I've got manna on my mind. This week's parashah introduces that miraculous food source that rained down from the heavens to sustain the Israelites in the desert. After their exodus from Egypt, Bnei Yisrael did not want for anything; G-d provided for their every need: protection, fresh drinking water, nourishment, and even stain-free clothing. The manna itself possessed the extraordinary ability to taste like anything and like wafers in honey simultaneously. The one caveat regarding the ultimate health and comfort food: the Israelites could only collect it six days a week. G-d did not deliver manna on Shabbat. For the emancipated slaves this reality both challenged and developed their faith. They had to learn to rely on G-d for their sustenance and believe that HaShem would provide as promised. The manna, therefore, was not only a pragmatic plan to feed a nation on the move. It also served as a means of strengthening the Israelites' belief in G-d and reinforced the idea that all gifts emanate directly from Heaven.

 

Yesterday my family and I participated in a chesed opportunity that is a modern-day incarnation of the manna. Ohr Meir and Beracha is a Jerusalem based non-profit organization that delivers baskets of food to needy families of terror victims. Every Thursday morning a group of volunteers gathers to pack kilo of fruits, vegetables, eggs, challot, and other Shabbat necessities for the hundreds of families in need. Our family sat in an awning-covered Jerusalem alleyway on potato duty--filling bag after bag of this essential ingredient to do our part in helping this worthwhile cause. Although HaShem no longer directly provides manna for the Jews, the essence of Judaism requires us to partner with G-d so that all have access to heavenly gifts. Sensitivity for the needy is baked into Jewish practice, and sharing our G-d given resources reminds us that what we have is as miraculous as the manna. Potatoes may not taste like honey wafers, but the recipients surely savored them as such. In this iteration of the miracle of the manna, we, who helped prepare the gifts, relished the sweetness as well.

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem!