וַיַּמְטֵ֬ר עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם מָ֣ן לֶאֱכֹ֑ל וּדְגַן־שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם נָ֣תַן לָֽמוֹ׃
dan menurunkan hujan manna ke atas mereka untuk dimakan, serta memberikan kepada mereka gandum dari langit.
Ramban
AND HE FED THEE WITH MANNA, WHICH THOU KNOWEST NOT, NEITHER DID THY FATHERS KNOW. The purport thereof is that you did not know about the manna that you could live by it for many years, nor did such a tradition reach you from your fathers. Or he [Moses] may be saying that He has done with you this great kindness which your holy fathers [i.e., the patriarchs] did not obtain, for, although they walked after Him wherever He commanded them, as is stated, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house,61Genesis 12:1. yet their eminence did not suffice that He should support them with the corn of heaven62Psalms 78:24. as He did for you. And so the Rabbis have said in the Midrash Bamidbar Sinai Rabbah:63Bamidbar Rabbah 1:2. “Because of the merit of Moses you ate the manna that your holy fathers did not see, as it is said, neither did thy fathers know.” And he explained that He did this in order to inform them that it is He Who preserves man with whatever He decrees, and if so observe His commandments, and live.64Proverbs 4:4.
It is possible to explain that the expressions And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna refer to different subjects. He is stating that He afflicted you when you travelled in the wilderness for forty years, similar to the verse, He afflicted my strength in the way,65Psalms 102:24. [meaning that travel drains the strength]. And He suffered thee to hunger, at the beginning [of the journey in the wilderness] as the people said, to kill this whole assembly with hunger,66Exodus 16:3. and afterwards He fed you with the manna to make you aware that by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Eternal doth man live.67Verse 3 before us. So also, Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not,68Further, Verse 16. telling them of the miracle that was done to them. And the expression that He might afflict thee [further in Verse 16] reverts to that which he said [in the preceding Verse 15], Who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and draught etc.69Ibid., Verse 15. In other words, since according to Ramban’s interpretation before us, the expression that He might afflict thee refers not to the manna but to the journey through the wilderness, then we must also say that the expression that He might afflict thee in Verse 16 following the subject of the manna is to be interpreted as reverting to the beginning of Verse 15, where the subject of the wilderness is mentioned. But that which He said in the section of the manna, that I may, try them, whether they will walk in My law or not70Exodus 16:4. means that I will provide them their needs and fulfill their request and [then] see if they will hearken to Me when goods increase.71Ecclesiastes 5:10. It is the evil of riches which leads to temptation (Proverbs 30:8). This is in consonance with the plain meaning of Scripture, but the first interpretation is true and correct.
It is possible to explain that the expressions And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna refer to different subjects. He is stating that He afflicted you when you travelled in the wilderness for forty years, similar to the verse, He afflicted my strength in the way,65Psalms 102:24. [meaning that travel drains the strength]. And He suffered thee to hunger, at the beginning [of the journey in the wilderness] as the people said, to kill this whole assembly with hunger,66Exodus 16:3. and afterwards He fed you with the manna to make you aware that by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Eternal doth man live.67Verse 3 before us. So also, Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not,68Further, Verse 16. telling them of the miracle that was done to them. And the expression that He might afflict thee [further in Verse 16] reverts to that which he said [in the preceding Verse 15], Who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and draught etc.69Ibid., Verse 15. In other words, since according to Ramban’s interpretation before us, the expression that He might afflict thee refers not to the manna but to the journey through the wilderness, then we must also say that the expression that He might afflict thee in Verse 16 following the subject of the manna is to be interpreted as reverting to the beginning of Verse 15, where the subject of the wilderness is mentioned. But that which He said in the section of the manna, that I may, try them, whether they will walk in My law or not70Exodus 16:4. means that I will provide them their needs and fulfill their request and [then] see if they will hearken to Me when goods increase.71Ecclesiastes 5:10. It is the evil of riches which leads to temptation (Proverbs 30:8). This is in consonance with the plain meaning of Scripture, but the first interpretation is true and correct.
