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Bread from the Heavens
Part I. Mann from the Heavens
The Stupendous Spectacle
TheĀ mannĀ is the most unusual story of antiquity; you can search but you wonāt find anything like it in the history of our people, orĀ lāhavdilĀ in the annals of the nations. That a nation of millions should be fed every day withĀ lechem min hashamayim,Ā food that falls from the sky?! It was something to remember! The Rambam declares the falling of theĀ mannĀ to be the most unique miracle of our past. He says that āthe greatest of the miracles described in the Torah is the stay of theĀ Am YisroelĀ in the wilderness for forty years with a daily supply ofĀ mannā (Moreh Nevuchim 3:50).
The stupendous spectacle of a mysterious food falling from the sky and descending upon the camp for forty years was such an outstanding miracle that it never occurred to the falsifiers to even attempt such a claim. None of the prevaricators ever dreamed of concocting such a story ā they wouldnāt dare.
False Religions and Their Claims
You know, liars have to be very careful. They canāt be reckless with their claims, because they want to build a system, a castle in the air, that will last for a little bit at least. And therefore they say things that you canāt disprove. ×ָר×Ö¹×¦Ö¶× ×ְשַ×קֵּר ×ַרְ×Ö“××§ ×¢Öµ××Ö¼×Ŗ×Ö¹ ā Itās a saying, āIf you want to tell lies, make sure tell of far off things.ā
Thatās why when āthat manā, the one they call the Nazarene, or J.C., when he was asked by theĀ chachomim: āShow us miracles,ā he said, āI donāt show miracles to wicked men!ā āWicked men,ā you know, means people who haveĀ seichel. This happened once and it happened again. They asked him to prove himself: āLook, your followers are claiming you did miracles.ā Two harlots and some people who couldnāt read or write ā those were his witnesses! And so the sages came and said, āLook, such witnesses are not reliable. Weāre here now ā show it to us.ā So he said, āTo wicked people, to a wicked generation, I will vouch safe, I will show no signs.ā
Because he knew to whom to show signs ā to a few gullible people, to the lower element of society who will believe anything. And if youāll ask me about Mohammed?! Mohammed also āproducedā many miracles ā only that there was nobody around to see them. In his tent, all by himself with nobody to see, thatās where he was a great miracle worker!
Miracles for illiterates, and miracles in tents ā thatās all that the falsifiers would dare claim. But nobody among the nations of the world even try to invent such a story like theĀ mann; because the more witnesses you have, the more you have to be careful if you try to put something over on people.
Tasting the Magic
But not only is theĀ mannĀ unequaled in the annals of the nations;Ā lāhavdilĀ itās unequaled in our own history. There never was anything remotely resembling it ā theĀ mannĀ stands out asĀ theĀ miracle of our history. TheĀ mannĀ was witnessed not just by a few people and not evenĀ lāhavdilĀ by the seventyĀ ziknei Yisroel.Ā It was witnessed byĀ a few millionĀ people.Ā Andnot only they witnessed it but everybody got a sample too. Every man and woman, every boy and girl, approached theĀ mannĀ and tasted it.
You know, thereās an old Indian trick whereby a conjurer takes a rope and he throws it up and the rope remains stiff. And then he climbs up the rope and disappears at the top; and then he comes down again. Itās a famous Indian trick. Only that the magician is very careful that nobody should approach that rope ā no sampling allowed.
Sometimes you might go to a performance and they have a magician for an entertainer. So when he wants to show a trick he might take something out of a hat; letās say he takes an apple out of the hat. So it would be a good idea to taste the apple to see if itās a real apple. It could very well be some sleight of hand, or some optical illusion.
But theĀ mannĀ was something altogether different ā it was a demonstration that was witnessed by millions and it was eaten by them too ā they picked it up and put it in their mouths. And it didnāt happen once. It happened every day for forty years. ×Ö¼×Ö°× Öµ× ×֓שְ×רָ×Öµ× ×Öø×Ö°××Ö¼ ×Ö¶×Ŗ ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼× ×ַרְ×ÖøÖ¼×¢Ö“×× ×©Öø×× Öø× āĀ For forty years, day after day, the people ate the mannĀ (Beshalach 16:35).
It Cannot Be Kept Secret
And therefore you can be sure that they became so excited over theĀ mannĀ ā it was something never to forget. Letās say, suppose you got up tomorrow morning and you looked out into your backyard and you saw a white fluffy frost on the ground ā in the summertime.
