The pasuk in Parshas Chukas says, “They journeyed from Hor HaHor by way of the Sea of Reeds to go around the land of Edom, and the spirit of the people grew short with the road.” [Bamidbar 21:4] Aharon haKohen had just passed away, and the people again became agitated. “The people spoke against G-d and Moshe: ‘Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is no food and there is no water, and our soul is at its limit with the insubstantial food.'” [Bamidbar 21:5] If there seems to be one underlying theme about which they repeatedly complain – it is about the mann. Basically, they say they are disgusted with the mann.
It is important to realize something that is not readily apparent. Thirty-eight years elapsed between last week’s parsha (Parshas Korach) and this week’s parsha (Parshas Chukas). The incident of the Meraglim (in Parshas Shelach) preceded – at least according to the Ramban – the story of Korach. Those events both occurred at the beginning of their sojourn in the Wilderness. For the next 38 years, nothing dramatic occurred — at least not anything the Torah shares with us. Thirty-eight years later, they are again on the boundary of Eretz Yisrael, and they are complaining again. They complained at the beginning of the 40 years and they complained at the end of the 40 years. What is their complaint? “We can’t stand the mann.”
It would seem to be that the mann is the greatest thing going. It tasted like whatever each person desired. Yet, it seems that when Bnei Yisrael start complaining, they always complain about the mann. What is the message here?
The pasuk continues, “Hashem sent the snakes, the burning ones, against the people, and they bit the people, and a large multitude of Israel died.” [Bamidbar 21:6] Throughout Sefer Bamidbar, the Almighty punished the people in different ways. Here, Hashem uses a new method – they are attacked by snakes. Why snakes?
“The people came to Moshe and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against Hashem and against you! Pray to Hashem that He remove from us the snakes.’ Moshe prayed for the people.” [Bamidbar 21:7] What was the remedy for this plague? “Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Make yourself a burning one and place it on a pole; and it will be that anyone who has been bitten will look at it and live.'” [Bamidbar 21:8]. The remedy for snakebites was to look at a snake! This has to be the most peculiar anti-venom serum ever created!
The Gemara [Yoma 76a] says that the disciples of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai asked him, “Why did the mann not descend for Israel once a year (in a quantity enough to last them for a whole year)?” Rabi Shimon bar Yochai answered them with a parable to a king who had an only son. He provided his son with his needs of sustenance once a year, for the whole year. Therefore, the son only came to see the king once a year, when he needed money. So too it was with Bnei Yisroel. Every single day people would worry – how am I going to feed my family? The result was that everyone had their hearts focused on their father in heaven. The mann came from heaven so they needed to pray every day: “Master of the Universe, give us food.” That is why the mann came down every day.
The Sefas Emes says that Hashem cursed the Snake – “You shall eat dust all the days of your life.” Dirt is available ubiquitously. The Snake will never worry about the source of his next meal. However, the curse is that the Almighty is, in effect, saying to the Snake: “Here is your sustenance. Do not bother me again. I do not want to see you ever again.” The contact that every other living creature needs to have with its Creator does not apply to the Snake. This is not a blessing. It is a curse.
This is why Hashem gave mann every single day. He wanted Klal Yisrael to realize that we are dependent on Him. Human beings do not like to feel their dependence. We like to delude ourselves and think we are independent. That is why they kept on complaining about the mann. Now the punishment they received makes sense. The punishment came from snakes because the people were acting like snakes – they did not want to be dependent on Divine handouts. That was the fate of the Snake. The cure came when Israel cast their gaze up toward heaven. This is a lesson that is as important today as it was then. We need Him for every step and breath we take.