The Miraculous Taste of Manna

וַיִּקְרְא֧וּ בֵֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ מָ֑ן וְה֗וּא כְּזֶ֤רַע גַּד֙ לָבָ֔ן וְטַעְמ֖וֹ כְּצַפִּיחִ֥ת בִּדְבָֽשׁ׃

The house of Israel named it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted like wafers in honey.

שָׁ֩טוּ֩ הָעָ֨ם וְלָֽקְט֜וּ וְטָחֲנ֣וּ בָרֵחַ֗יִם א֤וֹ דָכוּ֙ בַּמְּדֹכָ֔ה וּבִשְּׁלוּ֙ בַּפָּר֔וּר וְעָשׂ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ עֻג֑וֹת וְהָיָ֣ה טַעְמ֔וֹ כְּטַ֖עַם לְשַׁ֥ד הַשָּֽׁמֶן׃

The people would go about and gather it, grind it between millstones or pound it in a mortar, boil it in a pot, and make it into cakes. It tasted like rich cream.

וַיַּמְטֵ֬ר עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם מָ֣ן לֶאֱכֹ֑ל וּדְגַן־שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם נָ֣תַן לָֽמוֹ׃ לֶ֣חֶם אַ֭בִּירִים אָ֣כַל אִ֑ישׁ צֵידָ֬ה שָׁלַ֖ח לָהֶ֣ם לָשֹֽׂבַע׃

and rained manna upon them for food, giving them heavenly grain. Each person ate a hero’s meal; they were sent provision in plenty.

״אֵת הַקִּשּׁוּאִים וְאֵת הָאֲבַטִּיחִים״, רַבִּי אַמֵּי וְרַבִּי אַסִּי, חַד אָמַר: טַעַם כׇּל הַמִּינִין טָעֲמוּ בַּמָּן, טַעַם חֲמֵשֶׁת הַמִּינִין הַלָּלוּ לֹא טָעֲמוּ בּוֹ, וְחַד אָמַר: טַעַם כָּל הַמִּינִין טָעֲמוּ טַעְמָן וּמַמָּשָׁן, וְהַלָּלוּ טַעְמָן וְלֹא מַמָּשָׁן. ״וְהָיָה טַעְמוֹ כְּטַעַם לְשַׁד הַשָּׁמֶן״. אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: מָה שַׁד זֶה תִּינוֹק טוֹעֵם בָּהּ כַּמָּה טְעָמִים, אַף הַמָּן, כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל אוֹכְלִין אוֹתוֹ מוֹצְאִין בּוֹ כַּמָּה טְעָמִים. אִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי: לְשֵׁד מַמָּשׁ. מָה שֵׁד זֶה מִתְהַפֵּךְ לְכַמָּה גְּווֹנִין — אַף הַמָּן מִתְהַפֵּךְ לְכַמָּה טְעָמִים.

The Gemara returns to the same verse: It states: “We remember…the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic” (Numbers 11:5). Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi debate the verse’s meaning. One said: They tasted the flavor of all types of food in the manna, but they cried because they could not taste the tastes of these five foods that they mentioned. And one said: They tasted the flavor of all types of food, as well as their textures. The sensation was so strong that it seemed to them like they were eating those very foods. However, with the foods they listed, the people tasted only their flavor but not their texture. It was also said with regard to the manna: “And its taste was as the taste of a cake [shad] baked with oil [hashamen]” (Numbers 11:8). Rabbi Abbahu said: Shad means breast. Just as a baby tastes different flavors from the breast, since the taste of the milk changes somewhat depending on what foods his mother eats, so too with the manna, every time that the Jewish people ate the manna, they found in it many different flavors, based on their preferences. There are those who say that the word is written as shed and means literally a demon. How so? Just as a demon changes into different forms and colors, so too, the manna changed into different flavors.

(שמות טז, לא): וְטַעְמוֹ כְּצַפִּיחִת בִּדְבָשׁ, וְאוֹמֵר (במדבר יא, ח): וְהָיָה טַעְמוֹ כְּטַעַם לְשַׁד הַשָּׁמֶן, כֵּיצַד מִתְקַיְּמִין שְׁלשָׁה כְּתוּבִין הַלָּלוּ, בַּחוּרִים הָיָה טוֹעֲמִין טַעַם לֶחֶם, זְקֵנִים טַעַם דְּבַשׁ, תִּינוֹקוֹת טַעַם שָׁמֶן.

One verse says: “Behold, I will rain down bread for you from the heavens,” and one verse says: “And its taste was like a cake of honey” (Exodus 16:31), and it says: “Its taste was like the taste of cake baked with oil” (Numbers 11:8). How are the three verses realized? Lads would taste the taste of bread; elders, the taste of honey; babies, the taste of oil.

אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא אִם תָּמֵהַּ אַתָּה עַל הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְמֹד מִן הַמָּן שֶׁלֹא הָיָה יוֹרֵד לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא לְפִי כֹּחַ שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, הַבַּחוּרִים הָיוּ אוֹכְלִין אוֹתוֹ כְּלֶחֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות טז, ד): הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר לָכֶם לֶחֶם מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם וגו'. וְהַזְּקֵנִים, כְּצַפִּיחִת בִּדְבָשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות טז, לא): וְטַעֲמוֹ כְּצַפִּיחִת בִּדְבָשׁ.

Come and see how the voice would emerge to each one of Israel, each and every one in accordance with his capability; the elderly according to their capability, the young men according to their capability, the children according to their capability, the nursing babies according to their capability, the women according to their capability, and Moses, too, according to his capability as it is stated: “Moses would speak, and God would answer him with a voice” (Exodus 19:19), with a voice that he could withstand. Likewise it says: “The voice of the Lord is powerful [bako’aḥ]” (Psalms 29:4). It does not say His capability, bekoḥo, but rather bako’aḥ, according to the capability of each and every one, and even pregnant women according to their capability.

לִמְטַר הַשָּׁמַיִם תִּשְׁתֶּה מָּיִם, וּכְשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ הֶעֱלָה מַיִם מִן הָאָרֶץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר כא, יז): עֲלִי בְאֵר עֱנוּ לָהּ. וְהוֹרִיד מָן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר לָכֶם לֶחֶם מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם.

When He wished, He produced bread from the earth, as it is stated: “To produce bread from the earth” (Psalms 104:14). He brought down water from the heavens, as it is stated: “From the rain of the heavens, it drinks water” (Deuteronomy 11:11). When He wished, He raised water from the earth, as it is stated: “Rise, well, call to it” (Numbers 21:17), and He brought down manna from the heavens, as it is stated: “Behold, I will rain down bread for you from the heavens.”

כצפיחת. בָּצֵק שֶׁמְּטַגְּנִין אוֹתוֹ בִּדְבַשׁ, וְקוֹרִין לוֹ אִסְקְרִיטִין בִּלְשׁוֹן מִשְׁנָה (פסחים ל"ז), וְהוּא תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל אֻנְקְלוֹס:

כצפיחת LIKE FLAT CAKES — dough which is fried in honey. In the Mishnaic speech it is called אסקריטין (Pesachim 37a), and this is the translation of Onkelos here.

וטעמו כצפיחת בדבש שאוכלים אותו כמות שהוא אבל להלן כשהוא אומר וטחנו אותו בריחים או דכו במדוכה היה משתנה טעמו לשד השמן.

וטעמו כצפיחית בדבש, its taste resembled a wafer smeared with honey, i.e. it is eaten without further preparation. When we read elsewhere in Numbers 11,8 that its taste was like sweet cake with cream, that described its taste after it had been ground and baked.

וְהַמָּן הוּא מִתּוֹלֶדֶת הָאוֹר הָעֶלְיוֹן שֶׁנִּתְגַּשֵּׁם בִּרְצוֹן בּוֹרְאוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ (זוהר בלק ר"ח.), וְנִמְצָא שֶׁאַנְשֵׁי הַמָּן וּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת נִזּוֹנִין מִדָּבָר אֶחָד. וּמִפְּנֵי זֶה הָיוּ מוֹצְאִים טַעַם בַּמָּן מִכָּל מַה שֶׁיִּרְצוּ, כִּי הַנֶּפֶשׁ בְּמַחְשַׁבְתָּהּ תִּדְבַּק בָּעֶלְיוֹנִים וְתִמְצָא מָנוֹחַ חַיִּים וְתָפֵק רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנָיו (ע"פ משלי ח לה):

Rather, the bread of ‘abirim’ means bread which was absorbed in the eivarim (limbs).’” The purport of Rabbi Akiba’s words is that the existence of the ministering angels is sustained by the Divine Glory. And so the Rabbis interpreted: “And Thou ‘m’chayeh’ (preservest) them all [means] He gives food (‘michyah’) to you all.” It is with reference to this that it is said, And the light is sweet, since through the Light, they perceive good discernment. Now the manna was a product of that Higher Light which became tangible by the will of its Creator, blessed be He, and thus [according to Rabbi Akiba], both the people who ate the manna and the ministering angels were sustained by the same substance. But Rabbi Yishmael criticized him, since the existence of the ministering angels is not dependent upon something tangible evolving from the Light.

ועוד אמר שם במן שירד בכל השבוע והיה טעמו כטעם לשד השמן, אבל המן שירד בשבת היה טעמו כצפיחת בדבש, שהיא עסה נלושה בשמן ודבש נוסף בו מתיקות לעונג שבת, וחז"ל אמרו לנערים כטעם לשד השמן, לזקנים דבש, כי קדושת השבת מתיחס לזקנים שקנו חכמה ואצלם תמיד שבת כמ"ש חז"ל ברכות (דף מז) שנים ושבת מצטרפין, ושבת גברא הוא, אלא שני ת"ח המחדדים זל"ז בהלכה מצטרפין, מפרש שנים ושבת היינו שהם ת"ח שאצלם תמיד שבת