Beshalach - 5th Portion

Join us. We learned Kumish for Thursday, the fifth Torah reading of Paras Bashalak. Yesterday's Torah reading, we read about the song that the Jewish people sang for the for God thanking him for the crossing of the sea. As the Jewish people crossed the sea in dry land and the Egyptians were washed away in the sea. But [snorts] also as the Jewish people come out of the sea, they were given great booty that was there from the wealth of the Egyptians of the gold and the silver as well as they come to the place called Mara where the water was bitter there by throwing a wood in a tree into the water, it was sweetened. And the Jewish people there received as well [snorts] some of the mitzvah at the place of Mara where God promising them that should they follow the commandments, they will not even come to need the the healing that they will always be healed by and the and the all the illnesses that God placed amongst the Egyptians will never be placed amongst the Jews. Today we continue on the travels of the Jewish people after the crossing of the sea. Chapter 15 verse 27. This is now in the first of year that they journeyied and they came to a place called Alim and there were 12 springs of of water corresponding to the 12 tribes [snorts] and 70 date palms and they camped there by the water now for another 10 days. [snorts] Verse 27. For the 12 tribes, God made it happen that there should be 12 wells of water for them. Why the number 70? For the 70 elders, the scholars and the leaders of the Jewish people. Chapter 16 verse one. Visu. Now this is now on the 11th of year as we mentioned they were there for 10 days and the Jewish people moved from Alim and they then came to the place called the desert of sin the sin desert a where was that located it was located between the place and mount siashi and this was on the 15th of Ear the second month after they have left Egypt which show that is the month of let's say after they had left Egypt verse one over here it tells us clearly of what when was the date that they rested well it doesn't say it at every other place because at this day exactly a month later later that they finished their food that they brought out of Egypt. Those matas that they brought out of Egypt lasted them for a month. [snorts] Therefore, therefore they needed to have food which we will see the man came. What do we learn from this that they ate from the leftover matzah that they had while they left Egypt with that matzah that they left Egypt with? 61 meals because on the 15th of Nissan in the morning the leftovers were so good that it lasted for another 60 meals two meals per day 30 days. So you have 60 meals and then the came the following morning on the 16th of year and it was on the Sunday morning [snorts] because later on we're going to find as the Torah told them that they God said six days they would collect as it's explained verse two and all the Jewish people started complaining to Moshe Alaron and to Aaron Bidbar in the desert [snorts] being that they had no food left and being that they had no bread to eat, they started complaining to Mosha and Aaron that they don't have any food and the entire Jewish community then said to Aaron, "If we only had died at the hand of God in Egypt when we were sat at the flesh pots and we were able to eat bread until we were satiated that you went and took us out but you have taken us out to the desert is it to starve of the entire congregation to death verse three the word that we should It doesn't mean like a noun that the word our death like Rashi gives us different examples where the word when you put it with aur it means that you brought us here to for something to happen not something that already happened. [snorts] Verse four. And God said to Moses, "I'm going to rain down bread for you from the sky, and the people will go out and they will collect each day according to their portion because I will test them if they will follow my Torah or not." They will collect how much food they need for that day. They're not going to going to collect for today, for tomorrow, every single day for that appropriate time. I'm going to test them. Will they c keep the two commandments that I will tell them that they have to keep pertaining to the which is number one did not leave over from one day to the next. They should not go out on chabas to collect. We see over here that God says that he's going to give them mana from heaven. It's interesting to note that later on in the time of Jeremiah, the Jewish people weren't observing the Torah. And Jeremiah rebuked them for not following the Torah. So the Jewish people said, "Listen, but we got to make a living. How do you expect us to study Torah?" So Jeremiah took out the mana that God says that he should put away for testimony for future generations. And he shows them the mana. He says, "Look, if God wants to give you food, he'll give you food. Look, he gave the Jewish people mana in the desert. The Rebi asks the question, but there wasn't mana there at the time in Jerus in Judea. How can Jeremiah expect them if there was no to believe that they're going to get their food from heaven if there was no mana falling from heaven? But when God tells us and the answer is because when God tells us that he brings us rain and he gives us heaven, it gives us mana from heaven. That is not only for the time of the Jewish people in the desert, but it is the belief in God that gives us the ability to recognize and realize that every part of our sustenance comes from God. And this verse that God is telling us, behold, I grain from you, bread from heaven, is not only for the people of the desert, but in every generation and every time must one must realize that our bread comes from heaven. And it is through the diligence of Torah and the observance of commandments that God gives us that we are able to have that sustenance from above. Verse number five. And now the Torah continues with the conditions of what they should do when they get the mana will be on the sixth day and they will prepare what they have gathered. And they will prepare what they bring in. [snorts] And they will be gathering twice as much as they gather each day of what they gather each day. Mishna, what does it mean? Mishna double for today and tomorrow. As Rashi explains, the words are for today and tomorrow. The word Mishna even though it says that they will collect. So Rashi explains the rest of the week they will collect each day just what they needed