Manna -- Man Hu??!

[Groisah Tzaddik]

What is the manna in the life of a Jew? Is it parnasa, is it emunah, what is it? Man Hu!

[Groisah Tzaddik]

The Torah could be given only to eaters of manna

— Midrash Mechilta, Beshalach 17

[Yankel Nosson]

The Riminover wrote a huge exposition about the Man. I never learned it, though. I saw this, however:

Manna, Friendship and Torah are a three legged stool; if one leg is missing it cannot stand.

“And Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Behold, I am going to rain bread down on you from the heavens, and the people will go out to gather it, in order to test you, if you will go in the ways of my Torah or not.’” (Shemos 16:4)
R’ Menachem Mendel of Riminov wrote extensively on the subject of the Manna. This selection is the opening piece on Parshas HaMon from his work “Menachem Tzion”.

There are a number of questions that need to be asked on this verse.
1) Why didn’t the matzo which the Children of Israel took out with them from Egypt last them at least until the time of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai?
2) What is the connection between the giving of the Manna and the test that the Torah wanted to make?

R’ Menachem Mendel of Riminov, one of the four principal disciples of R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk, answered that Hashem wanted to reward Yisroel with the gift of the Manna. Through eating the Manna, as we will explain below, they would be able to acquire the good character traits that later on would enable them to accept the Torah and fulfill its Mitzvos.

Rabbenu Tam, the grandson of Rashi and one of the Tosafists, states in his work on Jewish Philosophy, Sefer HaYashar, that the source of all good character traits is faith and trust in the Providence of Hashem. In this way one can come quickly to the foundation of the whole Torah, the mitzvoh of “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” .

There is a well known story in the Talmud. (Tractate Shabbos 31a) A potential convert came to the sage Shammai and asked of him to teach him the entire Torah while he stood on one foot. Shammai, not the type to be bothered by such people, drove him out of the house with a stick. The potential convert didn’t give up. He went to Hillel the Elder and again asked to be taught the entire Torah while he stood on one foot. (Obviously he wanted to know in a nutshell, “What is the essence of Judaism?”)Hillel, un-intimidated, took up the challenge. He instructed him, “That which is hateful to you, don’t do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary; go and learn!”

Hillel’s answer is the mitzvoh of “V’Ahavta L’Rayacha K’Mocha", “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”. Chassidic literature repeatedly reiterates the point. This mitzvoh of “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” is the central mitzvoh of the Torah; the one around which all the others revolve.

The Riminover maintained that anybody can see the truth of this. If one really regards his friend with love and respect, then he will never even consider stealing from him or harming him or his family in any way. Just the opposite is true. He would endeavor to help his friend in any way possible.

Nevertheless, it is impossible to fulfill the dictates of “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” wholeheartedly without first developing an unwavering sense of faith and trust in the Providence of Hashem. That means believing totally that Hashem is at the helm; that He conducts the world in such a way that each and every creation in it receives exactly what it needs, and in the proper time. Everything a person needs is apportioned to him and there isn’t another who can take away or divert anything that belongs to him. One who understands this concept is immediately endowed with a deep awareness of Hashem’s Providence, and with a sense of total trust and faith in Hashem. His heart is always at rest since he knows that anything and everything that he might require will be supplied to him by Hashem. This person will not spend his days and years in the pursuit of wealth, possessions and luxuries since he knows that it is not his efforts that bring material wealth, rather the will of Hashem. Each person receives what Hashem budgets for him; no more no less. (The expenses laid out for Shabbos, Yom Tov and the Jewish education of one’s children are the exception to this rule. The Talmud states that Hashem will reimburse a Jew for all those expenses. Talmud Beitza )

One for whom this becomes second nature can easily fulfill the mitzvoh of “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”. He just won’t have no desire for anything which belongs to his neighbor, and none of the inner turmoil of jealousy. He knows that what his neighbor has was rightfully granted to him by Hashem.

So much is this true, that even should one’s neighbor open a store right next to his, he will not feel any animosity or vengeance, since he is certain that the actions of his neighbor cannot harm him at all and pose absolutely no threat to his livelihood.

This is the explanation for the timing of the giving of Manna, and why Hashem gave the Manna in such a way that it fell enough for one day at a time and no more. It was in order to train B’nei Yisroel in the ways of faith and trust in Hashem, that they should learn not to worry about what will be tomorrow. Each one was allowed to collect the same amount; an Omer per person. If one did try to “become rich” by gathering more than an Omer, it didn’t do him any good. If one tried to take more or less than an Omer, when he got home and measured the Manna, it came out an Omer! (One of the miracles of the Manna, says Rashi.) If he worried that tomorrow maybe the Manna wouldn’t come and left some over for the next day, in the morning he found it infested with vermin. Therefore, nobody had any reason to be jealous or look over his shoulder at his friend. This was the method by which Hashem taught the children of Israel to accept the Torah, the same Torah which has as its central mitzvoh “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” .

This then is the explanation of the verse, “Behold, I am going to rain bread down on you from the heavens, and the people will go out to gather it, in order to test you, if you will go in the ways of my Torah or not.” By receiving the Manna and obeying all the rules that went along with it, B’nei Yisroel were indeed tested and thereby made ready for the great day of Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai.

http://www.nishmas.org/chassidus/shemos/beshalach5759.html


The previous Modzitzer Rebbe, R’ Shaul Yedidya, zt"l said that the letters of the words “It is Mon” ("mem", nun sofis", "hay", "vav", "alef") when rearranged spell ("alef", "mem", "vav", "nun", "hay"), Emunah (faith).

[Yankel Nosson]

According to some chassidic tradition, there is a segula to say parashas hamon today, yom shlishi of parshas Beshallach. What does Chabad Chassidus have to say?

[Torah613]

It doesn't say anything.

[LION]

According to some chassidic tradition, there is a segula to say parashas hamon today, yom shlishi of parshas Beshallach. What does Chabad Chassidus have to say?

See LS Vol. 26 Beshalach 2 footnote # 62 regarding saying parshas hamon in general.