Why does the Torah need to mention the calendar date that Yisrael arrived in Desert Sin?
Rashi, Ramban (citing the Mechilta), Rashbam and Targum Yonasan: To teach us the miracle that the 'cakes' that they took with them out of Egypt lasted until now, Shabbos the 15th of Iyar (sixty-one meals); and the Manna fell on the 16th of Iyar. 1
Shabbos 87b: Which we know, since Moshe told them (in 16:7) that the Manna would fall the following morning - which must have been Sunday. Furthermore, in 16:27, Hashem told Moshe - "Sheishes Yamim Tilketu'hu, u'va'Yom ha'Shevi'i Shabbos, Lo Yih'yeh Bo" (but see 16:1:1.3:1).
Why does the Torah add the words, "Bein Eilim u'Vein Sinai"?
Ramban: In order to distinguish it from Midbar Tzin, where they arrived in the fortieth year. 1
See Bamidbar 20:1. Ramban: In fact, before entering Midbar Sin, they first encamped at the Yam-Suf, and after they arrived there, they went first to Dofkah and then to Alush (see Parshas Mas'ei) - where the episode with the Manna took place, only the Torah did not bother to mention those details here (see Ramban). And it is in order to distinguish the location there from the current one that the Torah stresses, "va'Yachanu b'Midbar Tzin, Hi Kadesh" (Bamidbar 33:36).
The Torah writes that Yisrael arrived in Midbar Sin on the fifteenth of Iyar, which, as the Gemara states in Shabbos 87b, was a Shabbos. How will we reconcile this with the opinion that they were already commanded the Mitzvah of Techumim of Shabbos, at Marah?
Refer to 15:25:151:2 and note.
Riva (citing Tosfos Tuch): They actually arrived before Shabbos and complained the night after Shabbos (even though the Pesukim suggest that both occurred on the fifteenth).
Based on Shabbos 87b: The one who holds that they were commanded on Techumim 1 holds that they did not travel from Refidim on Shabbos (and that the fifteenth did not fall on Shabbos, but rather on Sunday, like the opinion of the Seder Olam 2 - PF.)
Mizrachi: They left Eilim on Yom Shishi, arriving at Midbar Sin on Shabbos. (This implies, presumably, that they were already within Techum Shabbos of their destination when Shabbos entered.) 3
Divrei David: The Torah forbids only outside the Techum of 12 Mil (and the Wilderness of Sin was within 12 Mil of Eilim. The Techum of one Mil is mid'Rabanan). 4
Nachalas Yaakov: Even if Moshe already told them about Shabbos, they were not commanded to observe it until after the Manna fell.
Tosfos (Shabbos loc. cit., DH a'Techumim): 'Techumim' includes the Isur of carrying in Reshus ha'Rabim. Ritva (loc. cit., DH Ka'asher) - The animals carried their Kelim. This opinion holds that likewise, they were not commanded about making animals work on Shabbos.
That Iyar had only twenty-nine days that year; and the Torah was given on the sixth of Sivan, on Shabbos (PF).
There was no Torah prohibition of carrying or Mechamer (making animals work), because the Akirah (uprooting from its place) took place before Shabbos. Mizrachi answers differently - The fact that they transported their belongings does not pose a question, because the Melachah of Hotza'ah had not yet been commanded. (Eruvin 17b derives Hotza'ah from "Al Yeitzei Ish mi'Mekomo" (16:29), which was stated only on the next Shabbos, following the Manna's arrival.) (But what about the Melachah of Boneh; how did Bnei Yisrael build their tents when they arrived? (CS))
Even though elsewhere (Taz to YD 117:1), he himself writes that the Chachamim would not decree about something that the Torah explicitly permits, here the permission was not explicit. (PF)
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "'On the fifteenth [of Iyar]' - ... On that day, the 'Chararah' (charred cakes) that they had taken out of Mitzrayim was finished... We see that from the leftovers of that dough, they ate sixty-one meals! "How do we arrive at the count of sixty-one? Why does Rashi call it "the leftovers of the dough"?
Mizrachi #1: The evening meal of the 15th of Nisan (Leil ha'Seder) was eaten in Mitzrayim (and consisted of the Korban Pesach, with Matzah and Maror). Bnei Yisrael's following meal, on the day of 15 Nisan, took place in the wilderness, baked from the dough they brought out with them from Mitzrayim. That dough ran out only one month later, 1 on the 15th of Iyar 2 by day. That very evening, they already had no bread to eat, causing their complaint. 3 If so, they ate it on 16 full days of Nisan (15-30) and 14 days in Iyar (1-14), plus the morning meal of 15 Iyar -- 61 meals in total. To this approach, the text in Rashi should not be "they ate from the leftovers" (seeing as the count of 61 includes even the first meal, which was not leftovers), but rather simply "... they ate from that dough."
