Page 34 - Shemot-e-book-RF4-FP_Neat-221215-V24102-NPW

Audio: Track 8 34
1 The Book of Exodus – ‫חומש שמות‬

Torah Portion Be'Shalach

The Torah portion of Be'Shalach relates the story of the manna that the People

of Israel ate in the desert.
‫ה קרה ביום השביעי‬

The manna fell every day of the week except Shabbat. Nevertheless, a group of

people still went out to gather manna on Shabbat, as can be seen in the verse:

"It was on the seventh day that some of the nation went out to gather,
and they did not find." (16:27)

Rabbi Meir of Premishlan expounded upon the expression "and they did not
find":

In general people use the word "to find" when referring to something that people
lose. But in this case, they did not lose the manna - the manna did not come
down on Shabbat! So why does the Torah use the words "they did not find"?

He went on to answer: this explains the story the Midrash tells us about two
men, Datan and Aviram, who hoped that the People of Israel would not believe
Moshe when he told them that the manna did not come down on Shabbat.

They went out very early on Shabbat morning and scattered manna that they had
gathered on Friday, and then they called to the Children of Israel and said to
them: "Come and see – there is manna on Shabbat! Moshe is lying!" But in the
meantime birds came and ate the manna, so when the People of Israel went out
to see, they did not find the manna that Datan and Aviram had scattered.

That is why the Torah uses the words "and they did not find" – because it is
referring to the manna that Datan and Aviram scattered previously.

There is a custom to scatter crumbs for the birds on Shabbat "Be'Shalach" in
order to give them a reward for the good deed that they did in the desert.

All rights reserved to Yoel & Orly Ganor