וַיַּמְטֵ֬ר עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם כֶּעָפָ֣ר שְׁאֵ֑ר וּֽכְח֥וֹל יַ֝מִּ֗ים ע֣וֹף כָּנָֽף׃
Nagpaulan Siya sa kanila ng karne na sindami ng alabok, at ng mga ibong may pakpak na sindami ng buhangin sa mga dagat.
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael
"she'eirah": This is her food, as in (Michah 3:3) "and who eat the she'er of My people", and (Psalms 78:27) "He rained she'er (manna) upon them as dust." (Exodus, Ibid.) "kesuthah": as stated (i.e., "her clothing"), "and onathah": her (conjugal) time, as in (Genesis 34:2) "And he lay with her and ye'anehah." These are the words of R. Yoshiyah.
Shemot Rabbah
Another interpretation: “This month shall be for you” – that is what is written: “[He brought out His people with joy and his chosen ones with gladness.] He gave them lands…so that they would observe His statutes” (Psalms 105:43–45). God brought the plagues upon the Egyptians: “He sent darkness, and it was dark” (Psalms 105:28); He gradually lowered [the darkness] until it reached Egypt. “Egypt rejoiced at their departure” (Psalms 105:38) – it is analogous to a king whom everyone honored. To what degree did they honor him? To the extent that they would bring him gifts and would present their gods with them. So, Pharaoh ruled from one end of the world to the other end, and they would bring him gifts and present their gods with them. Then Moses and Aaron came, as it is stated: “Then Moses and Aaron came…” (Exodus 5:1). He took out his lists29Lists of the names of all the gods. and searched them but did not find this [God’s] name.30See Exodus 5:2: “Pharaoh said: Who is the Lord, that I should heed His voice to send forth Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I also will not send forth Israel.” This is analogous to a servant who was walking with his master…as cited above.31Shemot Rabba 5:14
But the Holy One blessed be He is living and everlasting, as it is stated: “But the Lord God is the true God, He is the living God, and the eternal King” (Jeremiah 10:10). It is analogous to a poor person who was in the city and stood before the king [to ask for assistance], but he was indifferent [to the poor person’s suffering]. When the affliction affected his own body he said: There is nothing like this. So, the Holy One blessed be He brought plagues upon the Egyptians, but Pharaoh was indifferent. When it afflicted his body, he was affected and began screaming: “The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked” (Exodus 9:27).
Could the Holy One blessed be He not have rescued Israel from the hand of Egypt with the first plague? Rather, it was to fulfill what is stated: “He exalts the nations and eliminates them” (Job 12:23), and it is written: “He removes the heart of the leaders of the people of the land” (Job 12:24). Why did he say: “The Lord is righteous?” When the plagues came, they came only in the land of Egypt. Even if a plague was introduced there and entered like [the size of] an almond, the plague would fill all of it but would not touch another field [outside of Egypt]. About this it is stated: “For when Your judgments are on the earth, [the inhabitants of the world] learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). To what was the congregation of Israel comparable? To a king who had a beloved daughter, who was located across the river; the king extended his hand and brought her over and seated her in his chariot, as it is stated: “How beautiful are your steps” (Song of Songs 7:2); “I did not know myself; he placed me on the chariots of my noble people” (Song of Songs 6:12); “He rained meat upon them like dust” (Psalms 78:27); “He led them through the depths” (Psalms 106:9); “the Lord was going before them by day” (Exodus 13:21).32All these verses express ways that God expresses his care for Israel. All this was due to the merit of Abraham, as it is stated: “For He remembered His holy word unto Abraham His servant; He took out His people with gladness…and He gave them the lands of the nations” (Psalms 105:42–44). Why? “So they would observe His statutes and keep His laws” (Psalms 105:45).
But the Holy One blessed be He is living and everlasting, as it is stated: “But the Lord God is the true God, He is the living God, and the eternal King” (Jeremiah 10:10). It is analogous to a poor person who was in the city and stood before the king [to ask for assistance], but he was indifferent [to the poor person’s suffering]. When the affliction affected his own body he said: There is nothing like this. So, the Holy One blessed be He brought plagues upon the Egyptians, but Pharaoh was indifferent. When it afflicted his body, he was affected and began screaming: “The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked” (Exodus 9:27).
