The bread which Israel had taken along out of Egypt sufficed for
thirty-one days, and when they had consumed it, the whole congregation
of the children of Israel murmured against their leader Moses. It was
not only immediate want that oppressed them, but despair of a food
supply for the future; for when they saw the vast, extensive, utterly
barren wilderness before them, their courage gave way, and they said:
"We migrated, expecting freedom, and now we are not even free from the
cares of subsistence; we are not, as out leader promised, the happiest,
but in truth the most unfortunate of men. After our leader's words had
keyed us to the highest pitch of expectation, and had filled out ears
with vain hopes, he tortures us with famine and does not provide even
the necessary food. With the name of a new settlement he has deceived
this great multitude; after he had succeeded in leading us from a
well-known to an uninhabited land, he now plans to send us to the
underworld, the last road of life. [89] 'Would to God we had died by
the hand of the Lord during the three days of darkness in the land of
Egypt when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the
full.'" In their exasperation they spoke untruths, for in reality they
had suffered from want of food in Egypt, too, as the Egyptians had not
given them enough to eat. [90]
In spite of the railings against him, Moses was not so much indignant
about their words as about the fickleness of the people. After those
many quite extraordinary experiences they had no right to expect merely
the natural and the probable, but should cheerfully have trusted him;
for, truly, in the sight of all, they had been shown the most tangible
proofs of his reliability. When, on the other hand, Moses considered
their distress, he forgave them; for he told himself that a multitude
is by nature fickle, and allows itself to be easily influenced by
impressions of the moment, which cast the past into oblivion, and
engender despair of the future. [91]
God also forgave the unworthy conduct of Israel, and instead of being
angry with them because they murmured against Him, when it should have
been their duty to pray to Him, He was ready to grant them aid, saying
to Moses, "They act according to their lights, and I will act according
to Mine; not later than to-morrow morning manna will descend from
heaven."
As a reward for Abraham's readiness, in answer to the summons to
sacrifice Isaac, when he said, "Here am I," God promised manna to the
descendants of Abraham with the same words, "Here I am." In the same
way, during their wanderings through the wilderness, God repaid the
descendants of Abraham for what their ancestor had done by the angels
who visited him. He himself had fetched bread for them, and likewise
God Himself caused bread to rain from heaven; he himself ran before
them on their way, and likewise God moved before Israel; he had water
fetched for them, and likewise God, through Moses, caused water to flow
from the rock; he bade them seek shade under the tree, and likewise God
had a cloud spread over Israel. [92] Then God spoke to Moses: "I will
immediately reveal Myself without Jacob, 'I will rain bread from My
treasure in heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a
certain rate every day.'"
There were good reasons for not exceeding a day's ration in the daily
downpour of manna. First, that they might be spared the need of
carrying it on their wanderings; secondly, that they might daily
receive it hot; and, lastly, that they might day by day depend upon
God's aid, and in this way exercise themselves in faith. [93]
While the people were still abed, God fulfilled their desire, and
rained down manna for them. For this food had been created on the
second day of creation, [94] and ground by the angels, it later
descended for the wanderers in the wilderness. [95] The mills are
stationed in the third heaven, where manna is constantly being ground
for the future use of the pious; [96] for in the future world manna
will be set before them. [97] Manna deserves its name, "bread of the
angels," not only because it is prepared by them, but because those who
partake of it become equal to the angels in strength, and, furthermore,
like them, have no need of easing themselves, as manna is entirely
dissolved in the body. Not until they sinned, did they have to ease
themselves like ordinary mortals. [98]
Manna also showed its heavenly origin in the miraculous flavor it
possessed. There was no need of cooking or baking it, nor did it
require any other preparation, and still it contained the flavor of
every conceivable dish. One had only to desire a certain dish, and no
sooner had he thought of it, than manna had the flavor of the dish
desire. The same food had a different taste to every one who partook of
it, according to his age; to the little children it tasted like milk,
to the strong youths like bread, to the old men like honey, to the sick
like barley steeped in oil and honey. [99]
As miraculous as the taste of manna was it descent from heaven. First
came a north wind to sweep the floor of the desert; then a rain to wash
it quite clean; then dew descended upon it, which was congealed into a
solid substance by the wind, that it might serve as a table for the
heaven-descending gold. [100] But, that no insects or vermin might
settle on the manna, the frozen dew formed not only a tablecloth, but
also a cover for the manna, so that it lay enclosed there as in a
casket, protected from soiling or pollution above and below.