Mekhilta DeRabbi Shimon Ben Yochai Reader

"Terror and dread fall upon them" (Exodus 15:16): terror upon those who are near, and dread upon those who are far. And so it says, "When all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west heard...their hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in them because of the children of Israel" (Joshua 5:1). "By the greatness of Your arm they are still as a stone." Once Israel had crossed the sea, Amalek gathered against them all the kings of the nations of the world to come and wage war with them. At that hour Moses prayed, and they all fell silent as a stone, as it is said, "By the greatness of Your arm they are still as a stone." Another interpretation: once the spies entered the land, anyone who wished to say "These are the spies of Israel" became silent as a stone; therefore it is said, "By the greatness of Your arm they are still as a stone." "Until Your people pass over, O LORD; until the people pass over whom You have acquired." "Until they pass over": until they cross the Jordan, until they cross the wadis of Arnon. "This people": although the entire world is Yours, You have no people but these, as it is said, "This people I formed for Myself" (Isaiah 43:21). "You have acquired": the Torah is called an acquisition, as it is said, "The LORD acquired me at the beginning of His way" (Proverbs 8:22). Israel is called an acquisition, as it is said, "this people whom You have acquired." The Land of Israel is called an acquisition, as it is said, "Possessor [acquirer] of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19). The Temple is called an acquisition, as it is said, "And He brought them to His holy border, this mountain which His right hand acquired" (Psalms 78:54). Let Israel, who are called an acquisition, come to the Land of Israel, which is called an acquisition, and build the Temple, which is called an acquisition, by the merit of the Torah, which is called an acquisition; therefore it is said, "this people whom You have acquired."

"You will bring them in and plant them" (Exodus 15:17): the fathers prophesied without knowing what they prophesied. It is not written "You will bring us in and plant us," but "You will bring them in and plant them": the children enter, but the fathers do not enter. And so it says, "If you do not know, O fairest among women, go follow the tracks of the flock and pasture your kids" (Song of Songs 1:8): the kids enter, but the goats do not enter. Another interpretation: "You will bring them in and plant them" in this vineyard that is planted in rows upon rows, and so it says, "From the east side to the west side: Naphtali, one portion; Judah, one portion; Asher, one portion" (Ezekiel 48). "And plant them": a planting that has no uprooting, and so it says, "I will build them and not tear down, I will plant them and not uproot" (Jeremiah 24:6), and it says, "I will plant them in this land in truth, with all My heart and with all My soul" (Jeremiah 32:41). "On the mountain of Your inheritance": on the mountain about which You promised us, and so it says, "For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, there the whole house of Israel shall serve Me in the land" (Ezekiel 20:40). Another interpretation: "on the mountain of Your inheritance": the Torah is called an inheritance, as it is said, "and from Mattanah to Nahaliel" (Numbers 21:19). Israel is called an inheritance, as it is said, "they are Your people and Your inheritance" (Deuteronomy 9:26). The Land of Israel is called an inheritance, as it is said, "when you come into the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance" (Deuteronomy 26:1). The Temple is called an inheritance, as it is said, "on the mountain of Your inheritance." Let Israel, who are called an inheritance, come to the Land of Israel, which is called an inheritance, and build the Temple, which is called an inheritance, by the merit of the Torah, which is called an inheritance; therefore it is said, "on the mountain of Your inheritance." "The place, O LORD, which You have made for Your dwelling": this is one of the verses showing that the throne below corresponds to the throne above, as it is said, "Thus says the LORD: the heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool" (Isaiah 66:1), and it says, "O mortal, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the children of Israel forever" (Ezekiel 43:7), and it says, "The LORD is in His holy palace; the LORD's throne is in heaven" (Psalms 11:4), and it says, "I have surely built You a lofty house, a place for You to dwell forever" (1 Kings 8:13). "You have made, O LORD": the Temple is precious before the One who spoke and the world came into being, for the whole world was created only by the speech of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made" (Psalms 33:6); but when He built the Temple, as it were, it is called a deed of His own doing before Him, as it is said, "You have made, O LORD, a sanctuary." Woe to the nations of the world for what their ears will hear: that the Temple is called a deed before the One who spoke and the world came into being, and they destroyed it, those who said, "Strip it bare, strip it bare, down to its foundation" (Psalms 137:7). And it says, "The LORD roars from on high and gives forth His voice from His holy dwelling; He surely roars over His habitation" (Jeremiah 25:30). Woe to the nations of the world for what their ears will hear: "I will gather all the nations to the Valley of Jehoshaphat and enter into judgment with them there on account of My people and My inheritance" (Joel 4:2). "My people": this is Israel. "My inheritance": this is the Temple, may it be built speedily in our days. "The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands established." The Temple is precious before the One who spoke and the world came into being, for the whole world was created only by one hand, as it is said, "My hand also founded the earth" (Isaiah 48:13); but when the Temple was built, it was built only with His two hands, as it is said, "which Your hands established." Another interpretation: "the sanctuary of the LORD": the Temple is precious, for it is set between two Names, "You have made, O LORD, a sanctuary, O LORD." Another interpretation: "the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands established": when is His name sanctified in His world? When He establishes His sanctuary and gathers the exiles of His people, as it is said, "The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers the scattered of Israel" (Psalms 147:2). A parable: to what may this be compared? To bandits who entered a king's palace, seized the king's servants, killed some of them, impaled some, burned some, and destroyed his palace. The king came and sat in judgment over them; he seized some, killed some, impaled some, burned some, and settled his palace anew, and his kingship became known in the world.

