Another thing, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." This is what the verse says (Psalm 23:1). "The elderly will understand." Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said that we can learn from the lowly shepherd who walks with his staff and bag all day, and David called God his shepherd.
But David said, "The elderly will understand." Jacob called God his shepherd, as it says (Genesis 48:15), "The God who shepherds me." So I also call him my shepherd, as it says, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Another thing, the verse says (Deuteronomy 2:7), "For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands."
Rabbi Eliezer ben Jacob says that "has blessed you" means that even if you sit and study, you say "in all the work of your hands," and if you do it, you are blessed, and if not, you are not blessed. What does it mean (Proverbs 4:12), "Know the way you should go?" Your going should cause you pain in your livelihood. Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer that three things the road does: it wears out clothes, causes laughter lines on the body, and decreases going out.
But the Holy One, blessed be He, did not do this to Israel, as it says (Deuteronomy 8:4), "Your clothes did not wear out from upon you." (Deuteronomy 2:7) "You lacked nothing." This is the decrease in going out. "The Lord your God is with you." Rabbi Yudan said, "In the merit of your saying, 'This is my God, and I will glorify Him,' I have given you forty years.
Your clothes did not wear out. Rabbi Yehuda said, "If there is a king in the country, the country is not lacking anything." So (Deuteronomy 2:7) "The Lord your God is with you, and you lack nothing." "Not lacking anything, but rather just a statement, and it comes to be.
If it is said that manna will be like meat or quail, it will become so. If it is said that oil will be like fish sauce, it will become so. If you ask for flour (Numbers 11:8), the people will turn and gather it. Konditon (a place) or crush it in a mortar.
Ashishot (a place) and make it into cakes. Therefore it is said, 'nothing is lacking,' but whatever you speak with your mouth, that is what you will receive. 'I will rain bread from heaven for you' (Exodus 16:4). 'Water you desire' (Psalm 78:20).
'Strike the rock and water will flow' (Exodus 17:6). 'We want meat' they said, and when Moses heard this, he went to the Lord and said, 'Your children want meat.' The Lord said to him, 'Give it to them.' Moses said to him (Numbers 11:13), 'Where am I to get meat?' (Numbers 22) 'They will slaughter sheep and cattle for them.'
If this is what you will do to me, then please kill me now. Moses said to the Lord, 'If you do not give them meat, they will kill me. And if I speak against them, they will kill me. Kill me now, I beg of you, if you will kill anyone.'"
Immediately, the Lord became angry, as it is said (Psalms 106:32-33), "They provoked [Him] at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses because of them. For they embittered his spirit, and he spoke rashly with his lips." The Lord said to Moses, "Give meat to the children of Israel." Moses replied, "Where can I get meat?"
The Lord said to him, "You had fish in Egypt, and you had cattle in Egypt, and you were so wealthy there, and now you have become poor." Moses replied, "It wasn't mine, it was theirs." The Lord said to him, "In Egypt, it was yours, and here it is not yours." (Numbers 11:23) The sages said, "He lacked nothing." They were not lacking anything, but they were considering it in their hearts, and it happened.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said, "It can be compared to what Rabbi Berechia said in the name of Rabbi Abahu (Psalms 78:18), 'And they tested God in their hearts.' They were considering it in their hearts, and it happened." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said, "They lacked only the words of prophecy. You should know that all those days when Israel rebelled, the divine voice did not speak with Moses, as it is said (Deuteronomy 2:16), 'And it was when all the men of war had perished.'
What is written afterwards? (Deuteronomy 2:17) 'And the Lord spoke to me, saying.' Rabbi Yochanan said, "They lacked only repentance, as it is said (Hosea 14:2), 'Take words with you and return to the Lord.'" Rabbi ibn Ezra said, "They lacked only a certain thing. For all the forty years that Israel was in the wilderness, the angel of death was striking them with a death toll of fifteen thousand and change. And how much is one change? It is one out of four hundred and eighty-nine."