By Joseph Shulam.
The book of Deuteronomy is the last book of the Torah, the fifth book in the Bible. In truth, it is a book that records the last speech of Moses to the nation of Israel that came out of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea on dry land. We are slowly but surely approaching the end of the reading cycle of the Torah portions. We know that this tradition is old because of the mention of this tradition in the New Testament. The Apostles practiced it, and it is mentioned as a strong recommendation in Acts 15 as a recommendation for the non-Jewish disciples of Yeshua to go on the Sabbath to the synagogue to hear the word of God read. This, of course, like most of the commandments of the Apostles and of Yeshua, is ignored by the majority of the Christian world. O.K.
The name of this Shabbat’s reading of the Torah is Re’eh, meaning “SEE!” The readings are from Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17.
From the prophets in Isaiah 54:11, 55:5.
From the New Testament in John 6:35-51.
Here is a brief summary of how the story of the manna corresponds to Yeshua in John 6:
| Theme | Torah | John 6 |
| Divine provision | God provides food miraculously | Jesus offers spiritual nourishment—eternal life |
| Faith and obedience | Israel tested whether they would trust God’s provision | People asked Jesus for a sign, and he called for belief in him |
| Passover | The original context of divine deliverance and sacrifice | John 6 is set during Passover; Jesus speaks of giving his flesh as true food |
| Life and death | Manna sustained life physically but not eternally | Jesus claims that eating his flesh and drinking his blood gives eternal life |
The story of the manna in the wilderness is a parable for the generation of the supermarkets.
Complaining to God works. The people of Israel in the Sinai wilderness were hungry. They were not only starved, but they missed the bread of affliction that they had in Egyptian slavery. Even as downtrodden slaves being persecuted in Egypt for many years, they never forgot to complain. God hears their complaints and their painful hunger for Egyptian bread.
God provides them with bread that fulfills their hunger with a bread that changes its taste. (We will see this down the road in the teaching.) The Torah description of the taste of the manna has more than one expression, and from there we can deduce that the manna had more than one taste, adjusting itself to the desired taste that they asked for. The manna was collected fresh every morning and every day, and if not used, it spoiled.
The manna from heaven was specifically personal; each person who ate the manna received just enough for himself and his family. You could not hold out for another day. This point is essential. We pray the Lord’s Prayer and say: “Give us today our daily bread!” Even today, we are asking God for our daily bread, not 12 or 13 breads in their analysis. Alone, this is an excellent lesson on how our faith works in this physical world. Our insecurities are classic. Extending our storage and holding more bread than we need under these circumstances is an example of the weakness of faith. We falsely believe that if we fill our storage full of physical bread in all its forms, we will be secure and safe and make our lives easier and more secure.
Our three readings on this Shabbat are so clear: The only security and safety that we have in this world is our trust in our life-saving Messiah. Yeshua and His promises must be our security and not the bread that spoiled so fast and is suitable for one day only. The story of the manna is not only a story of God’s provision for our needs, but it is also a kind of parable of how God’s blessings and provision work. They come from heaven! Even if we have to work for them and gather these blessings from heaven.
We have to use the blessings, and use them now! Hoarding them and collecting them based on fear and insecurity about what may happen tomorrow doesn’t help. God’s blessings are for now and for today. We put them to use and share them each day: a new day and a new blessing from heaven. If we bank the manna and save it for tomorrow, we find out that it will have mold on it, and the freshness and taste are gone.
The next miracle about manna is that it tastes different for each individual. One person eats the manna and it tastes to him like a beef sandwich! Another person eats on the same table at the same time, and for him, the manna tastes like fish in chiffon sauce. The gifts of God are tailored specifically for each one of us, and they can not be transferred to others.
The most important thing about the manna is to use it now, today, and share God’s mercy and blessings with others. I apologize for trying hard to be positive, and some might understand me to be negative. From nearly 65 years of walking with the God of Israel and with the Jewish Messiah and savior of the world, I speak from experience and knowledge. I have learned to brush off the criticism of “poor rich” and “rich poor” brothers and sisters like Moses did when his brother Aaron and his sister Miriam criticized him. I have seen the hands of God take care of my enemies and the enemies of freedom and joy of walking with the Lord free and without fear.
“I walk in the garden alone and the dew is still on the roses and He walks with me and He talks with me… “
I hope you know this song. It was the favorite song of my teacher and dear brother, Ernest Stewart, of blessed memory. The same song was also one of my dear Marcia’s favorite songs. Now after Marcia’s death and burial and for the first time in my life with great difficulty I too am walking in the garden alone. In a few days , I will return to my home in Israel. Every morning, I plan to get up early and see the roses that my wife , Marcia, loved so much, with the dew shining and glittering on the roses, red, yellow, white, and even pink. I don’t want to be healed from this longing for heaven and for the memory of the manna in the desert and the dew on the Roses and walking hand in hand (not literally – but real) with Yeshua and Paul and the short guy in Jericho who had to climb a tree to see Yeshua walking in the streets of that city that is as low down to the lowest place on the surface of this earth and the highest place in God’s victory over the enemy.
Manna – the name of that heavenly gift in the Hebrew language means “portion” – and each one went out of his home, out of his comfort zone, and had to work gathering the manna by hand and not by machine for himself and his family. Now, in the 21st century, with the machines and with Walmart deliveries, you might think that with your money, you can hire some poor person to do this work for you and bring it washed and ready to eat right to your table. NO! No one else can do it for you, you have to do it by yourself. The creator of this world, with everything that is in this world, is a very personal God, and no church or synagogue can do the walk for you, or gather the manna for you, or give charity to the poor for you, or support a good ministry in your place!
Dear brothers and sisters, “the day is short and the laborers are few,” and don’t ask for whom the bell tolls – it tolls for you!
Read the text of the story of God’s provision in the desert of Sinai for His children of Israel. Please also remember that when they were thirsty and needed water twice, God provided them with water in the desert. Twice provided and in two different ways, once Moses hit the rock with his shepherd’s staff and the second time he talked to it and didn’t hit the rock.
Please pay attention to God’s instructions. They might be tailored especially for you. Please don’t copy what others are doing or why they are doing what they are doing. Pay attention only to what God is speaking to you from His Word or a small voice in the wilderness. Don’t hoard the wealth of blessings that God is Blessing you now! Tomorrow, your wealth might have worms and turn green!
Please read our Torah reading (look it up at the top of this message). Put yourself in the Sinai Desert, thirsty and hungry for a variety of food and drink, and learn from the examples of the Hebrew nation of what to do now and what not to do now! And please remember from the story of the manna in the wilderness, what is a blessing today for you and your family, tomorrow can no longer be a blessing for you, it can turn to something else.
Rejoice in the Lord for His mercy endures forever, but not always automatically for you. The answer is in our own hands. He, the great I-AM, gives and puts on the table for us to take and eat, but he doesn’t feed us manna like babies. The manna was on the ground, not packaged in plastic boxes. Ready to open and eat. Work for the night is coming, and the evil one is there around the corner waiting for us to make the mistake and hoard more than our daily bread because it will all turn to worms.
Please pray for Israel – Israel is in deep trouble and needs God’s hand to move like in the days of Elijah!