Welcome to Daily Bitachon. We continue with pesukim in Parashat Ekev that we need to remember every day. As mentioned at the beginning of the week, Rabbenu Yonah tells us that there's a command to remember how Hashem took care of us in the desert. One of the things it says there is: שִׂמְלָתְךָ לֹא בָלְתָה מֵעָלֶיךָ וְרַגְלְךָ לֹא בָצֵקָה זֶה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה Your clothing did not wear out and your feet did not swell for these 40 years What does " your clothing did not wear out," mean ? Rashi explains that the Clouds of Gory would smooth and iron the clothing, and as the people grew, their clothes grew with them—like a snail's shell grows with the snail. The Maharal in Gur Aryeh asks: Why did Hashem perform this seemingly unnecessary miracle? After all, they could have simply made clothing on their own. Hashem doesn't perform miracles without purpose. The Maharal explains that Hashem wanted to show them that He could care for all their needs directly. Just as their food was Godly food from heaven, so too their clothing would be Godly clothing. He cites a Midrash that says that these were not ordinary garments; they were the same garments the angels clothed the people in at Har Sinai. That is why they never wore out. The Sefer Chizkuni teaches that this miracle is a lesson in overcoming lo tachmod (the prohibition against coveting) . Remembering that Hashem provided for all our needs in the desert—including our clothing—reminds us that He can do so in any situation, even in ordinary life. The Tiferet Yonatan adds a fascinating insight from Devarim 18:4, which discusses giving the kohen the first of the shearings. He explains that middah k'neged middah , since the clouds of glory—given in the merit of Aharon HaKohen—pressed and cleaned our clothing in the desert, we give the first shearings to the kohen as repayment to Aharon's descendants for caring for our clothing in the desert. The Chatam Sofer notes a key difference between the miracle of the manna and the miracle of the clothing. The clothing lasted forever, but the manna came day by day. Hashem could have made food that lasted for forty years—just as He sustained Eliyahu HaNavi for forty days from a single cookie—but instead chose to give the manna daily. Why? The Gemara explains with a mashal of a king with two sons. For the son he wanted a close relationship with, he gave food daily so that the son would come to him regularly. Similarly, Hashem wanted the manna to come each day so we would turn to Him daily, like children turn to their loving father. This explains why Hashem made us independent in one area (clothing) but dependent in another (food). There is actually a debate about whether these were miraculous angelic garments or the original clothing taken from Egypt that lasted forty years. The Baal HaTurim in Shemot 3:22 says they were the garments borrowed from the Egyptians— וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם כְּלֵי־כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב וּשְׂמָלֹת —and that those same garments lasted the entire forty years. The Chatam Sofer agrees and explains that this reveals two different ways Hashem interacts with us. When the Jewish people asked : t הֲיֵשׁ ה' בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ אִם אָיִן / Is God with us or not? it referred to two Divine approaches: Yesh mi'yesh – something from something – Hashem works within nature, transforming existing material. Yesh me'ayin – something from nothing Each approach presents its own challenge of faith. Open miracles make every thing clear and obvious, but living with hashgachah pratit within nature requires deeper trust. The spies, for instance, felt safer in the desert, where Hashem's miracles were obvious, rather than in the Land, where His supervision would be more hidden. Each one has its challenges The Chatam Sofer says Hashem wanted to show that He operates in both ways. The manna , "food of angels," was yesh me'ayin —something from nothing , sustained entirely by His word. The clothing was yesh mi'yesh —ordinary garments sustained miraculously through natural means. In both cases, Hashem showed that He can care for us completely—whether through open miracles or through the subtle miracles of everyday life.