Ten Minutes of Torah

with

Rabbi Chaim Weiner

Ekev - 5766

There was no Ten Minutes of Torah last week, as I returned from a 2 week seminar in New York last Friday and I wasn’t able to send it out. I will return to the normal format next week.

דברים ח: ב-ג

(ב) וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת כָּל הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר הֹלִיכֲךָ ה' אֱלֹהֶיךָ זֶה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בַּמִּדְבָּר לְמַעַן עַנֹּתְךָ לְנַסֹּתְךָ לָדַעַת אֶת אֲשֶׁר בִּלְבָבְךָ הֲתִשְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתָיו אִם לֹא:

(ג) וַיְעַנְּךָ וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ וַיַּאֲכִלְךָ אֶת הַמָּן אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעְתָּ וְלֹא יָדְעוּן אֲבֹתֶיךָ לְמַעַן הוֹדִעֲךָ כִּי לֹא עַל הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם כִּי עַל כָּל מוֹצָא פִי ה' יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם:

:

Deuteronomy 8:2-3

Remember the long way that the LORD your God has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, that He might test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts: whether you would keep His commandments or not.

He subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had ever known, in order to teach you that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that the LORD decrees.

Ramban:

The situation in which the Israelites were placed regarding the manna represented a great trial for them, since they entered a desert without food of any sort and with no way out. They were totally dependent on the daily portion of manna which rained down and melted in the heat of the sun. They hungered for it greatly, but bore all their suffering in obedience to God, who might have led them through the inhabited route. He chose, however, to confront them with this trial in order to test their loyalty to Him.

Sforno:

“That He might put you to the test” – if you will do his will when he grants you all your needs without suffering.

QUESTIONS

1. What problem in the verse are these commentators addressing?

2. How does each solve the problem?

Ten Minutes of Torah was prepared by Rabbi Chaim Weiner, based on the methods of Prof. Nechama Leibowitz. Rabbi Weiner studied and corresponded with Prof. Leibowitz for several years.

· I endeavour to reply to everyone who sends their answers to me.

· Please feel free to forward this study sheet to anyone who you think might be interested, including all headers and footers.

· This study sheet, and archives of previous study sheets are available at www.tenminutesoftorah.supanet.com .

· Please send any comments or questions (including technical questions, or problems you have accessing the material) to tenminutesoftorah@supanet.com.