Two Minute Torah Podcast

Ekev 5768 by Rabbi Joshua Heller

Shalom, this is Joshua Heller, Rabbi of Congregation B'nai Torah in Sandy Springs, GA, welcoming you to KOACH’s Two Minute Torah, a project of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

When is a free lunch not a good thing? This week's Torah portion, Ekev, offers one possibility. More than once in the portion, Moses reminds the Israelites that they were fed in the desert with miraculous food, manna from heaven, that their ancestors did not know. In Deuteronomy 8:16 Moses says that this was "In order to afflict you and in order to test you by hardships, so as to benefit you in the end. How was the manna a hardship, and why was it good "in the end?"

Why was the manna a hardship? After all, miraculous food from heaven should be better than what's available from the cafeteria. One explanation comes from the verse- because the manna was unknown to their ancestors, because it was new, it was a challenge to adapt to the new diet. One sage in the Talmud suggests that the manna was not so perfect. Even though it could taste like anything you wanted, it was limited to only one texture- kid of like tofu.

Another sage in the Talmud suggests that the hardship, the test, of the manna, was that it was provided for them, and they had no control over it. Would they continue to rely on God's promises? After all, it can be frightening to be dependent on someone else for your basic necessities, even if you trust them they way the Israelites were supposed to trust God. One final possibility is the flip side of the coin- someone who has everything provided for them might not appreciate what they have received, and might become lazy or ungrateful. Indeed, several times the Israelites complain about the Manna.

At every phase in our lives, we rely on others, whether it is parents who support us, or the thousands of farmers and workers around the world who make the food that we eat, the clothes that we wear, and, really, everything that we own and use. That can be unsettling. The Torah tries to remind us to cultivate the ability to be grateful for that which we receive, to appreciate the things that others provide for us, and not take them for granted. And that's why the manna was good in the end.