Dear Friends,
This past week was a Jewish food week — and fittingly, this week’s Parshah Beshalach introduces one of famous Jewish biblical foods of all time (even before there was Kosher)
Our Up Close & Kosher event was truly an eye-opener (and a mouth-opener too!). Fifty people enjoyed Naf and Anna Hanau’s thoughtful cooking demo — a real labor of love for high-quality kosher food. Rabbi Mammon led a clear and engaging Q&A on kosher supervision, and everyone received a copy of Going Kosher in 30 Days, filled with practical, doable steps for kosher living. (If you’d like a complimentary copy to pick up from Chabad Pittsford, just reply to this email — limited supplies available.)
Food appears powerfully in this week’s Torah portion with the story of the manna.
What was the manna?
The manna (in Hebrew, מן, more accurately pronounced mon) was the miraculous food that fell from heaven each day during the forty years between the Exodus from Egypt and the entry into the Land of Israel, sustaining our ancestors throughout their journey in the desert.
When the manna fell each morning, people went out and gathered it. Some collected a lot, others only a little. But when they returned home and measured what they had gathered, something remarkable happened: each person ended up with exactly one omer — precisely what they needed for that day. The effort was real, but the outcome was not determined by how much one grabbed. The final measure came from G-d.
The manna could not be saved from one day to the next. Any attempt to store it spoiled. There were no reserves, no stockpiles, no illusion of control. Each morning required fresh trust that G-d would provide again today what He provided yesterday.
And then came Shabbat. On Friday morning, a double portion appeared. Moshe explained that it was for Shabbat, when no manna would fall. When G-d asks us to stop and rest, He also takes responsibility for our needs. That is why we place two loaves of bread on the Shabbat table — a weekly reminder that our livelihood ultimately comes from above.
Ok, but why does the Torah give so much description for a one-time historical miracle? Manna raining from heaven isn't happening anytime soon.
The answer: Manna was more than a historical food. It is a powerful lesson for today as work in the natural realm to put bread on our tables.
Manna is a reminder that effort matters — we are meant to go out and gather. But also a reminder that the results are not fully in our control, and that real calm comes when we leave space for trust.
This week, perhaps we can try something simple:
to work with a little less pressure on ourselves,
to let go of the need to control every outcome,
and to live with a little more faith — trusting that G-d will provide what we and our families truly need.
And then we will have a real Shabbat Shalom, a Shabbat of peace and tranquility from the whole week.
Shabbat Shalom/Good Shabbos
Rabbi Yitzi Hein