"The LORD will reign forever and ever" (Exodus 15:18). Rabbi Yose says: Had Israel said "The LORD reigns forever and ever" [in the present], no nation or kingdom would ever have ruled over them. But [they said] "The LORD will reign forever and ever" [in the future], referring to the time to come. For what reason...

"For the horse of Pharaoh went in" (Exodus 15:19): this teaches that Pharaoh too was included [in the drowning]. "And the LORD turned back the waters of the sea upon them": upon them, the enemy, the waters returned, but "Your people and Your inheritance and the flock of Your pasture," the children of Abraham who loved You, the seed of Isaac Your beloved, the family of Jacob Your firstborn, the vine You brought out of Egypt and the stock Your right hand planted; "but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea." Here are eighteen verses [in the Song], and corresponding to them the Sages instituted the eighteen blessings of the Amidah prayer. The first three verses are praise to the Name, and the last three are thanksgiving to the Name, and the middle ones concern need; corresponding to them the Sages instituted the first three blessings as praise, the last as thanksgiving, and the middle ones for the needs of every individual. And corresponding to them the Holy One, blessed be He, comforted them with eighteen verses of consolation. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You said "Then sang [Moses]"; you offer praise with "then," so I say, "Then your light shall break forth like the dawn" (Isaiah 58:8), "Then you shall call and the LORD will answer" (Isaiah 58:9), "Then you shall see and be radiant" (Isaiah 60:5), "Then you shall delight in the LORD" (Isaiah 58:14). You said "My strength," so I say, "Awake, awake, put on your strength" (Isaiah 52:1), "Awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD" (Isaiah 51:9). You said "The LORD is a man of war, the LORD is His name," so I say, "A leafy olive tree, fair with goodly fruit, the LORD called your name" (Jeremiah 11:16). You said "the chariots of Pharaoh," so I say, "and you shall tread upon their high places" (Deuteronomy 33:29). You said "the deeps covered them, they went down into the depths," so I say, "who says to the deep, be dry" (Isaiah 44:27). You said "Your right hand, O LORD," so I say, "the LORD has sworn by His right hand" (Isaiah 62:8). You said "in the greatness of Your majesty You overthrow Your adversaries; You send forth Your wrath, it consumes them like stubble," so I say, "the house of Jacob shall be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau stubble, and they shall kindle among them and consume them" (Obadiah 1:18). You said "by the breath of Your nostrils the waters were heaped up," so I say, "living waters shall go out from Jerusalem" (Zechariah 14:8). You said "the enemy said," so I say, "therefore all who devour you shall be devoured, and all your foes, every one of them, shall go into captivity, and those who plunder you shall be plundered, and all who prey upon you I will give as prey" (Jeremiah 30:16). You said "You blew with Your wind," so I say, "I will put My spirit within you" (Ezekiel 36:27). You said "Who is like You, O LORD," so I say, "Happy are you, O Israel; who is like you" (Deuteronomy 33:29). You said "You stretched out Your right hand, the earth swallowed them," so I say, "and all the nations shall call you happy, for you shall be a land of delight" (Malachi 3:12). You said "You led in Your kindness," so I say, "My kindness shall not depart from you" (Isaiah 54:10). You said "the peoples heard," so I say, "your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying..." (Isaiah 30:21). You said "then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed, the leaders of Moab, trembling seized them," so I say, "I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more" (2 Samuel 7:10). You said "terror and dread fell upon them," so I say, "kings shall be your foster fathers and their queens your nursing mothers; with faces to the ground they shall bow down to you" (Isaiah 49:23). You said "You will bring them in," so I say, "I will bring them to My holy mountain" (Isaiah 56:7). You said "the LORD will reign," so I say, "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44). You said "for the horse of Pharaoh went in," so I say, "a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness" (Isaiah 35:8).

"And Miriam the prophetess took" (Exodus 15:20). Where did Miriam prophesy? Behold, it says, "And the woman conceived and bore a son, and she saw that he was good" (Exodus 2:1-2). She said to her father: a savior of Israel is destined to come forth from you. And when Moses was born, the whole house was filled with light. Her father rose and kissed her on the head and said to her: your prophecy has been fulfilled. But when he was cast into the river, her mother said to her: where is your prophecy now? Even so, she still stood by her prophecy, as it says, "And his sister stationed herself at a distance" (Exodus 2:4). "The sister of Aaron." Was she only the sister of Aaron, and not the sister of both of them? Rather, because Aaron gave his life for her, she was called by his name. And how do we know he gave his life for her? As it is written, "And Aaron said to Moses: please, my lord, do not lay sin upon us" (Numbers 12:11). Another interpretation: she prophesied while she was still only the sister of Aaron, before Moses was born. "The timbrel in her hand." From where did Israel have timbrels at the sea? Rather, because the righteous were confident, from the time of their leaving Egypt, that the Omnipresent would perform miracles and mighty deeds for them, they therefore took timbrels and dancing-instruments in their hands.