So you went out and you said, āMann?!Ā Whatās this business?āĀ MannĀ means, āWhat is it?ā Imagine you wanted to know, so you pick it up. You take it in your hands and it doesnāt smell bad, so you decide to taste it. Of course you wouldnāt do that, because it needs aĀ hechsherĀ on it ā you donāt know who left it there. But imagine you tasted it and it tastes pretty good: ×Ö·×¢Ö°××Ö¹ ×ְּצַפּ֓××Ö“×Ŗ ×Ö“Ö¼×Ö°×Öø×©× ā It tasted like aĀ tzapichisĀ inĀ devash. Whatever aĀ tzapichisĀ is we donāt know butĀ tzapichis bādvashĀ ā itās something dipped in honey. And if you take it inside to your kitchen and you make aĀ latkehĀ out of it, so ×Ö·×¢Ö°××Ö¹ ×Ö°Ö¼×Ö·×¢Ö·× ×ְשַ×× ×ַשָּ××Ö¶× ā it tasted like a pleasantĀ latkeh, a sweet pancake.
Now, when you discovered that, you wouldnāt keep the secret to yourself. Youād rush into theĀ shtibel, or into theĀ yeshiva, and youād tell everybody what happened. Even the janitor youād tell. Of course theyād think youāre crazy, but youād continue shouting, āCome and see it yourself,ā and you wouldnāt stop until they followed you.
We Need Mann In Our Heads
Now, a tremendous experience like that, when it happens to a whole nation together, doesnāt go away without leaving a lasting effect. TheĀ mannĀ left an impression that was stamped on the character of our nation forever. You canāt have a nation that eatsĀ lechem min hashamayimĀ for forty years in such a manner and it should just pass by. Oh, no! TheĀ neisĀ of theĀ mannĀ still reverberates among us to this day. And therefore, weāre going to study this subject just a little bit. We wonāt do justice to the subject at all but at least something weāll try to speak about it.
The first thing is to understand that Hakodosh Boruch Hu gave theĀ mannĀ not only for that generation. ×§Ö·× ×¦Ö“× Ö°×¦Ö¶× Ö¶×Ŗ ⦠×Ö°×Ö·× Ö·Ö¼× ×Ö¹×Ŗ×Ö¹ ×Ö“×¤Ö°× Öµ× ×ַשֵּ×× ×Ö°×֓שְ××ֶרֶת ×Ö°×ֹרֹתֵ××Ö¶×. They were commanded to put away some of theĀ mannĀ in theĀ MishkanĀ as aĀ mishmeresĀ for future generations (Beshalach 16:32-33). And not just anywhere in theĀ MishkanĀ ā it was placed in the holiest part of theĀ Mishkan, right near theĀ aronĀ in theĀ kodesh hakodoshim.Ā So we see that theĀ mannĀ was given as a testimony for all generations so that they should remember this remarkable phenomenon that happened to our people ā that food fell from the sky every day for forty years for a nation of millions.
Now, the fact that theĀ mannĀ was kept as a testimony demonstrates that Hashem wants us to think about thatĀ neisĀ ā we see that itās a system of the Torah to put theĀ mannĀ into our heads; that itās our duty to remember theĀ mann. Hashem wants us to think about theĀ mannĀ and to talk about it.
Tell All Your Neighbors
Now thatās a new idea to most people ā to talk about theĀ mann?!Ā Yes! Weāre expected to be aware constantly of theĀ mannĀ that our fathers ate in the wilderness. Actually, one of the most important reasons theĀ mannĀ fell was so that we should talk about it!
Every day we say it: ××Ö¹××Ö¼ ×Ö·×ַשֵּ×× ×§Ö“×ØÖ°××Ö¼ ×ּ֓שְ×××Ö¹ ××Ö¹×Ö“××¢×Ö¼ ×ÖøÖ¼×¢Ö·×Ö“Ö¼×× ×¢Ö²×Ö“×××Ö¹×ŖÖø××Ā ā Praise Hashem; proclaim in His name, and make His deeds known among the people.Ā It means that Hashemās miracles are given to us primarily for the purpose so that we should constantly reiterate them in our minds. And not only to think about them, but ק֓רְ××Ö¼ ×ּ֓שְ×××Ö¹ ā we shouldĀ speak about them as well.Ā Weāre expected to speak about the wonders that Hakodosh Boruch Hu did. ק֓רְ××Ö¼ ×ּ֓שְ×××Ö¹ means āCall out in His name.ā To whom should you call out? Anybody who will listen!
