Once at twilight, Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa saw that his daughter was sad.
He asked: My daughter, why are you sad?
She answered: I mistook a vessel of vinegar for one of oil and lit the Sabbath lamp from it.
He said: My daughter, why should you care? He who told oil to burn will tell vinegar to burn.
They said it continued burning all day until they took a flame from it for Havdalah. (Babylonian Talmud, Taโanit 25a, freely translated from Aramaic)ืคืขื ืืื ืืฉืืฉืืช, ืจืื (ืจ' ืื ืื ื ืื ืืืกื) ืืช ืืชื ืฉืืืืชื ืขืฆืืื.
ืืืจ ืื: ืืชื ืืืืข ืขืฆืืื?
ืืืจื ืื: ืืื ืฉื ืืืืฅ ื ืชืืืฃ ืื ืืืื ืฉื ืฉืื ืืืืืงืชื ืืื ื ืืืจ ืืฉืืช.
ืืืจ ืื: ืืชื, ืื ืืืคืช ืื? ืื ืฉืืืจ ืืฉืื ืืืืืืง ืืื ืืืืจ ืืืืืฅ ืืืืืืง.
ืืืจื, ืฉืืื ืืืืง ืืืืื ืื ืืืื ืืืื ืขื ืฉืืืืื ืืื ื ืืืจ ืืืืืื. (ืชืืืื ืืืื, ืชืขื ืืช, ืื ืข"ื, ืชืจืืื ืืืคืฉื ืืืจืืืช)
The message of this beautiful story is the plain meaning of a familiar verse in our portion, in Mosesโ commandments speech on Moabโs plains before entering the land:
And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3)
ืึทืึฐืขึทื ึฐึผืึธ ืึทืึทึผืจึฐืขึดืึถืึธ, ืึทืึทึผืึฒืึดืึฐืึธ ืึถืช ืึทืึธึผื ืึฒืฉึถืืจ ืึนื ืึธืึทืขึฐืชึธึผ ืึฐืึนื ืึธืึฐืขืึผื ืึฒืึนืชึถืืึธ. ืึฐืึทืขึทื ืืึนืึดืขึฒืึธ: ืึดึผื ืึนื ืขึทื ืึทืึถึผืึถื ืึฐืึทืึผืึน ืึดืึฐืึถื ืึธืึธืึธื โ ืึดึผื ืขึทื ืึธึผื ืืึนืฆึธื ืคึดื ื' ืึดืึฐืึถื ืึธืึธืึธื! (ืืืจืื ื', ื)
What did Moses mean by โman doth not live by bread only, but by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man liveโ?
His account of manna differs greatly from Numbers, which praises its culinary properties and wonderful flavor:
Now the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium. The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and seethed it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of a cake baked with oil. (Numbers 11:7โ8)
ืึฐืึทืึธึผื โ ืึดึผืึฐืจึทืข ืึทึผื ืืึผื, ืึฐืขึตืื ืึน ืึฐึผืขึตืื ืึทืึฐึผืึนืึทื. ืฉึธืืืึผ ืึธืขึธื ืึฐืึธืงึฐืืึผ ืึฐืึธืึฒื ืึผ ืึธืจึตืึทืึดื ืืึน ืึธืืึผ ืึทึผืึฐึผืึนืึธื ืึผืึดืฉึฐึผืืืึผ ืึทึผืคึธึผืจืึผืจ ืึฐืขึธืฉืืึผ ืึนืชืึน ืขึปืืึนืช, ืึฐืึธืึธื ืึทืขึฐืืึน ืึฐึผืึทืขึทื ืึฐืฉึทืื ืึทืฉึธึผืืึถื. (ืคืกืืงืื ื'-ื')
In Mosesโ speech, however, manna was not food. Eating it was affliction that caused hunger, as also stated later:
who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might afflict thee. (Deuteronomy 8:16)
ืึทืึทึผืึฒืึดืึฐืึธ ืึธื ืึทึผืึดึผืึฐืึธึผืจ ืึฒืฉึถืืจ ืึนื ืึธืึฐืขืึผื ืึฒืึนืชึถืืึธ โ ืึฐืึทืขึทื ืขึทื ึนึผืชึฐืึธ. (ืืืจืื ื', ืื)
The lesson โ โthat He might make thee knowโ โ is that bread is not indispensable to life: โman doth not live by bread only.โ Something not food, without nutritional value, like manna, can sustain us if the LORD decrees it to be food: โby every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man liveโ!
Ibn Ezra explains:
โThat proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORDโ: like that which He decreed โฆ The meaning of โman doth not live by bread onlyโ is rather by the power, or together with the power, that comes from the higher realms at the LORDโs command. This is the explanation of โthat proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD.โ The evidence is that you ate no bread โ and lived.
"ืืึนืฆึธื ืคึดื ื'": ืืื, ืื ืฉืืืจโฆ ืืืืขื: "ืึดึผื ืึนื ืขึทื ืึทืึถึผืึถื ืึฐืึทืึผืึน ืึดืึฐืึถื ืึธืึธืึธื", ืจืง ืืืื ืื ืขื ืืืื ืืื ืืืขืืืื ืื ืืืฆืืช ืืฉื. ืืื ืคืืจืืฉ "ืืึนืฆึธื ืคึดื ื'". ืืืขื, ืฉืื ืืืืชื ืืื โ ืืืืืชื.
