QUESTION: The Gemara cites Tana d'Vei Rebbi Yishmael that in the merit of the three acts of Avrohom Avinu in serving his guests, the Jewish people merited to receive three gifts while traveling in the Midbar -- the Man, the cloud that protected them, and the well of Miriam.
This Gemara seems to contradict the Gemara in Ta'anis (9a), which says that the Man, the cloud, and the well were gifts to the Jewish people in the merit of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam, respectively! The Gemara there does not mention that they were rewards for Avrohom Avinu's deeds! Moreover, the Gemara explicitly refers to the well as "Be'erah Shel Miriam," the well of Miriam, clearly implying that the well was in the merit of Miriam! (MAHARSHA)
ANSWERS:
(a) The MAHARSHA answers that in the merit of Avrohom Avinu's deeds with his guests, the Jewish people would have received only a momentary miracle of the Man, cloud, and well. In the merit of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam, these miracles continued for the years the Jewish people were in the Midbar. Thus, when Aharon died the cloud went away, when Miriam died the well went away, and when Moshe died the Man stopped.
(b) The BEN YEHOYADA writes that originally, HaShem designated these three gifts -- the Man, the cloud, and the well -- to be given to the Jewish people in the merit of Avrohom Avinu's deeds. The time came for the Jewish people to receive the gift of the cloud when they left Mitzrayim. However, when they left Mitzrayim, they left "b'Yad Ramah" (Shemos 14:8), which can be translated as "with a haughty spirit" (this understanding is in stark contrast to the normal meaning of "b'Yad Ramah," as well as to the translation of the Targum Onkelos). Consequently, they lost the merit to receive the protection of the cloud. When HaShem did give them the cloud, it was in the merit of Aharon. Similarly, the time to receive the gift of the Man in the merit of Avrohom Avinu came when the food that they had brought with them out of Mitzrayim was consumed. However, they lost that merit when they complained and sinned by saying, "You took us out into this wilderness to kill us with starvation!" (Shemos 16:3). Hence, it was only given to them in the merit of Moshe. Similarly, the time to receive the gift of the well in the merit of Avrohom Avinu came when the people arrived at Refidim. However, the people sinned when they complained there to Moshe, and they lost the merit to receive the gift of the well. However, in the merit of Miriam, HaShem gave them the gift of the well.
(c) RAV CHAIM SHMULEWITZ in SICHOS MUSAR (5732 #8) gives a Mashal to answer this question. We know that a small seed is able to sprout into a huge tree. However, the seed itself cannot sprout without external factors contributing to its growth, such as soil, water, and sunshine.
Rav Chaim explains that when the Gemara here says that the gifts of the Man, cloud, and well were granted in the merit of Avrohom Avinu, it means that the "seeds" of these gifts -- the initial reason for granting them, were given in the merit of the Chesed of Avrohom. However, these "seeds" needed additional factors to cause them to sprout and come to fruition -- this was the merit of Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam. (I. Alsheich)