Rabbeinu Bahya
There is a single verse in Psalms 127,2 which sums it all up: “He provides as much for His loved ones while they sleep.” The psalmist teaches that what all the people who rise early and stay up late (beginning of same verse) achieve only after expending much energy and not even enjoying the bread they eat, the Jewish people (who observe G’d’s commandments) find that G’d provides for them without any effort on their part. In other words, those people’s toil and fatigue was really all in vain.
What is the meaning of the words ועינו כעין הבדולח “its appearance was like the color of bedolach” in Numbers 11,7 where we are given another aspect of the appearance of the manna? This is an indication that the color of the manna was of an extraordinary nature, similar to the diamond known as perla as described in Exodus 28,18. It is a derivative of a supernatural light described by Ezekiel 1,24. On the breastplate of the High Priest the precious stone called יהלום had the name of the tribe Zevulun engraved upon it. This stone emitted this light. It is recorded in a book by R' David Kimchi called Sefer Michlol under the root בדולח. The manna descended in the form of a fine drizzle, similar to what is meant by Psalms 147,16-17: “He scatters frost like ashes, He tosses down hail like crumbs.” This is why David explained in Psalms 78,23: “He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, and rained manna upon them to eat, giving them heavenly grain.” This teaches that the origin of the (color) light of the manna was supernatural which prompted David to describe it as “heavenly grain.” David mentioned further that G’d opened the doors of heaven in order to cause it to rain down from those regions because concerning this supernatural light we have been told in Ezekiel 1,1: “the heavens opened and I beheld visions of the Divine.”
You will note that this paragraph which acquaints us with the manna contains the word מן five times. This corresponds to the five occasions that the word אור, “light,” is mentioned in the first paragraph of the Book of Genesis (Genesis 1,1-5). This teaches that the manna is a derivative of G’d’s first physical creation, of the original light which was withdrawn after Adam sinned. Just as the light was created on the first day, so the manna was released on the first day (compare what we wrote on verse 1).
In interpreting the meaning of Psalms 78,25 לחם אבירים אכל איש, “each man ate a hero’s meal,” our sages (Yuma 75) comment that the reference is to the kind of food which the angels consume (view of Rabbi Akiva). Rabbi Yishmael countered saying that the angels do not consume any material food at all. He based himself on Moses who had said that during the forty days he had been in heaven, in the domain of the angels, he had neither eaten bread nor drunk water. The idea was that when in celestial regions one conducts oneself like celestial beings whereas when the angels visited earth, i.e. Avraham or Lot, the Torah reports them as partaking of the food offered to them by earthly beings (compare Deut. 9,9 and Genesis 18,8 as well as 19,3). Rabbi Yishmael understood the meaning of the word אבירים as food which was totally absorbed by the organs of those who ate it, there being no need to excrete any of it. [The word אבירים is equated with אברים, organs, human tissue.] As a result of this discussion our sages in Yuma found that the numerical value of the word מחספס is 248, i.e. the number of bones in the human skeleton. This is the background to the claim that people eating an exclusive manna diet did not ever have to excrete any of their food intake. We have a further comment in Bamidbar Rabbah 7,4 on Numbers 14,11 “how long will this people spurn Me and how long will they not have faith in Me after the all the miracles I have performed ‘within them?’” The word בקרבו, “inside it” is a reference to all the manna dissolving in their tissue instead of in their entrails.
What is the meaning of the words ועינו כעין הבדולח “its appearance was like the color of bedolach” in Numbers 11,7 where we are given another aspect of the appearance of the manna? This is an indication that the color of the manna was of an extraordinary nature, similar to the diamond known as perla as described in Exodus 28,18. It is a derivative of a supernatural light described by Ezekiel 1,24. On the breastplate of the High Priest the precious stone called יהלום had the name of the tribe Zevulun engraved upon it. This stone emitted this light. It is recorded in a book by R' David Kimchi called Sefer Michlol under the root בדולח. The manna descended in the form of a fine drizzle, similar to what is meant by Psalms 147,16-17: “He scatters frost like ashes, He tosses down hail like crumbs.” This is why David explained in Psalms 78,23: “He commanded the skies above and opened the doors of heaven, and rained manna upon them to eat, giving them heavenly grain.” This teaches that the origin of the (color) light of the manna was supernatural which prompted David to describe it as “heavenly grain.” David mentioned further that G’d opened the doors of heaven in order to cause it to rain down from those regions because concerning this supernatural light we have been told in Ezekiel 1,1: “the heavens opened and I beheld visions of the Divine.”
