomy 8:16). What affliction was there in eating the manna? Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi disagreed on the matter. One said: There is no comparison between one who has bread in his basket and one who does not have bread in his basket.And one said: There is no comparison between one who sees the food and eats it and one who does not see the food and eats it.
What does that mean? Rashi, help us!
אין לו פת בסלו - אוכל היום ודואג על למחר:
"One who does not have bread in his basket" refers to one who eats today and worries about what will happen tomorrow.
Steinsaltz: The affliction in eating the manna lay in there being no leftover food for the next day. Each day the people worried that they might not have any food to eat the next day.
אינו רואה ואוכל - אכילת המן טועם טעם כל המינים ואינו רואה אלא מן:
"He does not see [the food] and he eats [it]" - eating manna tasks like the flavor of all types of food, but they only see manna.
Steinsaltz: Though the manna could taste like anything, it always looked the same and did not look as it tasted. Being unable to see the food that they tasted was an affliction.
What are Rashi and Steinsaltz implying about receiving manna from God (or depending on God for manna)?
The following midrash expands on the idea of depending on God (through or in addition to communal leaders) to receive blessings. As you read, consider:
-What does it mean for us - in how we see ourselves and others - that even God wants appreciation for giving a gift?
-How does being in a wild landscape change our relationship with God?
(Numb. 1:1:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses in the Sinai desert.” This text is related (to Jer. 2:31), “Oh generation, understand the word of the Lord, ‘Have I been a desert for Israel or a land of thick darkness?’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “You said to Moses (in Numb. 21:5), ‘Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die in the desert?’" (Jer. 2:31:) ‘Have I been a desert for Israel?’ Did I act like a desert to you? I did not even bring three fleas to trouble you. And I even raised up three redeemers for you to serve you, as stated (in Micah 6:4), ‘and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.’” Through their merit, Israel was able to travel.
Through the merit of Moses there was manna, as stated (Deut. 8:3), “And He subjected you to hunger [and then gave you manna to eat].” When Moses passed away, what is written (in Josh. 5:12)? “The manna ceased on the next day (i.e., the day after Moses died).”
Through the merit of Aaron I surrounded you in clouds of glory, as stated (Exod. 13:21), “And the Lord went in front of them during the day [in a pillar of cloud. And it is written (in Ps. 105:39), “He spread a cloud for a cover.” There were seven clouds: one from above, one from below, one from each of the four directions, and one going before them. [That last one] smote snakes and scorpions, leveled the mountains and valleys for them, and burned the thornbushes so that they sent up smoke. When all the kings of the East and West saw this, the peoples of the world said (in Cant. 3:6), “Who is this that comes up from the desert [like columns of smoke]?” When Aaron passed away, what is written (in Numb. 21:4)? “But the temper of the people grew short on the way,” because the sun was shining down upon them (without a cloud cover).
It is also written (in Deut. 29:4), “your clothes did not wear out from upon you.” In the case of a baby, all the time that it was growing, its garments and clothes were growing along with it.
Now the well [came] through the merit of Miriam, who uttered a song by the waters [of the Reed sea].
And since it is stated (in Numb. 20:1-2), “and Miriam died there and was buried there. Now the congregation had no water.” And how was [the well] constructed? Like a kind of boulder or a type of hive or a type of ball. It rolled along and came with them on the journeys. When the standards [for each tribe] came to rest and the tabernacle arose, the rock would come and settle down in the court of the tent of meeting. Then the leaders would stand beside it and say (in the words of Numb. 21:17), “Rise up, O well”; and the well would rise up.
God said to them, “Would that I were now in the wilderness, where I did those miracles for you.”...When God came to the desert wasteland (harevah), it received God and praised God, as stated (in Is. 42:11), “Let the desert and its cities lift up [their voice].” ...When God came down into the desert wasteland's midst, they began rejoicing, because the Holy One, blessed be He, was dwelling in their midst, as stated (in Is. 35:1), “The desert and the arid land shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom like a crocus.”
Concluding verses on blessings, humility, and gratitude
(יב) פֶּן־תֹּאכַ֖ל וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבָתִּ֥ים טֹבִ֛ים תִּבְנֶ֖ה וְיָשָֽׁבְתָּ׃ (יג) וּבְקָֽרְךָ֤ וְצֹֽאנְךָ֙ יִרְבְּיֻ֔ן וְכֶ֥סֶף וְזָהָ֖ב יִרְבֶּה־לָּ֑ךְ וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־לְךָ֖ יִרְבֶּֽה׃ (יד) וְרָ֖ם לְבָבֶ֑ךָ וְשָֽׁכַחְתָּ֙ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ הַמּוֹצִיאֲךָ֛ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֥ית עֲבָדִֽים׃ (טו) הַמּוֹלִ֨יכְךָ֜ בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר ׀ הַגָּדֹ֣ל וְהַנּוֹרָ֗א נָחָ֤שׁ ׀ שָׂרָף֙ וְעַקְרָ֔ב וְצִמָּא֖וֹן אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֵֽין־מָ֑יִם הַמּוֹצִ֤יא לְךָ֙ מַ֔יִם מִצּ֖וּר הַֽחַלָּמִֽישׁ׃ (טז) הַמַּאֲכִ֨לְךָ֥ מָן֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָדְע֖וּן אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן עַנֹּֽתְךָ֗ וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ נַסֹּתֶ֔ךָ לְהֵיטִֽבְךָ֖ בְּאַחֲרִיתֶֽךָ׃ (יז) וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ כֹּחִי֙ וְעֹ֣צֶם יָדִ֔י עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֶת־הַחַ֥יִל הַזֶּֽה׃ (יח) וְזָֽכַרְתָּ֙ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ כִּ֣י ה֗וּא הַנֹּתֵ֥ן לְךָ֛ כֹּ֖חַ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת חָ֑יִל לְמַ֨עַן הָקִ֧ים אֶת־בְּרִית֛וֹ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לַאֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ {פ}
(12) When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in, (13) and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has prospered, (14) beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget your God ה׳ —who freed you from the land of Egypt, the house of bondage; (15) who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its seraph serpents and scorpions, a parched land with no water in it, who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock; (16) who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your ancestors had never known, in order to test you by hardships only to benefit you in the end— (17) and you say to yourselves, “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.” (18) Remember that it is your God ה׳ who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case.
There are many things we have in life that we did not acquire through our own power and might. What is the difference between a blessing and markers of privilege? Why is it important to tell the difference? What blessings are you grateful for today, and how, or to whom, do you express that gratitude?