출애굽기 16:4의 주석

דבר יום ביומו THE THING OF THE DAY ON ITS DAY — what is needed for a day’s eating shall they collect on its (that) day, and they shall not today collect what will be needed tomorrow (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 16:4).

BEHOLD, I WILL ‘MAMTIR’ (CAUSE TO RAIN) BREAD FROM HEAVEN FOR YOU. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that because the manna came down like rain from heaven, He said mamtir, [which is derived from the root matar (rain)]. But we find: ‘yamteir’ (He will cause to rain) coals, fire and brimstone;²⁹⁵Psalms 11:6. And the Eternal ‘himtir’ (caused to rain) upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire.²⁹⁶Genesis 19:24. [Brimstone and fire do not come down like rain, and yet Scripture uses the word matar with reference to them!] Perhaps in these cases they accompanied the rain of which the term “coming down” may properly be used. Onkelos’ opinion is that mamtir just means “cause to bring down,” for he translated: “behold, I will cause to bring down.” [However, it has no connection here with rain, as Ibn Ezra would have it.]
It is possible that the word mamtir can be associated with the expression ‘kamatarah’ (as a mark) for the arrow,²⁹⁷Lamentations 3:12. although they are of different roots.²⁹⁸For the word matarah (target) is of the root natar (keep), since a target is kept in sight and watched. Mamtir however is of the root matar (rain). Yet, as Ramban concludes, they have a common association, as is explained in the text. Scripture makes use of both terms when speaking of every form of “falling from above.” Thus it is called matarah (target) because they come down like arrows [on a target], and it says, ‘vayamteir’ (And He caused to rain) upon them flesh as the dust, and winged fowl as the sand of the seas.²⁹⁹Psalms 78:27. It may be that [Scripture does not use the term mamtir for every form of “falling from above,” but only] for the fowl of heaven. [Therefore, the term, vayamteir in the above — mentioned verse refers only to the winged fowl] because they came down upon them as the rain.

והכינו את אשר יביאו והיה משנה, not literally: “bread,” but מזון, “food.”

ויאמר ה׳ אל משה הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן השמים, G'd said to Moses: "I am about to cause bread to rain down for you from heaven." It is interesting that in this instance G'd did not instruct Moses to tell the people the news by saying לאמור. It is also interesting that whereas G'd started out by addressing Moses directly, He ended by referring to the people in the third person, i.e. to "find out if the people will walk in My ways or not." We can best explain this on the basis of Yuma 75 that the manna fell for the righteous in front of his tent so that the צדיק did not have to trouble himself to go outside the camp to collect it, whereas the manna for the majority of the people fell in a single area outside the camp and they went outside in order to collect it. The words: "here I shall cause it to rain down for you," were addressed to the righteous, whereas for the people who had displayed a lack of faith the manna fell outside the camp so that they experienced some effort in collecting it.

ויצא העם ולקטו דבר יום ביומו, even if it had been a man’s intention to collect what he perceived to be a large quantity (far more than the appropriate amount) it would turn out to be no more than was required for each day. This is what is described in verse 18, that when they measured it after returning to their respective tents they found that each person had returned to his tent with the daily ration of an omer multiplied by the number of people in his immediate family.

הנני ממטיר לכם, “I am ready to make it rain down for you, etc.” According to Ibn Ezra the reason why the Torah uses the word ממטיר, a word associated with rainfall, not with solids, was that seeing that the manna originated in the celestial regions it had that much in common with rainfall. At first glance, the people thought that what was descending was rain. [This seems strange, as it descended during the night when the people were asleep, and they only found it in the morning, unsuspecting. Ed.] Nachmanides writes that we find the expression ממטיר associated with the wicked people, such as the wicked people of Sodom, for instance, upon whom G’d rained down fire and brimstone. Perhaps we must assume that there the expression המטיר was used as the harmful substances described were accompanied by normal rainfall. Onkelos is of the opinion that the word המטיר describes anything in the process of falling, regardless if the substance is welcome or unwelcome. He translates the words הנני ממטיר as הא אנא מחית, “I make descend.”