"And Miriam answered them" (Exodus 15:21). Scripture tells us that just as Moses recited the song for the men, so Miriam recited the song for the women: "Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously."

"And Moses led Israel onward from the Sea of Reeds" (Exodus 15:22). Rabbi Yehoshua says: this journey Israel made by the word of Moses, for all the other journeys they made only by the word of the Divine Might, but this journey they made only by the word of Moses; therefore it is said, "And Moses led." Rabbi Eliezer says: they journeyed by the word of the LORD, for we find in two, three, and four places that they journeyed only by the word of the Divine Might, as it is said, "At the command of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the command of the LORD they encamped" (Numbers 9:18), and it says, "Sometimes the cloud was upon the Tabernacle a number of days... at the command of the LORD they encamped and at the command of the LORD they journeyed" (Numbers 9:20), and it says, "At the command of the LORD they encamped and at the command of the LORD they journeyed, keeping the charge of the LORD" (Numbers 9:23); this one too they journeyed by the word of the Divine Might. If so, why is it said "And Moses led"? Rather, he led them onward against their will with a staff. When they saw the corpses of the men who had enslaved them with mortar and bricks and every labor in the field, they said: it seems no man is left in Egypt; let us make an idol and return to Egypt, as it is said, "Let us appoint a chief and return to Egypt" (Numbers 14:4). One might think they said it but did not act; therefore Scripture teaches, "They appointed a chief to return to their bondage in their rebellion" (Nehemiah 9:17). Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Ilai says: idolatry was in Israel's hands, and Moses led them onward at that hour. Another interpretation: "And Moses led Israel onward from the Sea of Reeds": he led the rebelliousness out of them, the rebellion they had rebelled at the Sea of Reeds, as it is said, "They rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds" (Psalms 106:7). "And they went out into the wilderness of Shur." This is the wilderness of Kuv. They said of the wilderness of Kuv that it stretches eight hundred parasangs by eight hundred parasangs, and it is all full of snakes and scorpions, as it is said, "who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its venomous snakes and scorpions" (Deuteronomy 8:15), and it says, "the burden of the beasts of the Negev, through a land of trouble and anguish, of lioness and lion, of viper and flying serpent" (Isaiah 30:6). The viper, when it sees the shadow of a bird flying through the air, the bird is consumed and its limbs drop away one by one. And so it says, "They did not say, where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and the shadow of death" (Jeremiah 2:6), a place where the shadow itself brings death. Rabbi Abba said: my great teacher told me this. There was a man in the Land of Israel named Merita. And why did they call him Merita [the plucked one]? Because once he went to gather wood from the mountain and saw a snake asleep, and the snake did not see him, and all his hair fell out, and no hair grew on him again until the day of his death, and so they called him Merita. "And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water." Rabbi Yehoshua says: in order to wear them out. Rabbi Eliezer the Modaite says: but is there not water beneath the feet of Israel? For the earth floats only upon the water, as it is said, "who spread out the earth upon the waters" (Psalms 136:6). What then does "and found no water" teach? In order to test them. Others say: the water they had taken from between the split walls of the sea ran out at that place, as it is said, "and found no water," and even in their vessels they found none, as in the matter said, "their nobles sent their servants for water; they came to the cisterns and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty" (Jeremiah 14:3). The expounders of hidden meanings said: these are words of Torah, which are compared to water, as it is said, "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the water" (Isaiah 55:1); because they had separated from the words of Torah for three days, they therefore rebelled. Accordingly the prophets among them instituted that they should read from the Torah on Sabbath, and on Monday and Thursday. How so? They read on the Sabbath and skip Sunday; they read on Monday and skip Tuesday and Wednesday; they read on Thursday and skip the eve of the Sabbath.

"And they came to Marah" (Exodus 15:23). Rabbi Yehoshua says: in three places Israel came on that same day, as it is said, "And they came to Marah, and they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore its name was called Marah." Rabbi Eliezer the Modaite says: they came to only one place, and it was named after what befell them there.

"And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, What shall we drink" (Exodus 15:24). Rabbi Yehoshua says: Israel should have consulted the greatest among them, saying, What shall we drink and what shall we not drink? Instead they arose and spoke words of complaint against Moses. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: Israel are accustomed to standing up and speaking words of complaint against Moses, and not against Moses alone but even against the Almighty. Therefore it is said "[saying] What shall we drink."

