Why the Manna Withheld Cucumbers and What Free Fish Really Meant

"We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for free (chinam)." But did they eat for free? Behold, straw was not given to them for free, yet fish they ate for free? Rather, what is "for free"? Free from the forbidden relations (arayot). "the cucumbers": But did the manna not transform itself into all the kinds [of flavor]? And why did it not transform into these kinds? Because all these kinds are harmful to a nursing woman; therefore they would not taste a taste like the taste of these kinds. Another interpretation: "We remember the fish, etc." Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Akiva — one said fish, and one said forbidden relations; the explanation being that forbidden relations were prohibited to them in the wilderness. And "dagah" (fish) is a term for marital relations, as in "and let them multiply (ve-yidgu) into a multitude" (Genesis 48:16). "that we ate": It employs refined language, as you say, "she eats and wipes her mouth" (Proverbs 30:20). And a proof of the matter: "And Moses heard the people weeping by their families" (verse 10) — concerning matters of families.