The food requirements for the day. . . דבר means “matter” or “requirements.” Since the day’s requirement comprises many things, Rashi explains that here it pertains to the day’s food requirements. And Rashi inserts "ילקטו" in between יום and ביומו . This is to tell us that ביומו refers back to ולקטו , rather than to יום which immediately precedes it. [Thus it means: “They shall gather on that day the food requirements for the day”]. Otherwise it would mean, “They shall gather the requirements of the day of that day.” This is not understandable. Furthermore, it does not tell us the time of the manna’s gathering. Rashi also [adds, “They may not gather today for tomorrow’s needs.”] This tells us that ולקטו does not mean there is an obligation to gather manna. Rather, there is a prohibition to gather today for tomorrow’s needs.

Bread … from heaven. Ever since the sin of Adam the bread of human beings has contained an admixture of chaff and bran. Furthermore, a great deal of labor is required for its preparation. But now Hashem was going to pour down upon them bread that was free of waste, just like the bread from before the sin and in the time to come. Moreover, since ordinary bread comes from the earth it is very physical, whereas this bread, coming from heaven, would be more spiritual than physical.

V. 4. הנני V. 4. הנני. Nicht erst in Folge dieser Unzufriedenheit — die darauf bezügliche Gottesrede an das Volk folgt erst im V. 11 u. 12 — gleichzeitig mit der laut werdenden Unzufriedenheit, und ohne dass Mosche sich deshalb, wie oben Kap. 15, 25, bittend an Gott wandte, ward ihm dieses Wort: הנני, ich bin schon bereit. Indem ich das Volk in die Wüste führte, hatte ich beschlossen, sie in dieser Weise mit Nahrung zu versorgen. — לכם es ist möglich, dass sich dieses לכם auf Mosche und Aaron bezieht. Mein Beschluss, das Volk mit Manna zu versorgen, kommt euch rettend und rechtfertigend zur Seite. הילך בתורתי, die Trägerschaft meines Gesetzes ist dadurch bedingt, dass ich Menschen finde, denen es genügt, je nur auf einen Tag mit Weib und Kind versorgt zu sein, heiter und froh heute zu genießen und heute ihre Pflicht zu tun, und die Sorge für den morgenden Dem anheimzustellen, der den heutigen Tag und für ihn das Brot gegeben und der auch den morgenden Tag und für ihn das Brot geben werde. Nur diese rückhaltlose Zuversicht in Gott sichert die Erfüllung seines Gesetzes gegen Übertretungen aus vermeintlicher oder wirklicher Sorge um materielle Not. Wer nicht gelernt hat, für den morgenden Tag Gott zu vertrauen, den wird endlich auch die auf Jahre hinausblickende Sorge von Gott und seinem Gesetze abführen. Hier daher die großen Sätze des R. Elieser Hamodai: דבר יום ביומו ,מי שברא היום ברא פרנסתו ,מכאן היה ר׳ אליעזר אומר כל מי שיש לו מה שיאכל היום ואומר מה אני אוכל למחר הרי זה מקטני אמנה: wer den Tag schafft, schafft auch seine Nahrung, und: wer für heute zu essen hat, und spricht, was werde ich morgen zu essen haben! der gehört zu den Vertrauensarmen.

לחם מן השמים, “bread originating in the celestial regions.” The word שמים, both here and in numerous other instances describes any region in the universe inaccessible to human beings. The expression שמים, “heaven,” is used to remind the people daily that their needs will be met from heaven.

למען אנסנו הילך בתורתי THAT I MAY TRY THEM WHETHER THEY WILL WALK IN MY LAW — whether they will observe the commands associated with it: viz., that they should not leave any overnight, and that they should not go out on the Sabbath to collect it.

