How Long Israel Ate the Manna in the Wilderness

(Exodus 16:35) "And the children of Israel ate the manna forty years." It is impossible to say "until they came to an inhabited land," for it already says "to the edge of the land of Canaan"; and it is impossible to say "to the edge of the land of Canaan," for it already says "to an inhabited land." How so? On the seventh of Adar Moses died and the manna stopped coming down, and they were supplied from the manna in their vessels until the sixteenth of Nisan. Another teaching: "And the children of Israel ate," etc. Did they eat it forty years? Rather, the cakes that Israel brought out of Egypt, in them they tasted the taste of manna. "And the children of Israel ate the manna" forty days after the death of Moses. How so? Moses died on the seventh of Adar, and they ate from it twenty-four days of Adar and sixteen of Nisan, as it is said (Joshua 5:12), "And the manna ceased on the next day." Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'in says: seventy days they ate the manna after the death of Moses. How so? Moses died on the seventh of the first Adar, and they ate from it twenty-four days of the first Adar and thirty of the second Adar, for it was a leap year, and sixteen of Nisan, as it is said, "And the manna ceased on the next day." Rabbi Eliezer says: seventy days Israel ate the manna after the death of Moses. How so? Moses died on the seventh of Shevat and they ate from it twenty-four days of Shevat and thirty of Adar, and that year was not a leap year, and sixteen of Nisan, as it is said, "And the manna ceased." Rabbi says: fifty-four years Israel ate the manna, forty years in the lifetime of Moses, as it is said, "And the children of Israel ate the manna," for there is no need for Scripture to say "the manna they ate until they came to the edge of the land of Canaan"; rather these are the fourteen years after the death of Moses, namely the seven of conquest and the seven of division. When Miriam died the well was removed; when Aaron died the pillar of cloud was removed, and both returned by the merit of Moses. When Moses died all three were removed and did not return. And the hornet did not cross the Jordan with them.