You will note that this paragraph which acquaints us with the manna contains the word מן five times. This corresponds to the five occasions that the word אור, “light,” is mentioned in the first paragraph of the Book of Genesis (Genesis 1,1-5). This teaches that the manna is a derivative of G’d’s first physical creation, of the original light which was withdrawn after Adam sinned. Just as the light was created on the first day, so the manna was released on the first day (compare what we wrote on verse 1).
In interpreting the meaning of Psalms 78,25 לחם אבירים אכל איש, “each man ate a hero’s meal,” our sages (Yuma 75) comment that the reference is to the kind of food which the angels consume (view of Rabbi Akiva). Rabbi Yishmael countered saying that the angels do not consume any material food at all. He based himself on Moses who had said that during the forty days he had been in heaven, in the domain of the angels, he had neither eaten bread nor drunk water. The idea was that when in celestial regions one conducts oneself like celestial beings whereas when the angels visited earth, i.e. Avraham or Lot, the Torah reports them as partaking of the food offered to them by earthly beings (compare Deut. 9,9 and Genesis 18,8 as well as 19,3). Rabbi Yishmael understood the meaning of the word אבירים as food which was totally absorbed by the organs of those who ate it, there being no need to excrete any of it. [The word אבירים is equated with אברים, organs, human tissue.] As a result of this discussion our sages in Yuma found that the numerical value of the word מחספס is 248, i.e. the number of bones in the human skeleton. This is the background to the claim that people eating an exclusive manna diet did not ever have to excrete any of their food intake. We have a further comment in Bamidbar Rabbah 7,4 on Numbers 14,11 “how long will this people spurn Me and how long will they not have faith in Me after the all the miracles I have performed ‘within them?’” The word בקרבו, “inside it” is a reference to all the manna dissolving in their tissue instead of in their entrails.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A kabbalistic approach: The word ממטיר in the verse “here I will make it rain from the heaven,” is similar to משמרת, the attribute of Mercy which is a recipient of largesse from heaven. [which the Targum renders as מטרת (similar to מטר, rain.) The word מטרת is reminiscent of Mattatron, the angel in charge of running the universe on behalf of G’d]. Concerning this attribute Solomon wrote in Proverbs 31,14: ”She (this attribute) rises when it is still night and supplies provisions for her household and statutes for her maid-servants.”
The meaning of the word הנני is intransitive, whereas the word ממטיר is transitive, referring to the Shechinah. In other words: “The Lord will instruct the attribute Shechinah which provides the פרנסה for all creatures on earth to make manna rain down from השמים, ‘heaven.’” There was actually no need for the Torah to mention that the manna would come from השמים, seeing that rain always comes from “heaven.” If the Torah nonetheless made special mention of the words מן השמים, “from the heaven,” the intention is to tell us that this manna comes from an attribute known as השמים, or רחמים. I believe that this is the meaning of Job 39,27: “does the eagle soar at your command?” Our sages in Vayikra Rabbah 20,4 say that G’d said to Job: “if I were to either direct the Shechinah to settle on the Holy Ark or to remove itself from there by your command? You would then be greater than Aaron!” Verse 29 in Job continues with the words “‘from there he (the eagle) spies out his food, his eyes see it from afar.” These words closely parallel what Solomon said in Proverbs 31,14: “from afar she brings her bread.” Both verses tell us that the livelihood (food) for G’d’s creatures on earth is provided by the attribute Shechinah. In Song of Songs 5,2 Solomon calls the same attribute אחותי רעיתי, “my sister (beloved), my dove.” Our sages comment on this expression in Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1,3 by saying that the sacrifices were offered to this attribute as this is the spiritual region from which parnassah, livelihood, emanates. It is the region from which all blessings flow to earth. It becomes active during the last of the three watches the night is divided into. In other words, the manna fell during the final hours of the night. (Berachot 3 discusses the three watches of the night). The three watches represent the three (emanations) attributes גדולה גבורה,,תפארת in that order. Our sages (on that folio) provided us with a reminder of the three watches by telling us how to recognize them. During the first watch the donkeys bray; during the second watch the dogs bark; during the third watch the infants suckle at the breasts of their mothers.
