<b>Then the Lord said unto Moses: “Behold, I will cause to rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may prove them whether they will walk in My law, or not” (Exod. 16:4).</b> R. Simeon the son of Gamliel said: Observe how dearly the Holy One, blessed be He, loved Israel that he altered, for their sake, the natural order of things. The Holy One, blessed be He, made the heavenly spheres become like the lower spheres, and the lower spheres to become like the upper spheres, for their sake. Previously, bread came from the earth and water descended from heaven, but now He caused bread to descend from the heavens and water to come out of the earth, as it is said: <i>Behold, I will cause to rain bread for you, and when the layer of dew was gone up</i> (Exod. 16:14).
Let them go and gather straw for themselves (ibid. 5:57). They did not merely go out to the courtyard to gather (the straw) but into the wilderness. <i>A day’s portion every day</i>. He who created the day created sustenance for that day. R. Eleazar of Modi’im stated because of this: Anyone who has sufficient food for the day and yet asks “What shall I eat tomorrow?” lacks faith. <i>That I may prove them whether or not they will follow My Law</i> (ibid. 16:4). R. Joshua held: If a man studies two laws in the morning and two in the evening, even though he is occupied with his labors throughout the rest of the day, they consider him as fulfilling the entire Torah: <i>That thou shalt meditate therein day and night</i> (Josh. 1:8). R. Simeon the son of Joshua observed from this verse that the Torah was given for study to those who have sufficient manna to eat, since they are not compelled to work or engage in business. Indeed, how can a man sit and study when he does not know where he will obtain his food and drink, garments and covering? Hence, the Torah was given for study to those who possessed manna. This is equally true of those who eat the <i>terumah</i>.<sup class="footnote-marker">13</sup><i class="footnote">Since the priest devotes himself to fulfilling God’s law, he receives the <i>terumah</i> offering brought by the people.</i>