This week's Bible passage tells us about the special food God provided for the Jews in the Sinai Desert\u2014manna. This food is classified by the Torah as "bread from heaven." It possessed several wonderful characteristics: there was no waste, the person tasted exactly what they wanted, each person received precisely the amount allotted to them, and others. Although manna was merely a temporary solution to the specific need of the Jews in the desert to satisfy their hunger, it also has significance for future generations. The Most High commanded that a jar of manna be left to be kept, and one of its uses was in the days of the prophet Jeremiah: when Jeremiah rebuked them, "Why don't you devote yourselves to the Torah?" They answered, "Should we abandon our work to study Torah? What will we eat?" Then he brought out the jar of manna and said to them, "Look, this is what your ancestors ate." God has many messengers to provide food for those who fear Him.<\/p>\n
THE FICTION OF NATURE<\/p>\n
At first glance, Jeremiah's response to the Jews' question, "What will we eat?" is completely incomprehensible. What good does it do us to know that the Jews ate manna in the desert? Manna no longer falls from heaven today! Man must plow and sow to extract bread from the earth!<\/p>\n
Here we arrive at the profound concept hidden in the subject of manna: manna expresses not only the goodness of God back then, but the type of structure with which Hashem sustains us, also here and now.<\/p>\n
When we sow and plow the land to grow bread, it seems perfectly natural. We see no miracle or supernatural factor in it. The perception is that if there is anyone to thank, it is the person who plowed and sowed the land that yielded its produce. Similarly, an employee who receives a salary tends to think that they live and are supported by their employer.<\/p>\n
THE MAIN THING IS NOT THE TANK<\/p>\n
In reality, there is a great deal of fiction here. The land that produces bread and the employer who pays wages are merely the conduits, the "tap," through which the Almighty delivers His goodness to humankind. True blessing and true sustenance come from Him; He simply uses natural means to provide it.<\/p>\n
The Jew who reasons with true understanding knows that there is no place for emphasizing the means of support while neglecting the source of blessing. It is true that this Jew will work to earn a living, since the means of support are also necessary, but it would never occur to him to make work the center of his life, to the point that it hinders his Torah study, prayer, and the fulfillment of commandments. For in doing so, he would be undermining himself, jeopardizing the very source of his sustenance: God's blessing.<\/p>\n
TRICKS DON'T HELP<\/p>\n
This Jew also understands that dubious business schemes will not bring him greater profits, and in the long run, will even cause him harm. He has faith that it is the Almighty Who determined the measure of his sustenance, and it is up to him only to prepare the appropriate "vessel" to receive it. However, to achieve this awareness requires "emunah," faith in God, since Hashem sends us His blessing through natural means that conceal the true process that dictates events.<\/p>\n
And this is where the importance of manna lies: manna clearly and openly establishes that sustenance comes from Hashem, and that all of man's schemes will not change anything. Each person will receive neither more nor less than the portion allotted to them from Above. Thus, manna strengthens our faith in God and the confidence\u2014bitachon\u2014that He will provide each person with what they need, both materially and spiritually.<\/p>\n
Likutei Sichot Volume 31, Page 85<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week's Bible passage tells us about the special food God provided for the Israelites in the Sinai Desert\u2014manna. This food is described in the Torah as "bread from heaven." It possessed several wonderful characteristics: there was no waste, it provided the desired taste, and it reached each person exactly as they wanted\u2026 Read More \u00bbThe source of the waters<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1002,956,971,991,1032,942],"series":[],"class_list":["post-417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beshalaj","tag-bendicion","tag-estudio","tag-hombre","tag-pan","tag-sinai","tag-tora"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Aguas.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/avatar1400.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"castbox":{"key":"castbox","url":"","label":"CastBox","class":"castbox","icon":"castbox.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/en\/feed\/podcast\/rabino-tuvia-serber","embedCode":"La fuente de las aguas<\/a><\/blockquote>