"And he cried out to the LORD" (Exodus 15:25). From here you learn that the righteous are not slow to accept, and along our way we have learned that the prayer of the righteous is brief. It once happened that someone passed before the ark in the presence of Rabbi Eliezer and drew out his blessings at length. His disciples said to him, Master, did you see so-and-so who lengthened his blessings so that people would say he is a master of blessing? He said to them, He did not lengthen more than Moses, as it is said, "And I fell down before the LORD as at the first, forty days and forty nights" (Deuteronomy 9:18). And again it happened that someone passed before Rabbi Eliezer and shortened his blessings. His disciples said to him, Master, did you see so-and-so who shortened his blessings so that people would say he is a scholar? He said to them, He did not shorten less than Moses our teacher, who said, "O God, heal her now, I pray" (Numbers 12:13). For there is a time to be brief and a time to be long: "O God, heal her now, I pray" is being brief; "And I dwelt on the mountain forty days and forty nights" (Deuteronomy 9:9) is being long. "And the LORD showed him a tree." Rabbi Yehoshua says, this was a tree of willow. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says, this was a tree of olive, for you have nothing more bitter than olive. Rabbi Natan bar Yosef says, this was a tree of cardamom, and some say also the roots of the fig and the roots of the pomegranate. The expounders of hidden meanings say, He showed him words of Torah, which are compared to a tree, as it is said, "She is a tree of life to those who hold fast to her" (Proverbs 3:18). Rabbi Yishmael son of Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka says, come and see how different are the ways of flesh and blood from the ways of the Omnipresent. Flesh and blood heals the bitter with the sweet, but He who spoke and the world came into being is not so; rather He heals the bitter with the bitter. How so? He puts a thing that corrodes into a thing that corrodes in order to work a miracle within a miracle. Similarly you say, "And he went out to the spring of the waters and cast salt there and said, Thus says the LORD, I have healed these waters" (2 Kings 2:21). Were the waters not good? Yet when salt is put into them they at once turn foul. How so? He put a corroding thing into a corroding thing to work a miracle within a miracle. Similarly you say, "And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs and rub it on the boil, and he recovered" (Isaiah 38:21). Is living flesh not such that when figs are placed on it the flesh corrodes? Rather He put a corroding thing into a corroding thing to work a miracle within a miracle. "And he cast it into the waters and the waters became sweet." At that hour Israel were pleading and pressing before their Father in heaven like a son who fawns before his father, like a disciple who presses before his master. They said before Him, Master of the world, we have sinned in that we complained about the water. "And the waters became sweet." They had been bitter for a moment and were made sweet, the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says, they were bitter from the start, as it is said "waters, waters" two times. "There He set for them a statute and an ordinance." "Statute" is the Sabbath, and "ordinance" is honoring father and mother, the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says, "statute" refers to the forbidden unions, as it is said, "And you shall keep My charge, not to commit any of these abominable customs" (Leviticus 18:30); "ordinance" refers to the laws of damages by force, of injuries, and of fines. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says, why did the laws of judgment come before all the commandments? Because when there is a dispute between a man and his fellow there is strife between them, and once the case is decided peace is made between them. And so Jethro says to Moses, "If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace" (Exodus 18:23). "And there He tested him." There a test was made of Israel, as in the matter that is said, "Evil-merodach king of Babylon lifted up the head of Jehoiachin" (2 Kings 25:27, reading the word as 'tested'), thus the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in said to him, but the word for Babylon's 'lifting' is spelled with a sin, while here it is only with a samekh. What then does "and there He tested him" teach? There the Omnipresent tested Israel. Another interpretation: "and there He tested him" means there our fathers tested the Omnipresent.

"And He said, If you will diligently listen." If a person hears one commandment, they cause him to hear many, as it is said, "if you will diligently listen [listening, you shall listen]." If a person forgets one commandment, they cause him to forget many commandments, as it is said, "if you forget, you shall surely forget" (Deuteronomy 8:19). "To the voice of the LORD your God." This teaches that whoever listens to the voice of the Almighty is reckoned as though he served before the Living One of the worlds, blessed be He. "And do what is right in His eyes." This refers to commerce: whoever buys and sells in good faith, and the spirit of others is pleased with him, is reckoned as though he had fulfilled the whole Torah. "And give ear to His commandments." These are the rulings of law. "And keep all His statutes." These are the decrees. "All the disease which I put upon Egypt I will not put upon you"; and if I do put it, then "for I am the LORD your healer." Thus the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: "listen" might suggest something optional; therefore Scripture says "you shall listen" the verse fixed it as an obligation. Another interpretation: "you shall listen" this is the principle in which the whole Torah is contained. "To the voice of the LORD your God" these are the Ten Words spoken at Mount Sinai. "And do what is right in His eyes" these are the praiseworthy aggadot that are pleasant to the ears of every person. "And give ear to His commandments" these are the decrees. "And keep all His statutes" these are the testimonies. If you do so, "all the disease which I put upon Egypt I will not put upon you." What does "for I am the LORD your healer" teach? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: the words of Torah that I have given you are life for you, they are healing for you, as it is said, "For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh" (Proverbs 4:22). Another interpretation: "for I am the LORD your healer." Rabbi Yitzhak says, if there is no disease in them, why do they need healing? Rather, say from now on: "I will not put it upon you in this world," "for I am the LORD your healer" in the world to come.

"And they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees" (Exodus 15:27). Scripture tells us that this place was poorer in water than any other place, for there were only twelve sources there, and they supplied only seventy date palms. Yet when Israel came they encamped, six hundred thousand people, and the springs supplied them with water, and they lodged there and repeated and tripled their stay. "And they camped there by the waters." This teaches that Israel would encamp only by water, thus the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: from the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world He created there twelve springs corresponding to the twelve tribes, and seventy date palms corresponding to the seventy elders. "And they camped there by the waters." This teaches that they would sit and occupy themselves with the words of the Torah that had been given to them at Marah.

