Parshat Beshalach 5786 - "הילך בתורתי אם־לא"

This week’s Parsha is פרשת בשלח, which includes the splitting of ים סוף and בני ישראל’s song of praise to HaShem (אז ישיר). In the aftermath of these events, בני ישראל, now famished, demand food - even claiming that without it, יציאת מצרים would have been pointless. HaShem responds to their request, stating: “הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן־השמים ויצא העם ולקטו דבר־יום ביומו למען אנסנו הילך בתורתי אם־לא - Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you, and the nation shall go out and gather it every day, for the sake of My test: whether they will walk in the ways of My Torah or not.” The תורה describes this sustenance as “דק מחספס דק ככפר על־הארץ - thin, flaky, fine like frost on the ground.” Being completely foreign to them, בני ישראל coined it מן, and HaShem later commands for a portion of this מן to be kept as a memorial forever. This entire section on מן is frankly bewildering. How is מן the ultimate test of whether בני ישראל will keep the Torah - how does מן represent the תורה at all? Moreover, what exactly is מן - what are its qualities, and what does it mean that it came from heaven? Lastly, why does HaShem command some of it be kept forever - what purpose does this serve?Recorded in Yeshivat Sha'alvim