Parshas Beshalach
Nature is Miraculous
One of the major miracles that the Jewish people have experienced over
our long and miracle-laden history is the manna that fell from the skies
during our sojourn in the desert of Sinai after leaving Egyptian bondage.
That miracle is described for us in detail in this week’s parsha. What
makes this miracle so extraordinary is that it is not a one-shot miracle
such as the splitting of the Red Sea or Elijah’s confrontation with the
false prophets of Baal. This miracle of the manna is a forty year long
continuing and ongoing miracle. Because of the nature of this miracle and
its repeated frequency – six times a week for forty years – the miracle
became a natural event to the Jews, something expected and it lost its
aspect of being exceptional, which after all is what makes a miracle a
miracle.
When the Jewish people entered the Land of Israel the miracle of the manna
ceased. But the salient message and moral teaching of the manna has
remained for all time. It is implicit in Moshe’s statement to the Jewish
people in his valedictory address “For it is not by bread alone that
humans live, but rather do they live by the utterances of God’s mouth, so
to speak.” Thus bread baked by humans from flour threshed and processed by
humans from grain grown by humans is no less miraculous than is the manna
that fell directly from the skies for forty years on behalf of the Jews in
the desert of Sinai. In short, Judaism views nature itself as being
inherently miraculous, a product of the Divine Will. Manna is therefore
not really any more special than is rye bread.
The manna had another number of lessons of life for us. It could not be
stored for the next day. Humans are dependent daily on God’s grace. Though
we all crave security and a sense of an assured tomorrow there really is
no sure way to achieve that. When I was a rabbi in Miami Beach, we once
had a freezer full of meat that was destined to see us through much of the
winter. A hurricane struck, the electric power failed, the freezer
defrosted and the meat turned rancid. The only thing certain in life is
uncertainty.
The manna did not fall on Shabat. Preparations for Shabat must be made
before Shabat. The Talmud taught us that “the one who labored before
Shabat will have sustenance on Shabat.” This world is before Shabat. The
World–to-Come - of the soul and the spirit, the eternal world, is Shabat.
This world and our lives are for work and accomplishment. God’s sustenance
of us is omnipresent but it will not achieve its purpose without human
effort and diligence.
And finally the manna taught us that God’s grace does not fall evenly on
all humans. The Talmud again teaches us that the manna fell at the
doorstep of the righteous while others had to travel into the desert to
find and gather it. Some have it easier than others in life. We are not
privy to God’s Will in these matters and the question of reward and
punishment in this world remains forever a vexing problem. But just as the
manna was from the hand of God, so to speak, so too are all of the
experiences, good or better, in life. Thus the manna lives on in its moral
teachings even if we are no longer witness to its actual physical presence
in our lives.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Rabbi Berel Wein- Jewish historian, author and international lecturer offers a complete selection of CDs, audio tapes, video tapes, DVDs, and books on Jewish history at www.rabbiwein.com
Text Copyright © 2007 by Rabbi Berel Wein and Torah.org
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