Did you ever stop and speak to your neighbor about how Hashem sent us food every day for forty years? Almost fifteen thousand days ofĀ Mann!Ā Youāre embarrassed to talk to your neighbor about it?! So speak about it with your wife! At least to your children you should speak about it! Itās so important to speak about how Hakodosh Boruch Hu fed our forefathers for forty years with food from the sky, that you should search out people who are willing to listen.
Reminders of the Mann
Now, we have certain things that are intended as reminders, but itās a pity that we donāt utilize them enough. Even those symbols of theĀ mannĀ that we do practice become meaningless when they are ignored ā we go through the motions but we donāt put our minds to think about what weāre doing.
Letās say when you come home on Friday night and you see the twoĀ challosĀ on a white tablecloth, and theyāre covered also by a white cloth on top. So you should stop and use this glorious opportunity. Itās like that for a good reason ā itās intended to be a symbol of theĀ mann.Ā TheĀ mannĀ fell between two clean white tablecloths. Thatās how it fell every day. There was a ש֓××Ö°×Ö·×Ŗ ×Ö·×ÖøÖ¼×, a hoarfrost ā it means a layer of frozen dew on the ground, and it was white, white as linen. And on top of theĀ mannĀ was another layer of white frost; and theĀ mannĀ was in between the two sanitary cloths, and it was preserved nice and fresh.
Thatās why we put a white cloth above theĀ challosĀ and a white table cloth underneath theĀ challos.Ā Thatās the significance but nobody thinks about it ā or they rarely do. Why donāt you try it next time? Donāt just go into the table without thinking about this symbolism ā when you come to the Shabbos table and you see the twoĀ challosĀ that are covered with a cloth, why donāt you stop for a few seconds and think about that. Better yet, tell your family about it too. Donāt worry if your child laughs at you ā say it anyhow. Say it anyhow!
And not only once ā every Shabbos you can say it. Donāt think that it doesnāt go into their heads ā even little children who seem to ignore what youāre saying, theyāre human beings, so it goes in. I still remember what was said to me when I was two years old. Youāll be surprised; itās not a waste of time at all. ThoseĀ seeds ofĀ emunahĀ that you plant in other peopleās minds are going to remain there and someday they might bear beautiful fruit.
Part II. Bread From the Heavens
Eating Sunshine
The truth is, even on Wednesday ā you donāt need to wait for Shabbos. When you sit down on a Wednesday morning to eat your breakfast, or your supper Wednesday night, and you see a piece of bread, you should have a picture of theĀ mannĀ in our head. Why not? Bread is no less a miracle than theĀ mann,Ā absolutely!
How does bread come out of the earth? Itās aĀ neis. Iāll tell you what I think ā I think itāsĀ moreĀ of aĀ neisĀ than theĀ mannĀ that fell in theĀ midbar!Ā At least theĀ mannĀ came out from the sky! WhyĀ shouldnātĀ it fall from the sky?! But that wheat should come out of the earth?! Nobody can really explain it. That large stalks of wheat should grow out of dirt?! Itās aĀ neis!
Nissei nissim!Ā From some earth and some air and a little bit of sunshine, bread is created. How does air become bread? Itās aĀ neis. Carbon dioxide in the air combines with the sunshine. Sunshine?! Yes, weāre eating sunshine when we eat bread. Thatās what it is. Sunshine mixes with the carbon dioxide, and with some water and chlorophyll ā the green part of the plant ā and it combines to make starch. That starch is the wheat ā thatās the bread. Thatās theĀ cheilevĀ chitah, the fat of the wheat.
Eating Air
It comes out of thin air! Thatās what your bread is ā itās carbon dioxide. Because if you take a piece of bread and burn it, it turns black; only the carbon remains. So bread is carbon. Where does carbon come from? The carbon was in the air in the form of carbon dioxide.
