In this week’s Parsha, Hashem facilitates a paradigmatic shift in the minds of Bne

i Yisrael. Though relieved to be free from the terrible work and torture of the
Mitzrim, Bnei Yisrael know only how to serve a human king. They are used to hear
ing commands and being punished directly if they do not obey. Furthermore, they
looked at the Mitzrim as their life source and had grown to rely on them for eve
n basic food and water.
In our Parsha, Hashem gently trains Bnei Yisrael to look to Him for what they ne
ed instead. While there are many examples of this in the Parsha, let’s focus on on
e: The Man. (For a great shiur by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag on the other examples,
go to http://www.tanach.org/shmot/bshal1.htm).
The man served a dual purpose. On a basic level, it kept Bnei Yisrael alive in t
he midbar. But it’s true purpose and message was much greater. We all know of the
intrinsic relationship people have with food. Any Jewish mother can attest to th
e primal need to provide a good meal to her family and friends, to help them fee
l happy, satisfied and loved. Rav Hirsh, in his commentary to the Parsha, explai
ns that this is what Hashem does for Bnei Yisrael with the man. By teaching Bnei
Yisrael that they can rely on Him for their daily food, a relationship begins t
o take shape and grow.
Why did Hashem give the man one day at a time? To show Bnei Yisrael, every singl
e morning, that He is there for them. There was no stocked fridge in the midbar.
Hashem wanted Bnei Yisrael to look to Him directly for their most basic needs.
Why? Rav Hirsch tells us that, “He who has not learnt to trust G-d for the next da
y, will ultimately be led away from G-d and His law.” It is only when people can s
ee the direct connection between their survival and G-d that they can begin to r
ecognize all of the good He does for us. Once that relationship is defined, Bnei
Yisrael can move up to the next level – receiving the Torah and
keeping the Mitzvot.
One of the consequences of living in galut is that we do not merit seeing G-d’s Ha
nd in our lives in this direct manner. Our job is to look around at the everyday
miracles in our lives and figure out how Hashem is giving us our personal “man.” Wh
ile it is sometimes hard to see, Hashem helps us every single day. When we appre
ciate that, it makes it easy to approach the Mitzvot with gratitude and exciteme
nt.