BREAD. Because they made bread out of the manna — as it is written, and they made cakes of it³⁰⁰Numbers 11:8. — [Scripture calls it lechem (bread)], for every form of bread is called lechem, not just those of wheat and barley. It says cause to rain bread [although it did not come down in the form of bread, for the meaning thereof is] that He is causing it to come down for them to make it into bread. Similarly: As for the earth, out of it cometh bread,³⁰¹Job 28:5. [meaning: “out of it cometh the wheat from which bread is made”]. So also: To bring forth bread out of the earth,³⁰²Psalms 104:14. which means that He brings forth the wheat from which people make bread. And some scholars³⁰³Ibn Ezra, and R’dak in his Sefer Hashorashim, under the root lechem. interpret: Behold, I will cause to rain bread, meaning food. Similarly: ‘lechem’ of the offering;³⁰⁴Leviticus 3:16. For he offereth the ‘lechem’ of thy G-d;³⁰⁵Ibid., 21:8. When thou sittest ‘lilchom’ with a ruler³⁰⁶Proverbs 23:1. — all are expressions of food.³⁰⁷Thus is the opinion of Ibn Ezra and R’dak (see Note 303). But, continues Ramban, the correct interpretation is, etc. The correct interpretation is that lilchom³⁰⁶Proverbs 23:1. means “to eat bread,” and ‘lechem’ of thy G-d³⁰⁵Ibid., 21:8. is a euphemism, meaning that it is “the food” for G-d even as bread is for man, for we find it said, Man doth not live by bread only.³⁰⁸Deuteronomy 8:3.

למען אנסנו הילך בתורתי, if when receiving their food without effort they will take care to keep My commandments, seeing they will then not have any excuses not to. This idea has been formulated in the classic statement by our sages in the Mechilta, section ויסע chapter 2 “the Torah, as an instrument of profound study, has been given only to the generation who ate the manna.” [no other generation had so little to distract it from devoting time to Torah study. Ed.]

למען אנסנו, the trial consisted in the fact that the people had to look to G’d on a daily basis for their immediate food supplies. This experience would bring home to them that on the one hand they could rely on G’d, and on the other hand, as stated in Deuteronomy 8,3 such a lesson was only learned when, even briefly, for a day, they had been “starved” by G’d.

לחם, “bread.” It is described as “bread” seeing that this is what the people tried to make it substitute for. Every kind of פת is called לחם, not only baked goods made from wheat or barley. We also encounter the term עוגות as describing bread, as in Genesis 18,6, and Numbers The term ממטיר is justified, as the Torah describes ingredients which rained down which would subsequently be converted into bread. Our benediction over bread is המוציא לחם מן הארץ, which also does not mean that G’d produces ready-made bread as emerging from the earth, but we thank Him for having the earth produce ingredients fit to convert into bread, i. e .the staff of life. Some commentators claim that the word לחם does not refer specifically to bread, but to food in general, and G’d was saying to Moses that the people’s food would rain down from the heaven. The meat G’d was going to provide was also included in the line הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן השמים. We encounter the expression לחם אשה, “food being burned up on the altar,” many times, and it never refers to bread, but to sacrificial meat. (compare Leviticus 3,11; 3,16; Numbers 28,2) Both the selav and the manna materialized for the people as if dropped literally from “heaven.” For some reason, G’d enlarged on the gift of the manna, which was a necessity, whereas He did not elaborate on the selav, which was a luxury.

Whether they will keep. . . Re”m writes that the correct text of Rashi includes the words בו אנסנו — “That I may test them through it” — referring back to, “I will make bread rain from heaven.” In other words, I will test them through the mitzvos dealing with the manna, which are: 1. keeping Shabbos 2. not gathering [manna] today for tomorrow’s needs. Accordingly, בו אנסנו does not refer to the immediately preceding phrase, “Gather enough for each day.” For then it would mean that [only] the mitzvah of not gathering today for tomorrow’s needs was used to test them if they will keep mitzvos. This is not logical, for why would Hashem wish to test them in the mitzvah of not leaving manna overnight, but not in the mitzvah of keeping Shabbos?

