Dear Friends;

I hope that you’ll enjoy the following Parasha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parsha in a Nutshell ”

Soon after allowing the Children of Israel to depart from Egypt, Pharaoh chases after them to force their return, and the Israelites find themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s armies and the sea. G-d tells Moshe to raise his staff over the water; the sea splits to allow the Israelites to pass through, and then closes over the pursuing Egyptians. Moshe and the Benei Israel sing a song of praise and gratitude to G-d.

In the desert, the people suffer thirst and hunger and repeatedly complain to Moshe and Aaron. G-d miraculously sweetens the bitter waters of Marah, and later has Moses bring forth water from a rock by striking it with his staff; He causes manna to rain down from the heavens before dawn each morning, and quails to appear in the Israelite camp each evening.

The Children of Israel are instructed to gather a double portion of manna on Friday, as none will descend on Shabath. Aaron preserves a small quantity of manna in a jar, as a testimony for future generations.

The people of Israel are attacked by the Amaleks, who are defeated by Moshe’s prayers and an army raised by Joshua.

” Dvar Torah ”

In this week’s Parsha, we are introduced to “Manna”, the heavenly bread that Hashem provided for the Benei Israel over the period of forty years, on a daily basis (except shabbats) , when they were wondering in the desert before entering the Land of Israel. The Torah describes it as similar to coriander seed, and it tasted like a cake fried in Honey. However the Midrash says that those who had true faith in G-d, it could have tasted like anything they wanted. Some Chachamim consider the miracle of Manna to be a greater miracle than splitting of the Red Sea, since unlike the splitting of the Red Sea which was a one-shot miracle, the miracle of Manna continued for more than forty years.

The way that the Torah introduces the Manna to us, however, is somehow puzzling. After crossing the Red Sea and seeing the Egyptian corpses on the shore, the Benei Yisrael finally started to feel a sense of freedom. But their freedom celebration quickly vanished when they found themselves with no food or water in the desert. So they complained to Moshe saying: ” When we were in Egypt we had it good, we had what to eat, now you’ve brought us into the desert to let us starve to death! ” Moshe brings up their complaint to the Almighty and He responds with saying: ” Behold, I shall rain down for you food from heaven; let the people go out and pick each day’s portion on its day, so that I can “TEST” them, whether they will follow My teaching or not”!

Nearly, all the commentators are bothered by the way Hashem describes the purpose of the Manna as a “test”?! What kind of a test is this? Usually, when someone is being tested, we assume that they have to do something difficult. The classic example from the Torah is when G-d “tested” Avraham by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. So, if we were to get bread from heaven, if we were able to go out every morning to our doorstep and pick up our livelihood, lacking nothing, what kind of test could that possibly be? Imagine a life in which one does not have to worry about making a living; a life that is free of aggravation and worries . A life, literally, with bread falling from the heaven! Do you call this a “blessing” or a “test”?!

Well, Rashi, the most famous commentator, who follows the simple interpretation, says that the pasuk (verse) refers to the test of fulfilling the “Halachot”(the laws) associated with the manna. One could only take so much per person, one should not go looking for any on Shabbat, one should take twice the amount on Fridays (Erev Shabbat), etc.

But, Sforno, another great commentator, has a different view on the concept of “test of manna”. He says the test of manna is to see if the Jews would still follow the Torah when they are able to easily earn their livelihood. There is a great test in ‘bread falling from heaven.’ When one has a livelihood without difficulty, he has affluence and leisure time. What will the Benei Yisrael do with their leisure time and with their affluence? Would they invest their spare time in spirituality and getting closer to the Almighty, or would they just spend their spare time complaining to Moshe and going after worshiping the forbidden idols?! With affluence and spare time, comes the great danger of forgetting about the Almighty and forgetting about where your livelihood comes from! And this was the true test of manna, says Sforno, which many of the Jews did not pass, unfortunately!

Yes my friends, the test of Manna is an ongoing test in every generation. When we have it good, when things are going wonderfully, do we remember G-d? To think about the Almighty in the times of plenty is one of the hardest tests for everyone. Yes, when we are faced with trouble, sickness or tragedy, G-d forbid, we all become religious. We all go to Kanissa. We all pray harder, read Tehillim and give Tzedaka generously! But what about the times that things are going well, B”H. How religious are we then?! How often we go to Shul? How many times a day do we thank the Almighty?! When we are blessed with earning an easy livelihood, what do we do with our spare time? Do we spend some of the time in learning Torah and try to get closer to G-d, or do we spend most of the spare time in partying, having fun and going after the forbidden?! And this is the great test of “Manna”, known as the test of “Affluence”, which many Chachamim believe that it’s even a harder to pass than the test of poverty and suffering!!

So my friends, let us try to pass the test of Manna. But keep in mind that there is a major difference between the heavenly tests and the worldly tests. In order to pass a secular test, you need to have a lot intelligence; to pass a heavenly test however, you need to have a lot of “faith”!!!

Shabath Shalom, Tu BeShvat Sameyach & Regards;

Martin