Could the Holy One blessed be He not have rescued Israel from the hand of Egypt with the first plague? Rather, it was to fulfill what is stated: “He exalts the nations and eliminates them” (Job 12:23), and it is written: “He removes the heart of the leaders of the people of the land” (Job 12:24). Why did he say: “The Lord is righteous?” When the plagues came, they came only in the land of Egypt. Even if a plague was introduced there and entered like [the size of] an almond, the plague would fill all of it but would not touch another field [outside of Egypt]. About this it is stated: “For when Your judgments are on the earth, [the inhabitants of the world] learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). To what was the congregation of Israel comparable? To a king who had a beloved daughter, who was located across the river; the king extended his hand and brought her over and seated her in his chariot, as it is stated: “How beautiful are your steps” (Song of Songs 7:2); “I did not know myself; he placed me on the chariots of my noble people” (Song of Songs 6:12); “He rained meat upon them like dust” (Psalms 78:27); “He led them through the depths” (Psalms 106:9); “the Lord was going before them by day” (Exodus 13:21).32All these verses express ways that God expresses his care for Israel. All this was due to the merit of Abraham, as it is stated: “For He remembered His holy word unto Abraham His servant; He took out His people with gladness…and He gave them the lands of the nations” (Psalms 105:42–44). Why? “So they would observe His statutes and keep His laws” (Psalms 105:45).
Bamidbar Rabbah
“Gather to Me” – did they not have elders before then? But is it not written at Mount Sinai: “Moses and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu [and seventy of the elders of Israel] ascended” (Exodus 24:9). This portion was after that, and there were elders then. It is, rather, that when Israel encountered these matters: “The people were seeking complaints...[a fire of the Lord burned in their midst, and it consumed at the edge of the camp]” (Numbers 11:1), they were all burned at that time. Their burning was like the burning of Nadav and Avihu, as they, too, conducted themselves with inappropriate levity when they ascended Mount Sinai, when they saw the Divine Presence: “They beheld God and they ate and they drank” (Exodus 24:11). Was there eating and drinking there? To what is the matter comparable? It is to a servant who was serving his master with his food in his hand and he would take bites from it. So, they conducted themselves with inappropriate levity, as though they were eating and drinking. The elders and Nadav and Avihu were deserving of being burned at that moment, but because the day of the giving of the Torah was very dear before the Holy One blessed be He, therefore He did not want to strike them on that day and cause a breach through them. That is what is written: “He did not extend his hand against the noblemen of the children of Israel” (Exodus 24:11); by inference, they were deserving of His hand being extended against them. However, after the passage of time, he collected from them. Nadav and Avihu, too, were burned when they entered the Tent of Meeting, and they23The complainers mentioned in Numbers 11:1–3, who the midrash goes on to describe. were burned when they expressed that craving, as it is stated: “The rabble [vehasafsuf] that was among them expressed a craving” (Numbers 11:4).
What is “vehasafsuf”? Rabbi Shimon bar Abba and Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya, one of them says: These are the proselytes who ascended with them from Egypt and were appended to them, as it is stated: “A mixed multitude ascended with them” (Exodus 12:38). And one of them says: Vehasafsuf, these are the Sanhedrin, as it is stated: “Gather [esfa] to Me seventy men.” What is written there? “The fire of the Lord burned in their midst and consumed the edge [biktze] of the camp” (Numbers 11:1); the thorns [bakotzim] of the camp.24This is in accordance with the interpretation that vehasafsuf is referring to the proselytes who came with them. From where is it derived that those elders who climbed Mount Sinai were burned? It is as it is stated: “A fire blazed in their assembly [baadatam]” (Psalms 106:18), and eda is nothing other than the Sanhedrin, as it is stated: “It will be, if from the eyes of the assembly [adat] it was performed” (Numbers 15:24), and it is written: “If the entire assembly [adat] of Israel will err unwittingly” (Leviticus 4:13). Likewise it says: “The anger of God rose against them. He slew the best among them” (Psalms 78:31), these are the Sanhedrin. “He struck down the young men of [baḥurei] Israel” (Psalms 78:31), those baḥurim who were called elders, in whose regard it is written: “David again gathered all the chosen of [baḥurei] Israel” (II Samuel 6:1).25See Bemidbar Rabba 4:20, where this verse is interpreted as referring to elders.