The reason that G'd did not preface the prophecy with the customary לאמור was because G'd would command them once more with all the details concerning the manna in the paragraph following. This is why at this moment G'd simply provided Moses with an answer to the people's request, whereas in verse eleven G'd tells Moses to address the people concerning both their demands for bread and meat. The glory of G'd appeared immediately after Moses told the people what was about to happen.

ולקטו דבר יום ביומו, “which they will collect on a daily basis;” if you were to ask why would they not get a large supply all at one time, instead of having to collect it on a daily basis, G-d immediately answers this question before it could even be raised: למען אנסנו הילך בתורותי אם לא, “if the people will live according to My teachings or not. To this end, I will command them not to keep in storage any of the daily quantity of manna overnight, and I will let it go rotten, in order to teach them to have faith that I will supply an additional amount on the next day. Anyone following My instructions not to save any of it for the following day will be considered by Me as having displayed no his faith in Me. A person who has enough to eat for one day, and is worried about the morrow, is considered by Me as having displayed lack of faith in Me. The Israelites have to learn that He Who created the universe also has created the means for His creatures in it to remain alive and well.

THAT I MAY TRY THEM, WHETHER THEY WILL WALK IN MY LAW OR NOT. “I.e., whether they will observe the commandments associated with it, such as [the laws] that they should not leave [a remainder] of it until the morning³⁰⁹Further, Verse 19. and that they should not go out on the Sabbath to collect it.”³¹⁰Verse 26. Thus the language of Rashi.
But this is not correct.³¹¹Ramban’s objection seems to be that the word l’ma’an (“that” or “for the sake of”) — ‘that’ I may try them — expresses causation in itself, namely, that the manna as such will be their trial, as will be explained, and not the precepts associated with it, as Rashi explained. Rather, the intent [of the trial mentioned here] is as He said, Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not; that He might afflict thee, and that He might try thee, to do thee good at thy latter end.³¹²Deuteronomy 8:16. [The manna itself] was a trial to them, since they had no food in the wilderness and were without recourse to any sustenance except the manna, which they knew not from before and had never heard of from their fathers. Each day’s quantity came down on its day, and they were eagerly desirous for it. Yet with all this, they hearkened to walk after G-d to a place of no food. And so indeed He said to them again, And thou shalt remember all the way in which the Eternal thy G-d hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee, to try thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep His commandments, or no.³¹³Ibid., Verse 2. He could have led them by way of the cities that were round about them.³¹⁴Genesis 35:5. Instead, He led them through the wilderness wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions,³¹⁵Deuteronomy 8:15. and each day’s quantity of food would come to them only from heaven in order to try them and to do them good at the end so that they would believe in Him forever. I have already explained the matter of “trial” in the commentary on the verse, And G-d tried Abraham.³¹⁶Genesis 22:1 (Vol. I, p. 275).
The Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] has written in the Moreh Nebuchim³¹⁷III, 24. Ramban is following Al Charizi’s translation of the Moreh Nebuchim. In Ibn Tibbon’s translation, (as rendered by Friedlander, III, p. 114): “That I may prove them whether they will walk in My law or not; i.e., let every one who desires try and see whether it is useful and sufficient to devote himself to the service of G-d.” [on the verse before us, That I may try them, whether they will walk in My law or not, that it means] that “everyone capable of knowledge should know and determine whether there is usefulness in the service of G-d, and whether there is adequate satisfaction in it or not.” But if so, it would have been proper for Him to say, “that He may try them to know!”
Now Scripture mentions here only the matter of manna, which was “the bread” which He caused to rain upon them, [and it does not refer to the flesh which He gave them]. However, from that which Moses told them, This shall be, when the Eternal shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full,³¹⁸Further, Verse 8. we know that everything was told to him. It is only that when a subject is mentioned twice, Scripture shortens it in the report of the command or the narrative, as I have mentioned to you many times.³¹⁹See above, 10:2 and 11:1. At times, it omits one — [the command or the narrative] — altogether, such a case being the verse written in this section: This is the thing which the Eternal hath commanded: Let an omerful of it [the manna] be kept throughout your generations,³²⁰Further, Verse 32. and the command [of G-d to Moses] is not recorded at all. This is also the case in many places. But in the opinion of those scholars³²¹See above, Note 303. who say that lechem here means “all food,” it is possible that by saying, Behold, I will cause to rain ‘lechem,’ the meaning refers to both the manna and to the quail, i.e., that He would fulfill their request for bread and flesh. Moses explained that the flesh would be [available] to eat in the evening, and the bread would be [available] in the morning to the full, as is the customary way.