And how does it come out of the air? Itās a miracle how the wheat plant is capable of extracting the carbon dioxide from the air and depositing the carbon in its cells. After all, carbon dioxide is only three parts in ten thousand in the air. And the plant is standing here sucking the carbon dioxide from the air around it. In a minute, it has exhausted all the carbon dioxide around it and so the plant should die. But no! Hakodosh Boruch Hu made the wind. ×Ö“× ×ֶפְשָ×ר ×Ö°×¢×Ö¹×Öø× ×Ö°Ö¼×Ö¹× ×Ø×Ö¼××Ö¹×Ŗ āĀ Without the winds the world couldnāt existĀ (Taanis 3b).Ā The wind keeps the air moving. So as the plant exhausts the carbon dioxide from the air around it, the wind pushes some new air into place and now the plant has a new source of carbon dioxide. And the air keeps on moving āĀ nissei nissim.Ā It means that when you feel a breeze, thatās a reminder that your bread is being made for you.
I donāt want to take up the time and tell you how many actualĀ nissimĀ there are in the making of food. Itās so exciting that youāll think itās exaggerated; you wonāt even believe me. āItās just aĀ guzmah,ā youāll think. But the truth is that this great wonder of bread is a composite of so many complex miracles that we have to thank Hakodosh Boruch HuĀ notĀ for the oneĀ neisĀ of bread ā we have to thank Him for hundreds and hundreds ofĀ nissim. Now when we say hundreds, Iām underestimating. Actually you need millions of details cooperating one with the other in order to make the bread. And so, if you can take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and create from it bread, itās a miracle that is just as astonishing as whenĀ mannĀ fell from the sky.
Big Words Explain Nothing
So now theĀ yetzer horaĀ will come and whisper in your ear, āWell, itās the process of photosynthesis; the sunlight is used to synthesize the food material from the carbon dioxide and the water. Itās just the absorption of nutrients from the earth by the seminal roots and the nodal roots, and so on and so on.ā
So do you think that if you use big words from the science books to describe the processes, that it makes it any less of a miracle?! Not at all! Studying those processes only makes you even more aware of how many miracles are needed to make the wheat kernel grow. Only that we see bread every day, so our minds become dulled to the greatĀ nissim.
A Surprise in Canaan
If theĀ mannĀ had happened only once, oooh would that have been something! Only because it happened for forty years, so they became accustomed to it and it stopped being aĀ neisĀ ā they became so habituated that Iām sure many of them forgot that it was a miracle.
Some people were born to theĀ mannĀ and they never knew any other food. Imagine a child born in theĀ midbar; from the very beginning he saw it come down every day and as far as he was concerned thatās how it has to be. You know when heād be surprised? When heād walk out of the camp and visit the land ofĀ MidyanĀ or the land ofĀ MoavĀ and he would see that theĀ mannĀ does not come down, thatās when heād be surprised. āWhatās wrong with this place? Thereās noĀ mannĀ coming down.ā You know, when they came toĀ Eretz CanaanĀ and they saw food coming out of the ground, to them, that was a bigĀ neis. Food coming out of the ground?! āLook! Itās aĀ neis!Ā Food is coming out of the ground!ā They thought food comes from the clouds.
Frequent Miracles
Because really itāsĀ allĀ aĀ neis; only that habit makes you not notice. Even the biggestĀ neis, if it happens every day for years and years, you tend to ignore it. And theĀ mannĀ was even more commonplace than rain. It doesnāt rain every day, but theĀ mannĀ came down every day. And even the biggest miracle, when it happens every day, becomes a miracle no longer.
However, in truth, the fact that it happens frequently doesnāt mitigate the greatness. WhenĀ mannĀ falls from Heaven, itās aĀ neisĀ of the first magnitude. And thatās something that Hashem wants us to be thinking always.
Fill Your Mind
Itās a pity we donāt. Isnāt it a good idea, when you are walking in the street, say like this: āFrom now until the first telephone pole thatās in the middle of the block, Iām going to think about theĀ mann. Iām going to imagine myself in theĀ midbarĀ with theĀ Am YisroelĀ and when I get up in the morning I seeĀ mannĀ on the floor outside.ā Then for the rest of the block, Iāll think about how it must have been to taste theĀ mann.Ā Ooh wah!Ā To eatĀ lechemĀ min hashamayim!Ā What an experience it must have been ā heavenly food! And then you cross the street and you start a new block. Is one block enough to think about theĀ Mann?!Ā You should walk at least two miles thinking about theĀ Mann, but at least one block you should do. And if you want to become even greater try it for a second block too.