All of the above helps you understand that the origin of the manna was in those regions reserved for mercy, regions in which the original light is at home, and that this is what the words מן השמים allude to. The word השמים has been used by Solomon in the same sense in his prayer on the occasion of the opening of the Holy Temple (Kings I 8,32). He said ואתה תשמע השמים, instead of ואתה תשמע בשמים. The former means “You, the שמים will hear” (respond to prayer), instead of “You will hear in the heavens.” Psalms 78,24 continues with ודגן שמים נתן למו, “giving them heavenly grain.” When we read in Numbers 11,9: “and when the dew descended on the camp at night the manna would descend upon it,” the Torah makes the point that whereas the manna was received at night it was not collected until the daylight hours in accordance with G’d’s promise of “bread in the morning to satisfy” (Exodus 16,8).
The meaning of the word הנני is intransitive, whereas the word ממטיר is transitive, referring to the Shechinah. In other words: “The Lord will instruct the attribute Shechinah which provides the פרנסה for all creatures on earth to make manna rain down from השמים, ‘heaven.’” There was actually no need for the Torah to mention that the manna would come from השמים, seeing that rain always comes from “heaven.” If the Torah nonetheless made special mention of the words מן השמים, “from the heaven,” the intention is to tell us that this manna comes from an attribute known as השמים, or רחמים. I believe that this is the meaning of Job 39,27: “does the eagle soar at your command?” Our sages in Vayikra Rabbah 20,4 say that G’d said to Job: “if I were to either direct the Shechinah to settle on the Holy Ark or to remove itself from there by your command? You would then be greater than Aaron!” Verse 29 in Job continues with the words “‘from there he (the eagle) spies out his food, his eyes see it from afar.” These words closely parallel what Solomon said in Proverbs 31,14: “from afar she brings her bread.” Both verses tell us that the livelihood (food) for G’d’s creatures on earth is provided by the attribute Shechinah. In Song of Songs 5,2 Solomon calls the same attribute אחותי רעיתי, “my sister (beloved), my dove.” Our sages comment on this expression in Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1,3 by saying that the sacrifices were offered to this attribute as this is the spiritual region from which parnassah, livelihood, emanates. It is the region from which all blessings flow to earth. It becomes active during the last of the three watches the night is divided into. In other words, the manna fell during the final hours of the night. (Berachot 3 discusses the three watches of the night). The three watches represent the three (emanations) attributes גדולה גבורה,,תפארת in that order. Our sages (on that folio) provided us with a reminder of the three watches by telling us how to recognize them. During the first watch the donkeys bray; during the second watch the dogs bark; during the third watch the infants suckle at the breasts of their mothers.
All of the above helps you understand that the origin of the manna was in those regions reserved for mercy, regions in which the original light is at home, and that this is what the words מן השמים allude to. The word השמים has been used by Solomon in the same sense in his prayer on the occasion of the opening of the Holy Temple (Kings I 8,32). He said ואתה תשמע השמים, instead of ואתה תשמע בשמים. The former means “You, the שמים will hear” (respond to prayer), instead of “You will hear in the heavens.” Psalms 78,24 continues with ודגן שמים נתן למו, “giving them heavenly grain.” When we read in Numbers 11,9: “and when the dew descended on the camp at night the manna would descend upon it,” the Torah makes the point that whereas the manna was received at night it was not collected until the daylight hours in accordance with G’d’s promise of “bread in the morning to satisfy” (Exodus 16,8).