Daily Chumash & Rashi Parshas Beshalach Shishi: The Mun (Friday, 12th Shevat)

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Shishi

  • The falling of the Mun: Hashem spoke to Moshe saying that He had heard the complaint of the Jewish people, and in the afternoon they will eat meat, while in the morning they will eat bread. So it was towards evening that the Slav pheasant bird ascended and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. The layer of dew then ascended and behold they saw on the face of the desert a thin item looking like frost on earth. The Jewish people looked at each other and exclaimed “It is Man” as they did not know what to call it. Moshe then told them that this is the food that G-d has provided you to eat.
  • How much Mun each should take: Hashem commanded that each person is take in accordance to what he eats, which is one Omer per person, in accordance to the number of members of one’s family. An Omer is 1/10th of an Eifa [2.49 liter]. The Jewish people did so, and some took too much, and some took too little. [Miraculously] whoever took more than necessary or less than necessary, found the exact amount in their possession.
  • Not to leave leftover Mun: Moshe instructed them not to leave any leftover Mun [that was taken] until morning. Some people did not listen to Moshe and left over the Mun past morning, and it became infested with worms and stunk. Moshe became angry with them. All the leftover Mun in the field which was not taken would melt in the sun.
  • The Friday double Mun portion: On Friday they gathered a double portion, two Omers per head, and the community leaders came to Moshe and informed him [of this anomaly]. Moshe told them that this was done because the next day is Shabbos, and they must bake, and cook today for today, and all the leftovers are to be eaten the next day. So they did, and indeed the next day the leftover Mun remained without spoiling.
  • Keeping Shabbos: Moshe informed them on Shabbos that the Mun will not fall that day, and they are to only collect it six days a week. Nonetheless, some individuals went to the field on Shabbos to take the Mun and they did not find it. Hashem chastised Moshe saying “Until when will you refuse my commands? I have given you the resting day of Shabbos and therefore provided you with a double portion on Friday. No man shall leave his area on the seventh day.” So the Jewish people rested on the seventh day
  • Its taste and texture: The Jewish people called the food Mun , and it was like a coriander seed and had the taste of a wafer fried in honey.
  • Safekeeping some of the Mun as a reminder: Moshe stated that Hashem commanded that an Omer of the Mun is to be kept for safekeeping for all generations, so they see the bread that Hashem fed them in the desert when they left Mitzrayim. Moshe told Aaron to take a jar and place in it one Omer of Mun, and it was placed before Hashem (before the Aron) for safekeeping for all generations.
  • How long the Mun lasted: The Jewish people ate the Mun for 40 years, until they arrived at the border of the land of Canaan.

Q&A on Rashi Verses 11–14: The Coming of the Manna

Q1: What are “שְׂלָו” (quails) (16:13)?

A: A type of very fatty bird.

 

Q2: How was the manna arranged with the dew (16:13–14)?

A:
Rashi explains:

  • Dew fell under the manna.
  • The manna fell on top of the dew.
  • Then another layer of dew fell over the manna.
    It was like the manna was enclosed in a box of dew.

 

Q3: What does “וַתַּעַל שִׁכְבַת הַטָּל” mean (16:14)?

A: When the sun rose, the upper dew layer evaporated, revealing the manna beneath.

Rabbinically: The dew rose upward, opposite normal nature, while the manna descended from heaven.

 

Q4: What does “מְחֻסְפָּס” mean (16:14)?

A:

  • Simple meaning: “Uncovered,” exposed.
  • Possible meaning: Related to a pouch or satchel—something packed inside.
  • Onkelos: “Peeled,” as if the dew peeled back.

 

Q5: What does “דַּק כַּכְּפֹר” mean?

A: Fine like frost—flat, thin, and solid on the ground.

Verses 15–18: What the Manna Was

Q6: Why did they call it “מָן”? (16:15)

A: Because “מָן” means “prepared food” (as in “the king provided them food”).
They didn’t know what it was, so they simply called it “provision.”

 

Q7: What miracle happened when they gathered the manna? (16:17–18)

A: Even though some gathered more and some less, when they measured it:

  • No one had more than an omer per person.
  • No one had less than an omer per person.
    A miraculous equalization.

 

Verses 19–21: The Command Not to Leave It Overnight

Q8: Who violated Moses’ instruction and left over manna (16:20)?

A: Dathan and Aviram.

 

Q9: Which happened first—rotting or worms?

A: First it became putrid, then it developed worms, as is always the case.

 

Q10: What happened to leftover manna in the field when the sun rose? (16:21)

A: It melted into streams.
Gazelles and deer drank from these streams; other nations later tasted the manna’s sweetness through the animals’ flesh.