A wise person will fill his mind with these ideas; as much as he can he will remind himself of this greatestĀ neisĀ in the history of the world. You know, some people say theĀ parshaĀ of theĀ mannĀ every day afterĀ daveningĀ ā excellent, very good ā but itās not enough to say words. You have to keep the picture, theĀ tziyurĀ of theĀ mann,Ā in your mind as much as possible.
Part III. Snow From the Heavens
The White Blanket
Now, tonight, we have been especially privileged with a fall of snow. The snowflakes just āhappenedā to have come tonight in order to give us aĀ tziyurĀ of this great phenomenon of Hashem feeding the world. Now, as you gaze at the white blanket on the ground you can see a faint resemblance to theĀ mannĀ which fell in the days of our forefathers. And itās a good idea to make use of the sight of the beautiful snow blanket to think about that.
Now, if you begin thinking about snow, youāll see that as much asĀ mannĀ was a miracle, snow is also aĀ neisĀ of tremendous proportions. If you would put some thought into it you could see miracles in the snow just like our forefathers saw when theĀ mannĀ fell from the sky. Itās only because we donāt think about it, we donāt study it, so the whole lesson is ignored. Maybe for the schoolchildren itās important ā they want to have a day off to play in the snow, but for everyone else, what of it? Itās just snow.
But like I said earlier, you have to know thatās how it was in theĀ midbarĀ too. At first they were excited, they were wild about it. And as the weeks went by they got used to it. Itās like snow ā snow is alsoĀ mann,Ā but you get used to it.
Purposefully Shaped
Every snowflake is a remarkable miracle in its own right. If you take one snowflake and look at it carefully youāll be amazed at the symmetry of its crystalline form ā and there are a number of different forms. Now, today we are not yet capable of explaining the utilitarian purpose of every single twist in the snowflakeās outline but we understand right away that one of the purposes of the forms taken by snow crystals is so that when they fall upon each other they should remain loosely packed and fluffy.
Instead of the the snow coming down in simple forms that would easily amalgamate, they have bays and inlets and that make them independent of each other to some extent. Thatās why when even a big mass of snow falls, each snowflake maintains its identity to some extent. And the result of this is that a lot of air is imprisoned in the snow blanket. Imprisoned air! Thatās one of the bigĀ chasdeiĀ HashemĀ we have to study.
Snow and Wool
Dovid HaMelech said, ×Ö·× Ö¹Ö¼×ŖÖµ× ×©Ö¶××Ö¶× ×ַּצָּ×ֶר āĀ Hashem gives snow like wool.Ā The question is, why compare snow to wool? Is it just because it looks like wool and Dovid is a āpoetā so heās going to make some poetry? No; thatās not the way ofĀ TehillimĀ ā Dovid doesnāt talk that way ā every word is full of secrets. Now, in this world we will never understand all the secrets, but a little bit, superficially, we can understand.
Whatās so special about wool? You know when you walk in the street on a cold day, which material is it that keeps you warm? Itās mostly wool. Wool is what keeps the world warm.
Now, why is wool so effective? Itās not because it has any thermal qualities ā wool is not any hotter than linen. If you stick a thermometer into the mass of wool it wonāt be any hotter than if you stick a thermometer into a mass of linen.Ā Itās your own bodyĀ that supplies the heat ā only that the wool doesnāt allow that heat to escape from your body. Thatās what the kinky hairs of the wool accomplish; between all the hairs there is airspace that insulates. The wool creates an insulation barrier that traps your body heat between your body and the woolen garment and itās that warm air that keeps you from freezing.
Free Advice
Thatās why itās better, by the way, to have two thin blankets than one thick blanket. Two thin blankets have a tiny airspace in between them which is very effective. If you suffer from chilblains on your feet in wintertime, so instead of wearing one pair of thick socks, wear two thin socks so that the air between them should keep you warm. Itās good advice youāre hearing now and itās free of charge tonight.
Somebody once gave me that advice and all the rest of my life Iāve been doing that. When the cold weather comes; two pairs of socks. I used to walk a lot in the wintertime and I suffered from frostbite on my feet. And then a man, an oldĀ talmid chacham, gave that advice. He said I should wear two pairs of socks. I donāt know if he knew the principle that Iām telling you, but he understood that two pairs of socks are better than one.
And thatās what wool does; the twisted hair traps the air and creates an insulation barrier. But linen threads on the other hand are straight and they donāt imprison any air; so the air travels back and forth, and by convection the heat is carried away from your body and itās lost.