When they again wept and requested flesh [basar], if we say it was the flesh of an undomesticated animal, everything that they requested, the manna was transformed for them in their mouth, as it is stated: “He granted them their request” (Psalms 106:15), “and their craving would be provided them” (Psalms 78:29). If we say that they did not have flocks and cattle, is it not already stated: “A mixed multitude ascended with them, and flocks and cattle” (Exodus 12:38). If we say that they consumed them in the wilderness, is it not written: “The children of Reuben…had abundant livestock” (Numbers 32:1). From here Rabbi Shimon said: They did not desire flesh, but they desired a close relative [she’er basar], as it is stated: “He rained she’er upon them like dust” (Psalms 78:27), and she’er is nothing other than prohibited relations, as it is stated: “Any man shall not approach his close relative [she'er besaro] [to uncover nakedness]” (Leviticus 18:6). That is that which they requested: To permit for them prohibited relations. Likewise it says: “Moses heard the people weeping, according to their families” (Numbers 11:10). When they requested that, “the wrath of the Lord was greatly enflamed, and it was bad in the eyes of Moses” (Numbers 11:10). At that moment, Moses said to the Holy One blessed be He: “Why have you mistreated your servant?” (Numbers 11:11). In the past, there was someone with me to bear their burden, but now I am alone, as it is stated: “I am unable to bear [this entire people] alone…And if this is what You do to me, please kill me,” (Numbers 11:14–15). At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘In place of those elders, appoint other elders to replace them,’ as it is stated: “Gather to Me seventy men.”
What is “vehasafsuf”? Rabbi Shimon bar Abba and Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya, one of them says: These are the proselytes who ascended with them from Egypt and were appended to them, as it is stated: “A mixed multitude ascended with them” (Exodus 12:38). And one of them says: Vehasafsuf, these are the Sanhedrin, as it is stated: “Gather [esfa] to Me seventy men.” What is written there? “The fire of the Lord burned in their midst and consumed the edge [biktze] of the camp” (Numbers 11:1); the thorns [bakotzim] of the camp.24This is in accordance with the interpretation that vehasafsuf is referring to the proselytes who came with them. From where is it derived that those elders who climbed Mount Sinai were burned? It is as it is stated: “A fire blazed in their assembly [baadatam]” (Psalms 106:18), and eda is nothing other than the Sanhedrin, as it is stated: “It will be, if from the eyes of the assembly [adat] it was performed” (Numbers 15:24), and it is written: “If the entire assembly [adat] of Israel will err unwittingly” (Leviticus 4:13). Likewise it says: “The anger of God rose against them. He slew the best among them” (Psalms 78:31), these are the Sanhedrin. “He struck down the young men of [baḥurei] Israel” (Psalms 78:31), those baḥurim who were called elders, in whose regard it is written: “David again gathered all the chosen of [baḥurei] Israel” (II Samuel 6:1).25See Bemidbar Rabba 4:20, where this verse is interpreted as referring to elders.
When they again wept and requested flesh [basar], if we say it was the flesh of an undomesticated animal, everything that they requested, the manna was transformed for them in their mouth, as it is stated: “He granted them their request” (Psalms 106:15), “and their craving would be provided them” (Psalms 78:29). If we say that they did not have flocks and cattle, is it not already stated: “A mixed multitude ascended with them, and flocks and cattle” (Exodus 12:38). If we say that they consumed them in the wilderness, is it not written: “The children of Reuben…had abundant livestock” (Numbers 32:1). From here Rabbi Shimon said: They did not desire flesh, but they desired a close relative [she’er basar], as it is stated: “He rained she’er upon them like dust” (Psalms 78:27), and she’er is nothing other than prohibited relations, as it is stated: “Any man shall not approach his close relative [she'er besaro] [to uncover nakedness]” (Leviticus 18:6). That is that which they requested: To permit for them prohibited relations. Likewise it says: “Moses heard the people weeping, according to their families” (Numbers 11:10). When they requested that, “the wrath of the Lord was greatly enflamed, and it was bad in the eyes of Moses” (Numbers 11:10). At that moment, Moses said to the Holy One blessed be He: “Why have you mistreated your servant?” (Numbers 11:11). In the past, there was someone with me to bear their burden, but now I am alone, as it is stated: “I am unable to bear [this entire people] alone…And if this is what You do to me, please kill me,” (Numbers 11:14–15). At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘In place of those elders, appoint other elders to replace them,’ as it is stated: “Gather to Me seventy men.”