 

Verses 22–26: The Double Portion Before Shabbat

Q11: What is “לֶחֶם מִשְׁנֶה” (double bread) (16:22)?

A:

  • Simple meaning: They found double—two omers per person.
  • Midrash: It was different (מְשֻׁנֶּה)—the manna tasted and smelled better before Shabbat.

 

Q12: Why did the leaders come to Moses about the double portion? (16:22)

A: They asked, “Why is today different from other days?”
This reveals Moses had not yet delivered the command about Shabbat until this moment.

 

Q13: What does “אֵת אֲשֶׁר תֹּאפוּ אֵפוּ” mean (16:23)?

A: Bake today whatever you want to bake, and cook today whatever you want to cook—prepare everything before Shabbat.

 

Q14: Why did the leftover manna not spoil on Shabbat (16:24)?

A: It was a miracle unique to Shabbat—manna obeyed Divine instructions.

 

Q15: What do the repeated “הַיּוֹם” teach (16:25)?

A:

  • Today you won’t find manna (Shabbat).
  • Tomorrow it will fall again.
    It reassured them that manna had not stopped.

Q16: Why does the Torah repeat “on the seventh day it will not be” (16:26)?

A: To teach that manna did not fall on:

  • Shabbat
  • Yom Kippur
  • Festivals

 

Verses 27–30: The People and the Sabbath Rebuke

Q17: Why was Moses included in the rebuke, even though others sinned? (16:28)

A: “With the thorns, the cabbage is struck”—the righteous are criticized together with the wicked.

 

Q18: What does “שְׁבוּ אִישׁ תַּחְתָּיו” mean (16:29)?

A: Each person must remain within his four cubits if outside the city limits.

 

Q19: What does “אַל יֵצֵא אִישׁ מִמְּקֹמוֹ” mean?

A: The rabbinic derivation of techum Shabbat: one may not go beyond 2,000 cubits outside the city.
But here, the literal meaning refers to not going out to gather manna.

 

Verses 31–36: Description and Preservation of the Manna

Q20: What is “גַּד”? (16:31)

A: Coriander seed—round, but not white.
The manna was compared to gad for shape only, and it was white.

 

Q21: What is “צַפִּיחִית”?

A: A pastry fried in honey—called iskritin in Mishnah.

 

Q22: Why save an omer as a memorial? (16:32)

A: For future generations—including in Jeremiah’s time—so people would see and understand that God can provide for those who fear Him.

 

Q23: Was the manna placed before the Ark immediately? (16:33–34)

A: No.
This verse was spoken later, after the Mishkan was built; it is written here to complete the story.

 

Q24: How long did Israel eat the manna (16:35)?

A: 40 years—but technically 30 days are missing.
Solution:
During the month after leaving Egypt, the matzah still tasted like manna.

 

Q25: How do we reconcile “to an inhabited land” with “to the border of Canaan” (16:35)?

A:

  • Manna stopped falling on 7 Adar when Moses died (in Moab).
  • They ate from what they had already gathered until 16 Nisan, after crossing the Jordan.

 

Q26: What is an omer in volume? (16:36)

A: One omer = 1/10 ephah = 43⅕ eggs-worth of volume.

About The Author

Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein is a 6th generation descendent of the famous Chief Rabbi of Izhmir, Rav Yehoshua Avraham Krispin, who authored a number of Sefarim, and was a colleague of Rav Chaim Falagi, and father in-law of the Pesach Hadvir. He currently lives with his wife Shayna, and twelve children K”H, in Tzfas, Israel. Rabbi Goldstein received Semicha from Rabbi Schneur Zalman Labkowski of the Tomchei Temimim headquarters in 2005 and served as a chaplain in the Lotar/Kalatz and K9 unit of the IDF from years 2005-2008. He is also a certified Shochet, and has performed Hashgacha work in slaughterhouses. Rabbi Goldstein is the director of Shulchanaruchharav.com, the world’s leading web-based Halacha database, and is the director of the Home Study Semicha Program, a self-study web-based Semicha program. He is a prolific author of over 50 Sefarim studied by a wide range of readers throughout the world, which is used regularly in Semicha programs around the globe. He is a world renowned Posek, answering questions to a web-based market, and serves as a local Posek, Rav, and Lecturer, in the Tzemach Tzedek community Shul in Tzefas, Israel. His many classes can be heard both from his website, Vimeo and YouTube channel. Students can join live to classes given in the Tzemach Tzedek Shul, through the “בית חבד צפת Chabad Tsfat” YouTube channel.