Biblical Parallels Index – Devarim 8
Overview
This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.Manna
The manna is spoken of in several places in Tanakh, at times in the context of the trials and tribulations of the wilderness period and at times as a demonstration of Hashem's benevolence.
Tools
- See Makbilot BaMikra for sources that highlight the Israelites’ eating of manna in the context of a divine test or chastisement (see Shemot 16:4, Devarim 8:5, and Devarim 8:16) and other texts which focus on its being rained down as a part of a divine gift (see Tehillim 78:23-25, Tehillim 105:40, Nehemiah 9:15, Nehemiah 9:20). Both of these perspectives on the manna are intertwined throughout its presentation in Tanakh.
Articles
- See The Test of the Manna, by R. Zvi Shimon, for an overview of midrashic and exegetical approaches to understanding the test of the manna. Looking at the description of manna both in Shemot and Devarim, R. Shimon concludes that the manna was not just a gift but also a test to see whether the people would be willing to rely solely on Hashem. They were given only a daily allowance, without the possibility of saving for the next day, to transform the people's dependence on their past Egyptian masters to dependence on God.
- See לדעת את אשר בלבבך: על נסיונות אלקים ולב יודע, by R. Chanoch Wachsman, for analysis of the nature of the test of the manna through comparison with other experiences in Torah that are described as tests. Ultimately, all of these tests are meant to instill love and fear of God.