Warming the Earth
So when Dovid compares snow to wool itās an exact comparison. Snow has the same qualities of wool because the shape of the snowflakes makes the snow kinky so to speak. It doesnāt fall in a compact mass like pieces of ice; instead it falls in fluffy flakes and a little bit of snow can make a very thick, air-filled, covering. It falls loosely and remains fluffy like wool, and the air trapped between the snowflakes is a wonderful insulator. Thatās why when the snow falls upon the earth itās like a woolen blanket that keeps the earth warm.
You know the earth has to be kept warm, donāt you? The earth is full of important things that could die from frost. There are roots that have to remain till next summer. Where does the grass come from? Do people plant grass? The grass grows from its own roots. It has seeds too, but itās mostly from roots and these roots would perish in the frost. Not only grass ā there are many perennials that have to send forth their roots again after the winter. All the strawberries, and many other plants too, they grow from roots that are right now in the earth. Also, all the seeds that fell into the earth in the last season ā if not for the snow blanket they would all perish. And Hakodosh Boruch Hucertainly had that in mind when He was × Ö¹Ö¼×ŖÖµ× ×©Ö¶××Ö¶× ×ַּצָּ×ֶר ā when He gave snow like wool.
News From Nevada and South Dakota
Actually the snow is much more than people give it credit for. I received a news item not long ago about a town in Nevada. A town with a population of ten thousand declared an emergency ā they had no water! The government declared a state of emergency and they had to ship trucks with tanks of water to help the people.
What happened? Snow hadnāt fallen sufficiently that season. But it wasnāt because of the lack of snow that they didnāt have water. Because anyway they got water from a reservoir upstream, a reservoir that was filled with water. But the local snow was vital because it acted as a blanket to prevent the underground pipes from freezing. Every year they depended on the snow blanket to keep their pipes insulated from the bitter cold. And because this year there was an inadequate snow covering, the pipes froze and burst.
Thereās another news item that one of our fans who listen to these tapes sent in to me ā it said there that the farmers in South Dakota complained that this year they were wiped out. There was no snow-covering for the earth and the ground therefore became frozen four or five feet deep. And when the spring rains came, they couldnāt penetrate the earth because the ground was so solidly frozen, and the wheat crop went lost. They were wiped out entirely.
Important Citizens of the Earth
But in addition to keeping the earth soft and warm, there are many important denizens residing in the soil who must be kept alive all winter because we need them for our existence. You know, the earthworms are what keep Mankind going; they are essential to our existence. People despise the humble earthworm but it is only thanks to his efforts that we are around ā if not for the earthworm, we wouldnāt be here.
We think thatĀ weĀ plow but the truth is that the earthworms are doing most of the plowing right beneath the surface. All winter long, many months before a farmer decides to yoke up his oxen or to take out his tractor to do the plowing, the earthworms are hard at work turning over the earth! They suck it in through their mouths and as it passes through their gut, the earthworm extracts some nourishment from it ā whatever small food organisms exist in the earth. And then, when the earth is excreted by the earthworm, itās not only cleaned of certain unnecessary organisms but itās fertilized too ā the earth is now turned over and aerated and ready for planting.
In addition there are other important citizens, ×֓שְ×פְּ×Ö¹×Ŗ ×Öø×Ö²×Öø×Öø× āĀ families of the earth,Ā that the snow protects. There are the ants and the beetles and the centipedes and all of them together are important. And theyāre doing a great job ā we have to applaud them because theyāre keeping us alive. The ants and the beetles are digging through the earth constantly; theyāre allowing the air to penetrate the soil which is very important for the growth of future vegetation.
Earthworm Eskimos
But how can these vital insects survive the frosted winter? The answer is that Hakodosh Boruch Hu sends down a snow blanket. In the city the Sanitation Department comes by with their trucks and they take it all away, but in the country Hakodosh Boruch Hu takes care of everything and there the snow blanket remains. And that blanket keeps them all alive!
If not for the blanket of snow the earthworms would freeze. Earthworms freeze too ā they donāt live that far down in the soil; they live near the surface and therefore they need that blanket ā the snow blanket keeps the earth warm, actually warm. Under the snow, itās like a little house, a snow house. Itās always warmer inside under the snow than outside ā itās nice and warm down there, like an Eskimo in his ice igloo.
