Parashat BiShalach

The pasuk is a clear contradiction of itself.

“VaYa’asu Kain Bnei Yisrael VaYilkitu HaMarbeh ViHaMamit”

Shemos, 16:17

If Moshe commands each member of the nation to gather exactly an Omer of Man, how the pasuk acknowledge both that they “did so” and that some took more and some took less? Rashi offers a weird explanation:

“HaMarbeh ViHaMamit,” some took a lot and some took a little, and when they came to their houses, they measured their gatherings… those who gathered more did not have more than an Omer per person, and those who measured less did not have less than an Omer per person, and this was a great miracle done through [the Man].

Rashi, Shemos 16:17

There are two readily apparent ways to understand the phrase VaYa’asu Kain according to Rashi. It could refer to the simple fact that the people ended up with exactly what Moshe commanded them to gather, regardless of whether they tried to fulfill this objective or not. It could refer to the effort they put into gathering the proper amount, although they could not measure precisely how much they had gathered until they came home. The Mizrachi suggests the former approach while the Nachalas Ya’akov proposes the latter.

However, both approaches fail to define VaYa’as Kain as it is used in every other context, as the intentional fulfillment of a given objective. It is also strange that Rashi should refer to “those who gathered more” and “those who gathered less.” These terms suggest that some people would consistently gather too much and some would consistently gather too little. Even if an individual consistently overestimated or underestimated, should Rashi really go out of his way to indicate this? Rather, it would be simpler to write, “if one took a lot… or if he a little.”

Rashi also sounds certain that the people did not measure their gatherings until they came home, however, there is no explicit indication in the pasuk. In fact, had Rashi claimed that each person brought a scale to the site of Man gathering, the pasukim would have made much more sense! First the people would gather an approximate amount, then they would put it on the scale, then they would add or remove some Man to bring their gatherings to the proper measure. No miracle would be necessary, and most importantly, the people would conscientiously fulfill Hashem’s command!

Perhaps Rashi is simultaneously addressing another contradiction embedded within these pasukim. Moshe Rabbeinu tells the people to collect “Eesh Lifi Achlo,” each man by the measure of his [daily] food [portions]. This phrase suggests that each man should first decide how much he normally eats in a given day, and should then collect exactly this much. However, Moshe immediately declares “Omer LaGulgoles,” one Omer per person. This phrase states quite clearly that no matter how large or small a person’s hunger, he should collect exactly an Omer.

To resolve this contradiction, Rashi proposes that each man consistently collected “Lifi Achlo,” a quantity relative to his appetite. A large person would always collect more than an Omer and a small person would always collect less than an Omer. However, the food was not of this world and it did not satiate man by a physical means. (In Parashat Chukas, Rashi explains Man is called Lechem HaKilukal, accursed bread, because it did not fill men’s stomachs. This was a favor to Klal Yisrael, for they never needed a bathroom, but the nation did not express due gratitude.) Therefore, when they returned home to measure their gatherings, they discovered their portions were all the same, for small and large men each required equal doses of spiritual satiation.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai said, “[The] Torah was given only to Man eaters.”

Midrash Tanchuma, BiShalach, 20

Through the dual measuring procedures of Man gathering, first by one’s hunger and after by his scale, Hashem teaches Klal Yisrael a valuable lesson. Each man’s physical hunger does not parallel his spiritual hunger, and a single Torah can satisfy any individual. Moreover, instead of commanding outright that each man collect an Omer, Hashem provided the necessary steps for each man to discover this lesson on his own. In this manner, the Man aided Klal Yisrael towards a Kabalas HaTorah built upon the willingness to “Na’aseh ViNishma,” to not only blindly fulfill the Torah’s objectives, but to even acknowledge that the Jewish nation will someday understand whatever they are told to do.