"And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, on the fifteenth day" (Exodus 16:1). Why is the day stated? To make known which day the Sabbath fell on, for it has been ordered and arrived from the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, until it was given to them on the twenty-second of Iyar. Another interpretation: why is the day stated? To make known the day on which the Torah was given to Israel. Another interpretation: why is the day stated? To make known the day on which the manna was given to Israel. The flatbread they brought out of Egypt they ate from for thirty-one days, and so it says, "And they baked the dough which they brought out of Egypt" (Exodus 12:39); and here "on the fifteenth day of the second month," right alongside it He says, "Behold, I will rain bread for you" (Exodus 16:4). Rabbi Shila says: they were supplied from it for sixty-one meals.

"And the whole congregation of the children of Israel grumbled" (Exodus 16:2). Rabbi Yehoshua says: Israel should have consulted the greatest among them, saying, What shall we eat? Instead they arose and spoke words of complaint against Moses. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: Israel are accustomed to standing up and speaking words of complaint against Moses, and not against Moses alone but even against the Almighty. Therefore it is said, "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel grumbled."

"And the children of Israel said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD" (Exodus 16:3). They said, Would that we had died during the three days of darkness in Egypt. "When we sat by the pot of meat." Rabbi Yehoshua says: but were they not eager for everything? Rather, it was in their power, and so they spoke. "When we ate bread to the full." But were they not eager for everything? Rather, it was in their power, and so they spoke. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: Israel were slaves under the kingdom of Egypt, and they would go out to the market and take bread, meat, fish, and everything, and no creature would protest against them; and they would go out to the field and take figs, grapes, pomegranates, and everything, and no one would protest against them. "For you have brought us out into this wilderness." They said, You have brought us out into this wilderness of chaos, in which there is nothing. "To kill this whole assembly with hunger." Rabbi Yehoshua says: you have no death harder than hunger, as it is said, "Better were those slain by the sword than those slain by hunger" (Lamentations 4:9). Rabbi Elazar says, reading it as 'in famine came famine': famine came upon us after famine, plague after plague, darkness after darkness.

"And the LORD said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread for you" (Exodus 16:4). Rabbi Yehoshua says: the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, Behold, I am revealing Myself at once and I will not delay. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: He says "Behold" only for the sake of the fathers. "I will rain for you." Rabbi Yehoshua says: surely it is fitting only for you. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: He says "for you" only by the merit of your fathers. "From heaven" from the good treasury in heaven, as in the matter that is said, "The LORD will open for you His good treasury, the heavens" (Deuteronomy 28:12). Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: come and see how beloved Israel are before their Father in heaven; and because they are beloved, the works of creation were altered for them. The upper became lower and the lower became upper. For at first the bread would come up from the earth, as it is said, "to a land of grain and wine" (Deuteronomy 33:28), and the dew would come down from the heavens, as it is said, "his heavens also drop down dew" (there). Now the matters were reversed: the bread began to come down from the heavens, as it is said "bread from the heavens," and the dew to come up from the earth, as it is said, "and the layer of dew went up" (Exodus 16:14). "And the people shall go out and gather." Rabbi Yehoshua says: that you should not go out to your courtyards and gather, but that you should go out to the open places and gather. "A day's portion in its day." Rabbi Yehoshua says: that a person may gather from one day for the next, and likewise from the eve of the Sabbath for the Sabbath. Rabbi Eliezer says: that a person may not gather from one day for the next. And so Rabbi Eliezer would say: whoever has what to eat today and says, What shall I eat tomorrow? is of those lacking faith, as it is said, "a day's portion in its day" the One who created the day created its sustenance. Another interpretation: "a day's portion in its day." Rabbi Shimon says: because of Israel's belovedness He gives bread a day's portion in its day. A parable: to what is the matter like? To a king of flesh and blood who was angry with his son and said, Let him not see my face except at the start of the year, when he shall come and take his sustenance. He was provided for the whole year and was neglected. Would that I might see my father's face, even if I am not provided for! When the king was reconciled to him, he said, Let him come every day and take his sustenance. That son said, Even if I have nothing but the sight of the king each day, it is enough for me. So Israel, because of their belovedness, were given sustenance day by day, so that they would yearn for and receive the face of the Divine Presence every day. "That I may test them, whether they will walk in My Torah or not." It is a test for them and for all who come into the world, for whoever fills his heart to serve the Name with all his heart, He provides his needs from every place. Rabbi Yehoshua says: if a person studied two laws in the morning and two laws in the evening and did work all day long, it is reckoned to him as though he fulfilled the whole Torah. Rabbi Eliezer says: the Torah was given to be expounded only to the eaters of the manna. How so? A person would sit and study and not know from where he would eat and drink, from where he would clothe and cover himself. Thus the Torah was given to be expounded only to the eaters of the manna, and second to them, to the eaters of the priestly portion.

"And it shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare" (Exodus 16:5). From here we learn that a person may gather food on the eve of the Sabbath for the Sabbath. "And it shall be double." This means bread that is different. You say it means bread that is different; but perhaps it means only doubled bread? When Scripture says elsewhere, "they gathered double bread, two omers for each one" (Exodus 16:22), doubled bread has already been stated. What then does "double" here come to teach? Bread that is different. On every day one omer would come down, but on the Sabbath two omers. On every day its fragrance would spread, but on the Sabbath even more. On every day it would gleam like gold, but on the Sabbath even more. Another interpretation of "And it shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare": from here they said that a weekday may prepare for the Sabbath and a weekday may prepare for a festival, but a festival may not prepare for the Sabbath, nor may the Sabbath prepare for a festival.

"And Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel: At evening" (Exodus 16:6). They said to them: while you are still sleeping on your beds, the Holy One sustains you. "Then you shall know that the LORD has brought you out from the land of Egypt." From here you say that the going out from Egypt is weighed before the Holy One against [all] the miracles and mighty acts that the Holy One performed for Israel.

"And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD" (Exodus 16:7). From here you learn that the manna was given to Israel with a shining countenance. The manna, which they requested in a fitting manner, was given to them with a shining countenance; the meat, which they requested in order to fill their bellies, was given to them with a darkened countenance. "And what are we, that you murmur against us?" They said to them: of what account are we, that you stand and complain against us?

"And Moses said: When the LORD gives you meat to eat at evening" (Exodus 16:8). From here you learn that the meat was given to Israel with a darkened countenance, but the manna with a shining countenance. "Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD." They said to them: if it were against us that you stand and complain, we would not be distressed; but you stand and complain before the One who endures forever, blessed be He.

"And Moses said to Aaron: Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel: Draw near before the LORD" (Exodus 16:9). Rabbi Yehoshua says: "Draw near" is said only to receive judgment, in the sense of what is stated, "Bring near your case, says the LORD; present your strong arguments, says the King of Jacob" (Isaiah 41:21). Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: "Draw near" is said only because the Divine Presence was revealed.

"And they turned toward the wilderness" (Exodus 16:10). Rabbi Yehoshua says: it says "and they turned" only to receive judgment. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: it is said only to recall the early fathers, as it is stated, "and they turned toward the wilderness" - just as the wilderness has in it no sin and no transgression, so too the early fathers, in whom there was no sin and no transgression. "And behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud." Rabbi Yose ben Shimon says: whenever Israel sought to stone Moses and Aaron, the Holy One was revealed in the pillar of cloud. The Holy One said: better that the pillar of cloud be struck than that Moses and Aaron be stoned.

"I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel" (Exodus 16:12). Rabbi Yehoshua says: the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: revealed and known before me is what Israel said and what they are destined to say before me. "Speak to them, saying: At twilight you shall eat meat." He said to them: you were standing between two kinds of request. You asked for manna from me, since it is impossible for a person to be without bread, and I gave it to you. Then you turned and asked for meat to fill your bellies; behold, I am giving it to you. And why am I giving it to you? So that you will not come to say, "It is not within his power to give us meat." Rather, behold, I am giving it to you, and in the end I will exact payment from you. "And you shall know that I am the LORD your God" - I am a judge to exact payment.

"And it came to pass at evening that the quail came up" (Exodus 16:13). From here you learn that the meat was given to Israel with a darkened countenance. "And it covered the camp." I do not know how much; therefore Scripture says, "and about two cubits upon the face of the earth" (Numbers 11:31). It was two cubits high above the ground, so that a person standing would have it level with his heart and could take from it without trouble: from his heart downward, two cubits; from his heart upward, one cubit. And it says, "and he spread them out around the camp, about a day's journey on this side and about a day's journey on that side, round about the camp" (Numbers 11:31). Whatever befell them with the second quail befell them with the first quail; let the unexplained be learned from the explained.

"And when the layer of dew went up" (Exodus 16:14) - Scripture comes to teach you how the manna would come down to them. For Israel a north wind would go out and sweep the wilderness clean, and rain would come down and pack the ground firm, and dew would come down upon it, and the wind would blow upon it so that it became like tables of gold; and the manna would come down upon it, and from it Israel would gather and eat. "And behold, upon the face of the wilderness" - and not upon all of it, but only upon part of it. "A fine thing" - this teaches that it was fine. "Flaky" - this teaches that it was flaky. "Fine as hoarfrost upon the ground" - this teaches that it would come down like frost upon the ground; thus the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: "And the layer of dew went up" - as it were, the Omnipresent stretched out His hand and received the prayer of the patriarchs who dwell in the dust, and brought the manna down like dew for Israel. "And behold, upon the face of the wilderness" - and not upon all the wilderness, but only upon part of it. "Fine" - this teaches that He would bring it down from the heavens, which are called "fine," as it is said, "who stretches out the heavens like a fine curtain" (Isaiah 40:22). Or, since He would bring it down from the heavens, how do we know He did not bring it down cold? Scripture teaches, [it was warm]. Or, since He would bring it down from above to below, one might think it came down with a noise; how do we know it came down only in silence? Scripture teaches [silence]. Or, since it came down upon the ground, how do we know it came down only upon the vessels? Scripture teaches [the threshold]. Rabbi Tarfon says: it came down only upon the branches. "As hoarfrost" - as it were, the Omnipresent stretched out His hand and received the prayer of the patriarchs who dwell in the dust, and brought the manna down with dew for Israel, in the manner of what is said, "I have found a ransom" (Job 33:24). Now Rabbi Tarfon and his disciples were once sitting, and Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in was sitting among them. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in said to them: the manna that came down for Israel was sixty cubits high. They said to him: Elazar our brother, how long will you draw out words and heap them upon us? He said to them: I expound a verse from the Torah. Now which measure is greater, the measure of good or the measure of punishment? You must say the measure of good. Concerning the measure of punishment it says, "and the floodgates of the heavens" (Genesis 7:11), and what does it say? "Fifteen cubits upward the waters prevailed" (Genesis 7:20). Whatever you take: in the riverbed fifteen cubits, upon the face of the mountain fifteen cubits, upon the face of the valley fifteen. And concerning the measure of good it says, "He commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of the heavens, and rained down manna upon them to eat" (Psalms 78:23-24). The fewest "doors" is two; how many "floodgates" are in a door? Four. Four times two is eight [windows]. Go out and reckon: the manna that came down for Israel was sixty cubits high. Issi ben Akiva says: how do we know that the manna came down for Israel until all who came into the world saw it? Scripture teaches, "You set before me a table in the presence of my enemies" (Psalms 23:5).

