Parsha Pearls
In this week’s parsha we complained that all we have to eat was mann. We did not appreciate it. Interestingly, the Torah records that we expressed our complaint in the following way, בִלְתִי אֶל הַמָן עֵינֵינוּ - “Our eyes are looking only at the mann” (Bamidbar 11:6). Right after this verse, the Torah spends the next three verses talking about the details of the mann.
Hence, the Torah teaches us here not only how unpleasant it is to HaShem when we complain about things that He blesses us with, but also how to “fix” our eyes so that we look at HaShem’s brachos with great appreciation. By writing in detail the praises of mann, the Torah is teaching us that instead of looking “at the mann” - or at any other blessings in our lives, we should look “inside the mann” - i.e., explore the details of HaShem’s blessings! And that is what will help you to appreciate Hashem’s blessings.
The Rama (OC 242:1) writes that we have a minhag to eat pashtida (a type of kugel) on Shabbos as zecher l’mann (a remembrance of mann). (And it’s certainly important to eat kugel this Shabbos with the intention that it should be a tikun for our complaint about the mann.) Eating kugel on Shabbos should be a once-a-week reminder for us of how Hashem wants us to look at our life’s blessings - look at their details, so that you will come to appreciate those blessings.
In this week’s parsha Moshe prays for Miriam’s refuah
אֵ -ל נָא רְ פָא נָא לָהּ . You probably knew that besides tefilla, just visiting a sick person brings him a little bit of refuah. But did you know that a certain condition needs to be fulfilled in order for that refuah to come. This Midrash (Vayikra Rabba 34:1) explains it:
Rav Huna said: “Anyone who visits the sick causes the Heavens to reduce one sixtieth of his illness.” The students in the Beis Midrash posed a difficulty to Rav Huna, “If so, sixty men should visit the sick and he’ll become completely healed and go down to the market with them!” Rav Huna answered back to them, “The sixty men can, in fact, cause the sick person to become completely healed, but on one condition: all of them should love him as they love themselves.” - Midrash Vayikra Rabba 34:1 (the translation is based on commentaries of Eitz Yosef) This Midrash is teaching us how incredible is the power of Ahavas Yisroel!