Blankets For Breakfast
Then, when the spring comes around, we donāt need the snow anymore ā now we need water. So the snow does us a big favor and it turns into water. This wonderful blanket that has been keeping the earth warm all winter long, in the springtime it turns into water and gives the earth a good drink; and that water turns into plants and food that feeds the world!
Suppose you had such a blanket. It keeps you warm all night and then in the morning when you get up and you donāt need it anymore so you eat up the blanket. An edible blanket; a chocolate blanket! In the morning you got up and ate it for breakfast. Wouldnāt that be a wonderful thing? Thatās still something missing to be invented ā a disposable blanket that you can eat for breakfast. You may be laughing, but thatās exactly what the snow is. It keeps the earth warm all winter and in the spring it melts and goes into the soil and it comes forth in the form of vegetation.
Snow and Bread
And therefore when you see snow spread out on the soil, youāre seeing aĀ neisĀ no less than theĀ mannĀ ā youāre seeing food! Thatās exactly what it is. Like it says ×ַשְ××Ö“××Ö° קַרְ××Ö¹ ×ְפ֓תּ֓×× āĀ He throws His ice pieces like pieces of bread.Ā Of course, if it was bread it would be uncomfortable; with pieces of bread on the street youād have to watch your step not to trample on the bread. But actually thatās what the snow is ā itās bread, itāsĀ mann. And therefore you have to appreciate it when you see an icy street.
Of course, on the city streets it may seem like a nuisance. But itās not so ā itās there for a very important reason; itās there to remind you of the miracle of theĀ mann āĀ theĀ lechem min hashamayimĀ that we eat every day. And so, when snow comes down on the ground, instead of snarling, instead of growling, āOh, itās that nasty weather again,ā letās understand that this is icing on the cake. Snow is icing. Suppose you got a big cake, a block long or miles long and there is icing on top of it ā the more the better! And snow is the icing. Snow turns into all good things. Because when you eat bread and delicious fruit in the spring, youāll be doing so because of the snow that falls in the winter.
Now, weāre not finished with snow. The truth is that we are just beginning with the great subject of snow, but itās late now and we must go back to the subject of theĀ mann. But we understand that the snowflakes happened to come tonight to give us a reminder of the great phenomenon of the food we eat, and a reminder of theĀ mannĀ as well.
Part IV. Whiteness From the Heavens
What is Nature
Now, just like snow, theĀ mannĀ was white. TheĀ gemaraĀ (Yuma 75a) tells us a reason for that. TheĀ mannĀ was white as a symbol שֶ××Ö·Ö¼×Ö°×Ö“Ö¼×× ×¢Ö²××Ö¹× Ö¹×ŖÖµ××Ö¶× ×©Ö¶×× ×֓שְ×רָ×Öµ×,Ā that the mann whitened the sins of the Am Yisroel.Ā Now, that has to be explainedĀ āĀ the fact that it was white caused their sins to become white?! How could theĀ mannĀ cleanse them of theirĀ aveiros?
So weāll explain it as follows: The fundamental sin of Mankind is to sink into the error that thereās such a thing as nature. āNatureā is a Greek word that was made to conceal the fact of Hashem.
You know, inĀ gemaraĀ language thereās no such word ānatureā. It says there ×Ö“Ö¼××Öµ× ×©Öø××Ö·×Ö“× āĀ by the hands of Hashem.Ā Like הָר֓××” ×Ö“Ö¼××Öµ× ×©Öø××Ö·×Ö“× and צְ××Ö¼×§Öø× ×Ö“Ö¼××Öµ× ×©Öø××Ö·×Ö“× ā instead of saying āa naturalĀ sarisā, itās aĀ saris biāyedei shomayim.Ā Everything isĀ biāyedei shomayim āĀ thatās Torah language. Thereās no nature in theĀ gemara!
Now, we understand of course that ×ֲשֶ×ר ×ÖøÖ¼×ØÖø× ×Ö±×Ö¹×§Ö“×× ×ַעֲש××Ö¹×Ŗ āĀ Hashem created the world to do, in a way that seems to operate by itself; itĀ seemsĀ natural, it all seems like cause and effect. But itās not so. ×ֲשֶ×ר ×ÖøÖ¼×ØÖø× ā Hashem made it! ×Ö“Ö¼× ××Ö¼× ×Ö°×Ö·×Ö¼×Ö¹ פּ×Ö¹×¢Öµ× ×Ö°Ö¼××ּר×Ö¹×Ŗ ā He Himself does everything!
