Beit Midrash

  • Torah Portion and Tanach
  • Beshalach
קטגוריה משנית
  • Shabbat and Holidays
  • The spiritual view
To dedicate this lesson

The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of

Simha bat Hana

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Not only must the falling of the man, which sustained Bnei Yisrael in the desert, have been a shocking event for those who experienced it, but it was also related to them and to us by the Torah in a surprising way. First Bnei Yisrael were told to collect an omer of man; then they were told not to leave any over. Later they were surprised to have collected two omers on Friday. Then they were told that it was because of Shabbat and that they should leave over man. On Shabbat morning they found out that they should not go out to collect man, which would not fall on Shabbat. Why didn’t Moshe spell out all of the rules in advance and spare them the confusion? Let us also point out a "stylistic" peculiarity in this section. The Torah (Shemot 16:35) mentions that Bnei Yisrael ate the man for 40 years. Although Tanach contains many prophesies about the future, it is very rare for the narrative to describe in past tense events that were well in the future at the time being discussed. Why does the Torah do this?

Let us start with the first question.The Ibn Ezra says that Hashem wanted to keep the events of that Shabbat a secret. The Ohr Hachayim explains further that Hashem wanted Bnei Yisrael to find out about Shabbat’s special status in regard to the man directly from Hashem. But why is that important?

The Torah tells of many miracles that took place over the years. Almost all of the miracles were short-lived, so that they were glitches in the course of nature, not changes in nature. The man was a rare exception, and to highlight this fact, the Torah stressed from the outset that the miracle of man would last for 40 years in the Israelite encampment. One could thus view the falling of the man as a mini-creation of sorts. This was a proper opportunity to have Bnei Yisrael experience on some level the place of Shabbat in creation. On the original Shabbat, the whole cosmos must have experienced some profound kedusha, when creation ceased, and its impact echoes on more subtly ever since. So too, Hashem put into the creation of the "natural phenomenon" of man that it would give expression to the uniqueness of the "rest" on Shabbat by the double portion followed by the absence of man.

Had Bnei Yisrael been taught the laws of Shabbat and man in advance, they might have seen the double portion on Friday as a technical provision to facilitate the halachic observance of Shabbat. If our thesis is correct, Hashem wanted the miracle within a miracle of double portions and no portions of man to serve as evidence that Shabbat is an integral part of creation, even later mini-creations. It thus also served as a reminder of the place of the original Shabbat of creation. This gives added meaning to Rashi on Bereishit 2:3, describing the original Shabbat, saying that Hashem sanctified Shabbat through the man. Rashi is not just mentioning a historical curiosity, but tells how a new nation, just receiving the mitzva of Shabbat, experienced Shabbat’s sanctity as the crown of creations, old and new.
May we be zocheh to experience Shabbat to the fullest extent we can.


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Lessons
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    Beha'alotcha

    The Consolation of Lighting the Menora - Rav Kook at the Third Shabbat Meal

    15 Sivan 5784
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    Beha'alotcha

    Why Was Miriam Punished?

    Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon | 5777
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    Prayer

    ?How we should dress for Prayer

    Chapter five-part two

    Chapter five-part two

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5775
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    Prayer

    Who Can Be Counted in a Minyan?

    Chapter Two-part three

    Can every ten men be a Minyan or are there other conditions?

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
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    P'ninat Mishpat

    Historical View of Rav Mordechai Yaakov Breish (Chelkat Yaakov)

    Various Rabbis | 5775
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    Happy Occasions

    Fasting and Feasting on a Yahrzeit

    “My father’s yahrzeit falls during the week of sheva brachos for my grandson. May I attend the sheva brachos?” "My yahrzeit falls on Shabbos this year. Do I fast on Friday or Sunday instead?" "I usually fast on my father’s yahrzeit, but someone is honoring me with sandaka’us on that day. Do I fast, and do I need to be matir neder in the event that it is permitted to eat?"

    Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff
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    Revivim

    Halakha on Abortion of Fetuses with Severe Abormalities

    A fetus is considered a living entity in regards to certain laws, but there is no penalty of death for taking its life. What do the rabbinical decisors say?

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
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    The Haggadah

    Shir Hashirim

    Deeper meaning of Shir Hashirim, The Song Of Songs.

    Various Rabbis | 5770
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    The Giving of the Torah

    The Day of the Rains and the Giving of the Torah

    According to our Sages, The Day of the Rain is as great as, or even greater than the day of the Giving of the Torah. The basis for this comparison is discussed in depth, as well as additional aspects of the connection between the rains and the Torah.

    Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l | 5770
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    The Torah Perspective

    Secular Zionism in the Eyes of Rav Kook.

    How can we understand the rebellion against religion over the past century? What does the world gain spiritually from this rebellion which was foreseen in the mishna 1,800 years ago as part of the period preceding the mashiach? Only after we understand the rebellion can we glean the benefit and relate to our brothers properly.

    Rabbi Ari Shvat | 5769
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    Redemption - Geula

    When Moshiach Comes

    A summary of the different Brachot we will bless when the Moshiach will walk through the door.

    Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | Iyar 5768
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    Marriage and Relationships

    The Role of Parents in Marriage

    Today, parents can fulfill the commandment of marrying off their children by providing them with a good education at prestigious schools, supporting them so that they be able to learn a profession, and clothing them in attractive attire.

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5764
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