One of the stories of the parashah This week's is the man, The food that the Jewish people ate during their journey through the desert. man It was a kind of white seed, slightly larger than a grain of rice, that fell every morning early on the camp. Among its main qualities were that it could taste whatever the person wanted, and nothing was wasted; that is, everything was absorbed by the body.
A portion of the people complained in the desert and demanded meat from Moses. Moses consulted God, realizing he could not provide meat for all the people, and God told Moses that He would bring meat upon the camp. In fact, the next day God brought a flock of birds (Slav (in Hebrew) that the people gathered and ate until they were full. But then, a plague caused those people to die.
One of the key points of this story is the people's complaint about wanting to eat meat. We find other complaints in the story that the Torah addresses differently, such as when, having just left Egypt, the people demanded water. In that case, God simply tells Moses where to get water, and that's it—no plagues or discontent.
The truth is, there's nothing wrong with complaining, as long as it's a genuine complaint. The Jewish people left Egypt with plenty of livestock, both sheep and cattle, so they had meat. It was a matter of not wanting to use what they already had and "living off the land," so to speak.
And here we find something interesting: we pray three times a day, without distinction between people, rich or poor, intelligent or foolish, etc., asking God to give us sustenance and intelligence (among other things). Even those who already have money, even those who already have intelligence, God is waiting for their request to continue giving them and to give them more. So, the complaint, the request, is valid; it is indeed a path in serving God. Given this, why does God punish the people who asked for meat?
One possible answer is that they did it improperly, taking for granted what they had. One lesson we can learn is that we must learn to appreciate what we have. It's very common for people to complain about not being in a certain situation, without even being aware of how special their situation is. As they say, "the grass is always greener on the other side.".
“Rejoicing in what one has,” as our sages say, does not mean being complacent or mediocre, but knowing how to enjoy “rejoicing” in the resources and opportunities that Hashem gives us.
On the other hand, this doesn't preclude the possibility of complaining, in a respectful way, and asking God for more. That's why everyone, even those who already have health, ask for health, those who already have money, ask for money, and so on.
The same applies to the coming of the Messiah. Not only is God waiting for us to ask Him (as we do in prayer every day), but even more so, it is part of our task in this world to demand that God send Him, quickly in our time.