for that day. And therefore he says as you can see it's from the word of the verse. And I say as Rashi continues as the word says that they will bring and afterwards the Torah says they'll have double after that they brought it already into their house. They'll see that what they brought usually into the home. Now they'll see that there's double this that they usually bring in every single day for their measure that they bring in for that amount. They'll notice that it's double. That's why it says later on that it says that you're going to collect double the amount meaning when collecting it one found that it was a double the amount that's why the verse later on tells us in verse 29 that God says that therefore I'm giving you on the Friday and double amount God is giving us a blessing in the home that's giving us double the amount that we should have enough food for two days. Verse six said Mosharon said to the Jewish people to all the Jewish people when it becomes the in the evening and you will know that God took you out of Egypt. What does it mean? When it becomes the evening because you complained that we are the ones that took you out are the ones responsible. You should know we are not the ones that took you out of Egypt. It is God that took you out of Egypt and therefore God is going to be giving you thee the bread and this is what you complained about love that he will bring for you the quail as you will see in the evening. Verse seven and in the morning the glory of God having heard your complaints alashm against God. For what are we that we that you should incite and to complain against us? We have no power of our own. We are only agents of Almighty God. Verse seven. And in the morning you will see meaning it's not referring to the honor of God, the glory of God as it says that the glory of God was seen in the cloud. What were they referring to is that the glory of God they will see by the giving of the and this is what Moshe and Aaron were telling them. You asked for bread and meat. Now in the evening you will find out that God has the ability and capability to give you what you need according to your desires. He's going to give you your meat. However, he's not going to give it happily because and that's why it's only going to come when it gets dark because when it comes to the meat, it was inappropriate that you asked for it. You asked it because first of all you have a whole you have a your stomach is full. You have plenty of animals that you can go and slaughter and you can have as much meat as you want. The fact that you asked for bread that was appropriate you needed bread. There's no bread. Therefore you have to ask for bread. That makes sense. And therefore in the morning you'll see God's glory and you'll see that God is happy that you asked for bread and he'll give it to you. No problem. He'll give it to you in a happy and lovely way. And he's going to give you to in the morning that you have plenty of time to prepare to make whatever you want with it. And it's going to come is going to be due on top of it below it. Like a like a very special uh treasure that is given like an ornament that's put in a box and it's given to you in a nice respectable way. However, when it comes to the meat that that you have your own meat and you are complaining just irresponsibly about it that God is not going to that God is going to give you begrudgingly meaning that means this that you had complaints on God. What are we important? We're just agents. We're everything is in God's hands that you're making all the complaints against us that you're causing everybody to start complaining because that you inciting your men, the women, and the children and the and the multitudes of people to be able to complain against Mosha and Aaron. Rashi continues and explains the grammar of hearing the word and I I am compelled to explain the word complaining to cause to complain because of how the lamb it has in it a dot and it's read with because if it would did not have a dot in it that means if it wasn't stressed as they already made they were already complaining that they're going to complain. But now that there's a and it means means that they're causing others to complain just like we find by the spies and that they got the all the Jewish people to complain against Moshe. So too in this case the word salinu means that not only did the Jewish people complain but they incited others to complain on Moshe and Aaron. [snorts] The Torah now continues verse 8. Moshe said Hashem when you see that God gives you to you in the evening to eat in the morning to be satiated that God hears your complaints that you are complaining against him. Therefore you should know for what are we? You should not have any complaints against us. Your complaints are against God. Meat to eat. What is it? If you notice the words that he says, you're eating meat, but meat is not associating food. The Torah is telling us the respect or the normal the way how people are meant to behave. That you do not eat meat to be satiated on. That means you shouldn't eat so much meat that you should eat enough to be satiated. I guess God was against the Atkins diet. Why did God see to bring the bread in the morning in the meat in the evening? As we mentioned before because the bread they asked for was appropriate because it's impossible for a person to survive without bread. But the meat they asked inappropriately and therefore was given to them begrudgingly. Why inappropriately? They had plenty of animals and if they really wanted meat, they could have slaughtered them. the any more so and it's also possible for a person to be vegetarian and not eat meat. Therefore, God gave it to them at in the evening when it's difficult and they wouldn't have much time to prepare it because they asked and because they asked inappropriately that you are complaining the other people that hear are you complaining tell the entire community of the Jewish people draw near before God because he God has heard your complaints. Kirvu, what does it mean? Come close. Where should they come close to the place where the cloud of glory descends? Verse 10. And it was when Aaron spoke to the entire community of the Jewish people and they turned towards the desert. And behold, the glory of God was shown in the cloud. The word near means nigla was revealed. They were able to see the cloud of glory. They were able to see the the greatness of hashem upon them. This concludes the fifth Torah reading for paras.