למען אנסנו, “so that I may test it,” (the people) According to Rashi the test would consist of seeing if the people would indeed observe the rules laid down by G’d in connection with this food. According to Nachmanides the test consisted of the fact that the people would be left without food that could be stored against future shortages, so that they would be dependent on G’d’s largesse literally from hour to hour. Except for Fridays, they would never receive more than a day’s ration, and anyone trying to put some aside would find that it simply rotted. Anyone would be heard asking “what am I going to eat tomorrow?” would be considered as lacking in faith.

Mitzvos dealing with it. . . [Rashi is saying that the test here] is not like what he explained on, “To test you to know if you will keep His mitzvos” (Devarim 8:2). Rashi there explains that it means: “That you not test Him and question His ways.” [Rashi knows this because] there, the test is connected to previously mentioned affliction. And a test by an affliction is to determine that you do not question His ways. But since no pain or affliction is mentioned here, the test cannot be to determine that you do not question His ways. [Re”m] For if a person is told, “I am testing you to see if you will question My ways,” it is not a test! [Once the person knows why Hashem is doing it, there is no point in questioning His ways.] But it is logical to say, “I will test you to see if you will keep My mitzvos,” [because one’s dedication to mitzvos is being tested]. However in Devarim, it is Moshe who is saying [about past events], “He afflicted you. . . to test you” if you will question His ways. (Gur Aryeh)

למען אנסנו, "in order that I may prove them, etc." The heavenly bread required no further preparation by the people to make it fit to eat. This would allow them unlimited time to study G'd's laws. Having this time at their disposal they could show G'd if they would put it to good use.

למען אנסנו, “in order that I may test etc.” As far as the Lord is concerned there is no such thing as testing for a result, since being omniscient He knows all the results beforehand. Whenever the Torah uses this terminology it is to be understood as G-d satisfying the attribute of Justice that what He is about to do is justified in response to an accusation by that attribute against the individual to be tested. Alternately, He uses that means in order to justify denial of a demand for mercy by the attribute of Mercy on behalf of a certain individual when in G-d’s opinion that attribute had exceeded the function allotted to it. [The author has explained this already in his commentary of G-d ”testing Avraham” before the binding of Yitzchok. Ed.]

Another meaning of the word "I will test them," is the fact that they would only receive a day's supply at a time, דבר יום ביומו; in this way they would remain dependent on G'd's goodwill on a daily basis.

ויצא העם ולקטו...והיה ביום השישי...והיה משנה, The peoplewent out and collected;...... and it was on the sixth day.....and there was an amount twice as much as regular; these verses are not part of the commandment, but G-d had told Moses: I shall do such and such, and they will do such and such. The following will occur, i.e. they will find that each had collected an amount appropriate for the requisite needs of the number of members of his family. It happened that on the sixth day the leaders of the people came to Moses to find out why they had each received a double daily portion of manna, although they had only expected to collect the regular amount, not intending to take to their tents more than that.