The phrase "they turned to the desert" in (Exodus 16:10) seems like a simple geographic note. The Israelites looked toward the wilderness, and there they saw the glory of God. But two rabbis in the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael read the same three words and found two completely different stories hidden inside them.
Rabbi Yehoshua took the verse at face value and found a miracle in it. They had no sooner turned than the Shechinah (שכינה), God's divine presence, had already appeared. There was no gap between looking and seeing. The instant the Israelites redirected their gaze toward the desert, God was already there, waiting for them. The speed of the revelation matched the speed of their turning, suggesting that God's presence was never far away. It only required them to look.
Rabbi Elazar read "they turned to the desert" as a metaphor for repentance. The desert is empty, void of all human construction and cultivation. Rabbi Elazar said the Israelites "turned to the deeds of the forefathers," meaning they returned to the spiritual purity of their ancestors. Just as the desert is void of all things, so the early fathers were void of all transgression and sin. To turn toward the desert meant to strip away complaint, ingratitude, and rebellion and return to the clean, open state of the patriarchs.
The two readings complement each other beautifully. In Rabbi Yehoshua's version, God appears instantly when you look for Him. In Rabbi Elazar's version, God appears because you have emptied yourself of sin. Together they suggest that turning toward God and turning away from transgression are the same motion.