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Beshalach, 5th Aliya
Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L
To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]
Manna and Pheasants
The Israelites arrive in an area called Elim where there are 12 springs of water (representing the 12 tribes) and 70 date palms (representing the 70 Elders) and set up camp.
On the 15th of Iyar, which was 31 days since they left Egypt, they journey out of Elim to Sin, which was on the way to Sinai.
It is at this point that they exhaust all of their food, haven eaten a total of 61* meals made from the dough they had used to bake the matzos.
*Side note, the first meal they have upon leaving Egypt was the Seder. Thereafter they ate two meals per day, made from the dough they had used to make the matza, making a total of 61 meals.
Although the Israelites were not hungry, as they only recently ate their last meal, they were concerned over not having any food for their next meal. They complain to Moshe and Aaron about this, saying that it would have been better had they remained in Egypt and died there rather than to be led into the desert by them* and die of hunger. At least in Egypt they had meat and bread, they say.
*Side note: Notice how the Israelites say that it is Moshe and Aaron (as opposed to G-d) who took them out of Egypt and into the desert. Moshe and Aaron will reference this shortly, keep reading.
G-d tells Moshe that he will rain bread for down for them daily*. This manna would serve as a test to see if the Israelites would have the necessary faith to follow G-d's Torah. Each day they would only get the exact amount that they would need that day and would have to trust that the following day would bring them what they needed then. They would pass the test by neither leaving over any manna on any given day nor would they go out on Shabbos (when the manna would not fall) to try to collect it.
*Side note: The first day that the Israelites received manna was the 16th of Iyar, on a Sunday.
G-d tells Moshe that the Friday portion will serve as a double portion, encapsulating the portion for Shabbos as well. This will not be apparent when they go to collect the manna on Friday - it will appear as a regular sized portion. When they go home and eat it however, they will see that it is in fact a double portion.
In the Israelites' complaint (see above), they specifically mentioned meat and bread. Bread was a reasonable request, as it was necessary for their survival. Meat on the other hand was not. Additionally, if they wanted meat so badly, they had plenty of cattle that they could have slaughtered. So complaining that they didn't have meat was a sign of gluttony.
So Moshe and Aaron tell the Israelites that come evening, the Israelites will see that it was G-d, and not Moshe and Aaron (as they Israelites had said) who took the Israelites out. Moshe and Aaron were alluding to the pheasants which G-d was going to send out to fly over them. G-d sends these pheasants in the evening, which is not the most convenient time for preparing and cooking food, to demonstrate that while he was heeding their request for meat, he wasn't happy about it as it was requested out of gluttony.
Moshe and Aaron say that come morning, the Israelites will see the glory of G-d. This is in reference to the manna that fell in the morning. It is referred to as G-d's "glory", since unlike the meat, the manna was given out of love, showing that G-d recognized that it was a legitimate request.
Moshe and Aaron say, who are they that the Israelites should complain to them and rally up others to complain to them. It is G-d they should be complaining to.
Moshe tells Aaron to tell the Israelites to approach the Cloud of Glory as G-d has heard their complaints. Aaron does so and amazingly, when the Israelites look at the Cloud of Glory, G-d's Glory is visible in it.
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By Sarede Rachel Switzer
5
11 ratings
Audio Summaries of the daily Chumash portions In loving memory of Ousher Zelig ben Myer HaLevi Z”L
To sponsor an episode please visit: https://itistaught.com/support-this-project/To get the daily chumash summaries in your email click here https://substack.com/profile/182692001-sarede-rachel-switzer?utm_source=profile-page.Subscribe on SpotifySubscribe on Apple PodcastsPlease consider leaving a review on the platform of your choice!For comments and inquiries, email [email protected]
Manna and Pheasants
The Israelites arrive in an area called Elim where there are 12 springs of water (representing the 12 tribes) and 70 date palms (representing the 70 Elders) and set up camp.
On the 15th of Iyar, which was 31 days since they left Egypt, they journey out of Elim to Sin, which was on the way to Sinai.
It is at this point that they exhaust all of their food, haven eaten a total of 61* meals made from the dough they had used to bake the matzos.
*Side note, the first meal they have upon leaving Egypt was the Seder. Thereafter they ate two meals per day, made from the dough they had used to make the matza, making a total of 61 meals.
Although the Israelites were not hungry, as they only recently ate their last meal, they were concerned over not having any food for their next meal. They complain to Moshe and Aaron about this, saying that it would have been better had they remained in Egypt and died there rather than to be led into the desert by them* and die of hunger. At least in Egypt they had meat and bread, they say.
*Side note: Notice how the Israelites say that it is Moshe and Aaron (as opposed to G-d) who took them out of Egypt and into the desert. Moshe and Aaron will reference this shortly, keep reading.
G-d tells Moshe that he will rain bread for down for them daily*. This manna would serve as a test to see if the Israelites would have the necessary faith to follow G-d's Torah. Each day they would only get the exact amount that they would need that day and would have to trust that the following day would bring them what they needed then. They would pass the test by neither leaving over any manna on any given day nor would they go out on Shabbos (when the manna would not fall) to try to collect it.
*Side note: The first day that the Israelites received manna was the 16th of Iyar, on a Sunday.
G-d tells Moshe that the Friday portion will serve as a double portion, encapsulating the portion for Shabbos as well. This will not be apparent when they go to collect the manna on Friday - it will appear as a regular sized portion. When they go home and eat it however, they will see that it is in fact a double portion.
In the Israelites' complaint (see above), they specifically mentioned meat and bread. Bread was a reasonable request, as it was necessary for their survival. Meat on the other hand was not. Additionally, if they wanted meat so badly, they had plenty of cattle that they could have slaughtered. So complaining that they didn't have meat was a sign of gluttony.
So Moshe and Aaron tell the Israelites that come evening, the Israelites will see that it was G-d, and not Moshe and Aaron (as they Israelites had said) who took the Israelites out. Moshe and Aaron were alluding to the pheasants which G-d was going to send out to fly over them. G-d sends these pheasants in the evening, which is not the most convenient time for preparing and cooking food, to demonstrate that while he was heeding their request for meat, he wasn't happy about it as it was requested out of gluttony.
Moshe and Aaron say that come morning, the Israelites will see the glory of G-d. This is in reference to the manna that fell in the morning. It is referred to as G-d's "glory", since unlike the meat, the manna was given out of love, showing that G-d recognized that it was a legitimate request.
Moshe and Aaron say, who are they that the Israelites should complain to them and rally up others to complain to them. It is G-d they should be complaining to.
Moshe tells Aaron to tell the Israelites to approach the Cloud of Glory as G-d has heard their complaints. Aaron does so and amazingly, when the Israelites look at the Cloud of Glory, G-d's Glory is visible in it.
Get full access to Sarede’s Substack at sarede.substack.com/subscribe