Mizrachi #2: Some have the text, "they ate from the leftover Matzah, 61 meals" - i.e., the Matzah that was first eaten on Leil ha'Seder with the Korban Pesach. Thus, while the count would remain the same - from the day meal on 15 Nisan thru the day of 15 Iyar, a total 61 meals - even their first meal would be called 'leftovers.'
Gur Aryeh #1: How many meals the Bnei Yisrael ate from the dough that they took out of Mitzrayim, is the subject of a Machlokes Tana'im in the Mechilta. Rashi follows the opinion of the Tana Kama - They ate it for 31 full days (15 Nisan thru 15 Iyar), or 62 meals in all. But at that first meal after leaving Mitzrayim, it was not yet 'leftovers' -- i.e., the blessing that their food should miraculously last, and not run out (or spoil), began with their second meal, and lasted for 61 meals. To this approach, the Bnei Yisrael did not go hungry for even one meal, because they had bread even at the evening meal of 15 Iyar. 4 Their complaint was because they now saw that they would have no food left for the next morning. 5
Gur Aryeh #2: The dispute in the Mechilta addresses a different point. The Tana Kama uses the term 'Achelu - they ate,' which might imply that they actually had a quantity of dough that would suffice for 31 days. Rebbi Shila, however (see footnote #1 above), uses the term 'Hisparnesu' - 'they found their sustenance' - making it clear that it was Hashem's miraculous blessing in their dough that did not let it run out. By choosing the term "leftovers," Rashi is emphasizing the same point. 6 If so, all concur that the Bnei Yisrael had enough food to eat on 15 Iyar; they did not miss even one meal. As Moshe Rabeinu later retells, "These forty years [in the wilderness], Hashem your G-d has been with you; you have not lacked for anything!" (Devarim 2:7). 7
Mechilta: "From the Chararah they had brought out of Mitzrayim, they ate (Achelu) for thirty-one days... Rebbi Shila says, they derived [sustenance] from it (Nisparnesu) for 61 meals." (According to the Mizrachi, Rebbi Shila comes merely to explain the Tana Kama; whereas according to Gur Aryeh they differ; as will be explained below.)
To outline Rashi's timeline of events in the following Pesukim - a. On 15 Iyar, the Bnei Yisrael complained of their lack of food (16:2-3). b. That very day, Moshe told them Hashem's message, that He would provide them with meat by evening, and bread the very next morning (16:6-8). c. On the morning of 16 Iyar, the Manna fell for the first time (16:13-15). d. On Yom Shishi, 21 Iyar, Bnei Yisrael received a double portion of Manna (16:22). e. On Shabbos, 22 Iyar, no Manna fell (16:25-27).
Rashi comments on the next Pasuk, that they complained "because they had run out of bread." Mizrachi derives that they complained by day of 15 Iyar, as soon as they saw that the bread had run out - despite that they were still satiated from their daytime meal, and they were not yet even hungry! That evening, they indeed went without bread to eat.
Gur Aryeh #1: To this approach, Rebbi Shila in the Mechilta disagrees - The dough lasted for only 61 meals total; and they no longer had what to eat for the evening meal of 15 Iyar; hence their complaint. (Whereas according to Mizrachi, Rebbi Shila comes merely to explain the Tana Kama, according to Gur Aryeh he disagrees as to whether we still had bread on the evening of 15 Iyar, or we went hungry; and Rashi follows the Tana Kama.) Gur Aryeh also addresses why, if Rashi follows the Tana Kama, he changes '31 days' to '61 meals.' Also see below, in Answer #4 and its notes.
To this view, according to the Tana Kama, when the Bnei Yisrael complained on 15 Iyar, they had already eaten their evening meal. (But if so, what was the need for the Selav to descend that very evening (see below, 16:13), seeing as they had already eaten? (CS)) But according to Rebbi Shila, their bread ran out at their daytime meal, and towards evening they complained because they had no bread. (Subsequently, Hashem sent the Selav that very evening -- but not bread just yet.)
I.e., that each time Bnei Yisrael ate it, they were satiated, and even left some food over. Gur Aryeh - Furthermore, perhaps this blessing took effect only because they had initially prepared a generous amount, such that there was extra. Had they made exactly what they needed and no more, there would have been no place for the blessing to take effect. Indeed Chazal teach, (Sanhedrin 92a) "One who does not leave some of his bread over on the table, will never see signs of blessing." (See Shulchan Aruch O.C. 180:2 . Magen Avraham (1) and Pri Megadim (loc. cit.) point to the story of Elisha, and the blessing of the oil of the Navi's widow; only upon the bit of oil she still had in her home could the blessing take effect and bring miraculous increase (Melachim II 4:1-7). Similarly, see the Taz in Hilchos Chanukah (O.C. 670:1) citing the Zohar - Hashem only performs a miracle to bestow blessing, upon something that already exists; albeit a small amount, He then bestows blessing to increase it. This is not the case for something empty; blessing cannot create something anew. (EK))
On the other hand, Sefer Devarim does associate the Manna with hunger - "He afflicted you, and made you hungry, and gave to eat the Manna which neither you knew, nor your forefathers..." (Devarim 8:3). The Mefarshim (to Devarim loc. cit., see Ibn Ezra, Ramban, and Chizkuni) discuss whether this means that we were hungry prior to the Manna's arrival; or perhaps the Manna itself involved 'hunger,' of not being permitted to leave over for the next morning. (CS)
Rashi writes: "The Manna descended on the 16th of Iyar, which was the first day of the week." Why does Rashi add here what day of the week it was?
