Why have you led us up
from Egypt to bring us to this place without grain, figs, grapevines and
pomegranates, or even water to drink. Numbers 20:5
Rabbi
Ḥayyim Paltiel (c.1240 – c.1300) questions why the Israelites waited until the
fortieth year in the wilderness to complain about the lack of fruit. In his
first answer, Rabbi Paltiel suggests that as long as the Israelites had water
provided by Miriam’s well, they were able to grow figs, grapes and pomegranates
in the wilderness, but with the disappearance of the well following Miriam’s
death, they were no longer able to grow these fruits. The second suggestion is
that perhaps the manna did not take on the taste of these fruits. (While Rabbi Paltiel
does not offer an explanation for the reason the manna did not take on these
specific tastes, the Talmud [Yoma, 75a] does present an opinion that
though the manna “had the taste of every species,” there were exceptions.)
Meshech
Ḥochma, who did not see Rabbi Paltiel’s comments (since the latter’s
commentary was published only in 1981, based upon a manuscript) notes that the
people mentioned only three of the five fruits included within the seven
species for which the Torah praises the Land, but not olives or date honey,
since these two were included in the taste of manna, as we read: “and its taste
was like cakes made with honey” (in the Bible “honey” typically refers to date
honey) [Exodus 16:31] and “its taste was as the taste of fresh (olive) oil.”
[Numbers 11:8]
It
is noteworthy that in their complaint, the Children of Israel mentioned
specifically the three types of fruit which the spies brought from the Land.
[Numbers 13:23] The compliant was made
by the younger generation, which will enter the Land, and we may suggest that,
despite their shortcoming in complaining about the lack of water, the new
generation learned the lesson of the sin of the spies and their mention of
these three fruits conveys a longing to enter the Land and partake of the
fruits for which she is praised.
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