A Prevalent Error
And therefore, the greatest of all errors, the sin of sins, is to fall into the great error of forgetting about Hashem in this world. Itās atheism, a form of not believing in Hashem. You know, the Rambam says that atheism is worse thanĀ avodah zarah,Ā and so, when people are observant, even if they keep the Torah, but if they forget that He is the one who does everything, they are missing out on their purpose in this world.
When people begin to look at the world as operating according to nature, independently of Hakodosh Boruch Hu, thatās already atheism. And itās the major sin of sins because from forgetting Hashem stem all misdeeds.
Hashem EchadĀ means that He isĀ theĀ One, the only One; that everything is done by Him. Even when it looks like nature is doing it, itās only Hashem doing it. Thatās why we say ×ַשּ֓××× ×ָר×Ö¼×Ö· ×Ö¼××ֹר֓×× ×Ö·×ֶּשֶ×× āĀ He makes the wind blow and He makes the rain fall.Ā The rain and the snow donāt just fall. We donāt look out of the window and say, āItās raining outside.ā āHakodosh Boruch Hu isĀ makingĀ the rain come down,ā thatās what we say. Thatās how you look at ānature.ā
Marvels Upon Marvels
Everything around us is really miracles upon miracles. Only because itās so frequent so we attribute it to nature ā we forget about theĀ Hashem EchadĀ who is doing everything. Actually, if we study everything around us we would see that itās all marvels upon marvels. We would see that snow and ice are actually miracles. We call it ānatural,ā but ifĀ mannĀ fell every day weād also say itās natural and it wouldnāt be cited as an example ofĀ hashgachaĀ of Hakodosh Boruch Hu.
Our purpose here is that we have to learn to divest ourselves of the hardened hearts of the materialists and we have to think about these things: Why is it that the water becomes white and fluffy when it has to fall on the soil? And why in such intricate forms? How does it trap air? How does it keep the earth warm? Why doesnāt it melt right away? How is it that the earthworms survive the bitter cold winter? Why is it that snow is a white color? It could have been blue-green, but white retards the sunrays and keeps the snow from melting!
Of course, Iām only scratching the surface of the miracles ā itās only the beginning. We didnāt even begin to study the subject yet, and the more you study what Hashem is doing in this world, the more youāll see miracles ā miracles just as big as our forefathers saw in theĀ midbar.
The Ultimate Whitening
Why are all these miracles happening? And the answer is; theyāre for the purpose that we should see them and we should recognize that there is aĀ BoreiĀ who made them. Thatās why theĀ mannĀ fell for forty years! To drill into our heads that itās all from the Borei, that everything is reallyĀ lechem min hashamayim. And it is that knowledge of Hashem that whitens the sins of Yisroel.
And thatās how weāre supposed to remember theĀ mann. Itās a reminder that what we see in this world is nothing but Hashem.Ā āAnd Hashem said to Moshe: āBehold I will mamtir, I will rain down food to you from the heavensā.Ā (Beshalach 16:4)ā. This expressionĀ mamtir, āI shall rain down to you,āĀ is significantbecause itās a reminder thatĀ Hashem is the One who is causing everything!
TheĀ mannĀ came ×Ö°×Ö·×¢Ö·× ××Ö¹×Ö“×¢Ö²×Öø āĀ In order to make known to you,Ā ×Ö“Ö¼× ×Ö¹× ×¢Ö·× ×Ö·×Ö¶Ö¼×Ö¶× ×Ö°×Ö·×Ö¼×Ö¹ ×Ö“×Ö°×Ö¶× ×Öø×Öø×Öø× āĀ that not by bread alone does a man live,Ā ×Ö“Ö¼× ×¢Ö·× ×ÖøÖ¼× ××Ö¹×¦Öø× ×¤Ö“× ×ַשֵּ×× ×Ö“×Ö°×Ö¶× ×Öø×Öø×Öø× āĀ but by that which proceeds from the mouth of Hashem does man liveĀ (Devarim 8:3). ×Ö°×Ö·×¢Ö·× ××Ö¹×Ö“×¢Ö²×Öø āĀ To make known to you,Ā means to give youĀ daāas,Ā to give you the true knowledge that is available from remembering theĀ mann. And the greatest knowledge is summed up with these two words ā that everything isĀ Hashem Echad!
Have A Wonderful Shabbos