Gur Aryeh #1: The day that preceded the Manna's arrival, 15 Iyar, fell on Shabbos. Rashi is bothered by why Bnei Yisrael complained on 15 Iyar by day; if they still had food for the evening meal (of the 15th into the 16th), 1 they should have complained only after nightfall, at the earliest! Rather, because on Shabbos it is common to eat the evening meal while it is still daytime, as the Seudah Shelishis of Shabbos, 2 they already saw by day that they had no food left. 3
Gur Aryeh #2: 30 [days] would be a significant number; but what significance is there in the number 61? Rashi implies that the first week that the Manna fell, was like the week of Creation -- just like the Manna would rest on Shabbos, so Hashem wanted the Manna to begin specifically on Yom Rishon. In order for that to happen, He granted one additional meal onto the thirty days we would eat the bread we took out of Mitzrayim. 4
See above, 16:1:1.1:3 .
Yet one may ask, that the Gemara's source for eating three meals on Shabbos (see Shabbos 117b), is a Pasuk that the Torah tells us only later - "Va'Yomer Moshe Ichlu'hu ha'Yom, etc." (16:25)! Gur Aryeh is implying that this was common practice among Bnei Yisrael, even before the Torah commanded it. (The Poskim assume that the Mitzvah of three meals on Shabbos is mid'Rabanan, and the Pasuk is an Asmachta. Also see a parallel discussion regarding the following Shabbos - when they ate of their double portion of Manna - as to whether the Bnei Yisrael already knew of Seudah Shelishis; see 16:25:1.1 and onwards) (CS)
And they complained that they would have nothing to eat the next morning; as above 16:1:1.1:3 .
Gur Aryeh: He did not send Manna already that afternoon (15 Iyar), because that day too was Shabbos. (According to this answer as well, they ate the 61st meal on Shabbos afternoon, as Seudah Shelishis. (EK))
Rashi writes: "The Manna descended on the 16th of Iyar, which was Yom Rishon of the week." The Gemara (Shabbos 87b) derives this from the Pasuk later on, "Six days you shall gather it; and on the seventh day, Shabbos, there will not be any [Manna]" (16:26). But Moshe said that verse only one week later, on the following Shabbos day, when no Manna fell! The next week would certainly have six days of gathering, followed by Shabbos. What we want to prove, however, is that even the first week had six full days of gathering Manna, starting on Yom Rishon!
Gur Aryeh: In the context of that Pasuk, Moshe was explaining to the Bnei Yisrael that it was Shabbos, and they should not go out to gather Manna. Thus, it does not refer to the coming week, but rather to the six days that had just passed - "You had six days on which you gathered Manna, 1 whereas not today; for no Manna will fall today on Shabbos."
According to the Gemara, the Pasuk does not only mean generally that on the six weekdays one may gather Manna; but rather that they actually gathered it for a full six days, because the Manna first fell on Yom Rishon. (This question was first asked by Tosfos; which answers that this verse was indeed said to Moshe on Yom Rishon, but he told it to Bnei Yisrael only later, on Shabbos (see Rashi to 16:22).
Rashi writes that the Manna began to fall on the 16th of Iyar. But in 16:35, he writes that it began to fall on the fifteenth!
Riva #1: Some commentaries explain that it fell Bein ha'Shemashos - between the fifteenth and sixteenth. 1
Riva #2: In his comments to 16:35, Rashi means that the Manna fell when fifteen days remained in the month of Iyar (i.e., the 16th of Iyar). This concurs with what he explained there, that it later ceased on the 15th of Nisan, "mi'Macharas" of Pesach (Yehoshua 5:12) - i.e. on the 16th of Nisan, when fifteen days remained in the month.
Riva: This is wrong. Rashi writes below (to 16:8) that they received the bread (Manna) in the morning, as is evident from the Pesukim. Furthermore, they ate the last remnant of dough that they took out of Egypt on the night of the 16th of Iyar; and, if the Manna had already fallen, why did they complain? Moreover, the 15th was Shabbos that year, as the Gemara states in Shabbos 87b, and the Manna fell the next morning. (Rashi ha'Shalem - All old texts of Rashi here say the 16th. Some recent texts read the 15th, but this is a mistake).
