Realia:Life in the Wilderness/0

Life in the Wilderness

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Introduction

What was the nature of life in the midbar (מדבר)? Was it a completely miraculous existence or was it a typical nomadic lifestyle supplemented by the occasional miracle? Were the miracles achieved by completely supernatural methods or by harnessing the laws of nature? These questions are partially dependent on defining the general term מדבר and identifying the specific terrain of the Israelites' route:

The Term מדבר

• Totally barren land – see descriptions of desolation in Devarim 32:10, Yirmeyahu 2:6.
• Wilderness with pasture for livestock to graze – RadakYehoshua 8:15About Radak.¹

Food Supply

• Only manna (and שלו)² for the entire forty years – RambanShemot 16:4Shemot 16:12About Ramban.
• The manna fell only when there was no alternative source of food – RashbamDevarim 2:7About Rashbam, Minchah BelulahDevarim 2:28About Minchah Belulah.³
• There were generally other sources of food, and the purpose of the manna was only to be a supplement and prevent depletion of supplies and money – Hoil MosheShemot 16:18Bemidbar 21:5Bemidbar 21:14Bemidbar 22:4Devarim 2:7About Hoil Moshe.⁴

Water Resources

• A miraculous well accompanied the nation throughout the forty years in the merit of Miryam – Tosefta SukkahSukkah 3:11-13About the Tosefta.⁵
• The nation found natural water sources during most of the period – Ibn EzraShemot 15:27About Ibn Ezra.

Clothing

• One set of clothing and footwear lasted for the entire forty years – Pesikta DeRav KahanaBeshalach 11:21About Pesikta DeRav Kahana, RashiDevarim 8:4About Rashi.
• The Israelites had multiple sets of clothing – Others cited in Ibn EzraDevarim 8:4About Ibn Ezra, ShadalDevarim 8:4About Shadal.

Employment

• Everyone studied Torah all day long – Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelVayehi PetikhtaAbout the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael.
• People had regular employment – .⁶

Livestock

• The nation had significant livestock throughout the forty years – This would be the simple reading of Bemidbar 20:4,11.
• The people did not have any animals during most of their stay – Ibn EzraShemot Long Commentary 29:42About Ibn Ezra.

Hashem's Miracles

Completely supernatural or using laws of nature? See Miracles.

• מן – See Shemot 16.
• שלו – See שלו.

¹ See below regarding whether the nation had livestock.

² In contrast to other commentators such as R. Yosef Bekhor Shor and Abarbanel who maintain that the שלו did not come daily, but only in the stories in which it appears, Ramban follows Bavli Arakhin 15b that it was eaten every day.

³ See also Bavli Kiddushin 38a, Ibn Ezra Shemot 16:35, and Sforno Shemot 16:35 regarding the latter part of the fortieth year.

⁴ See also R. D"Z Hoffmann Shemot 3:22 who says that the Israelites needed the gold and silver they took from Egypt to purchase food in the desert.

⁵ See Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelVayisa 1About the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael that the water in Eilim was also miraculous.

⁶ Were the judges salaried? Were they fulltime? Is it possible that the large number of judges was due to the fact that each was only a very part-timer? See Yitro's System.