"And the children of Israel saw it, and they said one to another, 'It is manna [man hu]'" (Exodus 16:15) - like one who says to his fellow, "What is it?" So Israel said, "What is it?" "And Moses said to them, 'It is the bread'" - Moses spoke to the elders, and the elders spoke to Israel; thus the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: Moses spoke to the elders, and he himself spoke to all Israel. "It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat." Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Shimon says: Israel were fattened at that hour like horses. It says here "to eat," and it says elsewhere, "Man ate the bread of the mighty" (Psalms 78:25). He said to them: this bread that you eat is absorbed into the limbs, and so it says "flaky [mehuspas]," for it would come down into the two hundred and forty-eight limbs of a person. From where do we know there are two hundred and forty-eight limbs? From "mehuspas" [read as a hint to the count]. Another interpretation: "Man ate the bread of the mighty [abirim]" - this is Joshua, for whom manna came down equal to all Israel.

"This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: gather of it every man according to his eating" (Exodus 16:16). They said: when Nahshon son of Amminadab would go out to gather, he and the members of his household would gather much, and the poorest in Israel would gather little; but when they came to measure, it was "an omer a head, according to the number of your persons." They said: one who eats this measure is healthy and blessed; less than this, his bowels are disordered; more than this, he is a glutton. "Every man for those who are in his tent you shall take." From here we learn that a man is obligated for the sustenance of his wife and his children.

"And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less" (Exodus 16:17) - they did what they were commanded, and did not transgress the decree of Moses.

"And Moses said to them, 'Let no man leave any of it until morning'" (Exodus 16:19) - it is a king's decree; and if one leaves any over, this one transgresses a negative commandment.

"But they did not listen to Moses" (Exodus 16:20) - these are the ones among them lacking in faith. "And some left of it." It is not written "the men [ha-anashim]," but "men [anashim]": the men [of standing] did not leave any over; other men left over. "And it bred worms and stank." Is it possible that since it first bred worms it would then stink? Rather, it stank and afterward bred worms, in the manner of what is said below, "it did not stink, nor was there any worm in it" (verse 24). Another interpretation: "And it bred worms and stank" - and from where did Israel know that they had left some over? They saw streams upon streams of worms going out from the house of Dathan and Abiram, from these to those, as it is written, "but fools carry away shame" (Proverbs 3:35). "And Moses was angry with them" - Moses was angry with them and said to them, [why] did you do this?

"And they gathered it morning by morning" (Exodus 16:21) - from morning to morning. "Every man according to his eating." The interpreters of hidden meanings say: from here we learn that the curse "by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread" (Genesis 3:19) was present even in the manna. "And when the sun grew hot" - at the fourth hour. You say at the fourth hour, or perhaps only at the sixth hour? When it says, "in the heat of the day" (Genesis 18:1), behold the sixth hour is stated; so how do I uphold "and when the sun grew hot"? At the fourth hour. "It melted" - once the sun shone upon it, it turned tepid and ran down, and streams would draw from it and flow to the Great Sea, and gazelles and deer and roebucks would come and drink from them, and the nations of the world would come and hunt them, and in them they would taste the taste of the manna that the Omnipresent had given to Israel.

"And it came to pass on the sixth day that they gathered double bread" (Exodus 16:22) - bread that was different [from the ordinary]; "two omers for one" - double bread. "And all the chiefs of the congregation came and told Moses." They said to him: our master Moses, how is this day different from the other days? He said to them: "It is what the LORD has spoken: tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD." They said to him: when? He said to them: tomorrow.

"That which you will bake, bake, and that which you will boil, boil" (Exodus 16:23). On what is baked, bake; on what is boiled, boil. From here is derived the practice of eruv tavshilin [the dish set aside before a festival to permit cooking for the Sabbath], according to the words of the House of Shammai, who hold that one requires a separate setting-aside for each and every kind of food. Rabbi Yehoshua says: "That which you will bake, bake, and that which you will boil, boil." One who wishes to bake, let it be baked for him; and one who wishes to boil, let it be boiled for him. Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'in says: "That which you will bake, bake, and that which you will boil, boil." One who wishes to taste a baked thing tastes in it the taste of all baked foods in the world; and a boiled thing, he tastes in it the taste of all boiled foods in the world.

"And Moses said, eat it today" (Exodus 16:25). Because Israel were accustomed to go out in the morning, they said to him: Our master Moses, let us go out in the morning. He said to them: Eat it today. They said to him: Since we did not go out in the morning, let us go out toward evening. He said to them: "For today is a Sabbath unto the LORD" (Exodus 16:25). Because the heart of Israel was anxious at that hour, they said to him: Our master Moses, since we did not find it today, perhaps it will not be found tomorrow. He said to them: "Today you will not find it in the field" (Exodus 16:25); today you do not find it, but you will find it tomorrow. These are the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Eleazar Hisma says: In this world you do not find it; you will find it in the world to come. Rabbi Yehoshua says: Moses said to Israel, if you merit to keep the Sabbath, you will be saved from three calamities: from the day of Gog, from the day of the Messiah [the birth-pangs preceding him], and from the day of the great court of judgment. Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'in says: Moses said to Israel, if you merit to keep the Sabbath, the Omnipresent is destined to give you the Land of Israel, the world to come, a new world, the kingdom of the House of David, the priesthood, and the Levitical service.

"Six days you shall gather it" (Exodus 16:26). Rabbi Yehoshua says: We have learned that the manna did not come down on the Sabbath. From where do we learn that it did not come down on a festival? Scripture teaches: "on the Sabbath there shall be none in it" (Exodus 16:26). Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'in says: "Six days you shall gather it" — we have learned that the manna did not come down on the Sabbath. From where do we learn that it did not come down on the Day of Atonement? Scripture teaches: "on the Sabbath there shall be none in it" (Exodus 16:26).

"And it came to pass on the seventh day, that some of the people went out to gather" (Exodus 16:27). These were the ones among them who lacked faith.

"And the LORD said to Moses, how long do you refuse?" (Exodus 16:28). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Say to Israel, I brought you out of Egypt, I split the sea for you, I brought down the manna for you, I drove the quail to you, and I performed miracles and mighty acts for you. How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and My Torah? Lest you say, you laid many commandments upon us — this Sabbath that I gave you at Marah to keep, you did not keep it. Lest you say, what reward does one who keeps the Sabbath receive? Scripture teaches (Isaiah 56:2): "Happy is the one who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil." From this you learn that whoever keeps the Sabbath is kept far from transgression. "My commandments and My Torah… see that the LORD has given you the Sabbath" (Exodus 16:28-29). Great is the Sabbath, for thus we find in the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings that it is weighed against all the commandments in the Torah. In the Torah, as it is written: "How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My Torah? See that the LORD has given you the Sabbath." In the Prophets (Ezekiel 20:11-12): "And I gave them My statutes and made known to them My ordinances, which a person shall do and live by them; and also My Sabbaths I gave to them, to be a sign between Me and them." In the Writings (Nehemiah 9:13): "And You came down upon Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven, and gave them upright ordinances and laws of truth, good statutes and commandments, and You made known to them Your holy Sabbath."

"See that the LORD has given you the Sabbath" (Exodus 16:29). He said to them: Be careful, for the Omnipresent has given you the Sabbath. "Therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days" (Exodus 16:29). From here Rabbi Yoshiyah used to say: a double portion [the bread was doubled for them]. "Let every man remain in his place" (Exodus 16:29) — these are the four cubits [within which one may move]. "Let no man go out from his place" (Exodus 16:29) — these are the two thousand cubits [the Sabbath boundary beyond which one may not walk].

"And the house of Israel called its name manna" (Exodus 16:31). The interpreters of marked words say: Israel called it manna. "And it was like coriander seed" (Exodus 16:31) — you do not know of what. Rabbi Yehoshua said: you must say, like flaxseed. Or, just as flaxseed is red, perhaps it too was red? Scripture teaches: white. Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'in says: it resembled an aggadah [a teaching], which draws a person's heart. Rabbi Yose says: it told about itself that it was manna, for it did not come down on Sabbaths, nor on festivals, nor on the Day of Atonement. Others say: just as the prophet declares to Israel the hidden chambers and secrets, so the manna declared to them the hidden chambers and secrets. How so? If a woman sinned against her husband, she says, he sinned against me, and he says, she sinned against me. They come before Moses for judgment, and he says to them: in the morning there will be a verdict. In the morning, if her portion of manna was found in her husband's house, it is known that she sinned against him; and if her portion of manna was found in her father's house, it is known that he sinned against her. Likewise one who sells a slave to his fellow: this one says, I bought him, and the other says, I did not sell. They come before Moses for judgment, and he says: in the morning there will be a verdict. In the morning, if the slave's portion of manna was found in the house of the first master, it is known that he was not sold; and if his portion was found in the house of the second master, it is known that he was bought. "And its taste was like a wafer in honey" (Exodus 16:31). Rabbi Yehoshua says: like a thin cake with sweet pastry. Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'in says: like fine flour that floats on top of a sieve, kneaded with honey and butter.

"And Moses said, this is the thing that the LORD has commanded: an omer of it shall be kept" (Exodus 16:32). Were I to say only this, I might think Aaron set it down only in the fortieth year. Scripture teaches (Exodus 16:34): "as the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony." When was the ark made? Was it not in the second year? Hence Aaron laid it up only in the second year.