1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.
As you probably remember, the word Israel, in Aramaic, means striving for God, or one who has power with God and man. Elim means palm trees and denotes victory. Sinai means muddy and hateful passion. The Israelites (forces in the spiritual consciousness) are enlightened and powerful enough to have achieved victory over Egypt, but as they wander through the wilderness, they still are subject to the passions of the material.
2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,
3 and said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of YHVH in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
Israel represents our consciousness as it begins to grow from the material level to the spiritual. Once it leaves Egypt, the material, it has a long journey to reach its ultimate goal, spiritual enlightenment. This journey is symbolized by the wandering in the wilderness. It represents a mental journey through the world of ideas, at this beginning stage of development, are sparse. The student is discouraged and yearns to go back to the old consciousness of materialism. We are beginners on the Path, and our understanding is small.
4 Then YHVH said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not.
The manna from heaven is the living word, divine wisdom. Whenever there is spiritual hunger, there will come the spiritual food to satisfy that hunger.
5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily."
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At evening you shall know that it was YHVH who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of YHVH, because he has heard your murmurings against YHVH. For what are we, that you murmur against us?"
8 And Moses said, "When YHVH gives you in the evening flesh to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because YHVH has heard your murmurings which you murmur against him--what are we? Your murmurings are not against us but against YHVH."
9 And Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, 'Come near before YHVH, for he has heard your murmurings.'"
10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of YHVH appeared in the cloud.
12 "I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am YHVH, your god.'"
13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp.
14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground.
15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which YHVH has given you to eat.
16 This is what YHVH has commanded: 'Gather of it, every man of you, as much as he can eat; you shall take an omer apiece, according to the number of the persons whom each of you has in his tent.'"
17 And the people of Israel did so; they gathered, some more, some less.
18 But when they measured it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to what he could eat.
19 And Moses said to them, "Let no man leave any of it till the morning."
20 But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.
Each one receives the heavenly wisdom, manna, that he is able to accept and understand. Each has a different level of spiritual development. When the spiritual food is used correctly, all is well. But when it is misused, Moses, who here symbolizes the enlightened soul, is ill-served.
21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers apiece; and when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,
23 he said to them, "This is what YHVH has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to YHVH; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay by to be kept till the morning.'"
24 So they laid it by till the morning, as Moses bade them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it.
25 Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to YHVH; today you will not find it in the field.
26 Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none."
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they found none.
28 And YHVH said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?
29 See! YHVH has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days; remain every man of you in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day."
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
32 And Moses said, "This is what YHVH has commanded: 'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"
33 And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before YHVH, to be kept throughout your generations."
When properly used, the heavenly wisdom supports our spiritual life, and we should save the knowledge continued for growth of our spiritual consciousness. The generations, just as the begats, refer to the levels of consciousness which we progressively experience.
34 As YHVH commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony, to be kept.
35 And the people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land; they ate the manna, till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
Forty years, as we have indicated in the past, means a completed state of spiritual growth. And yet, they were still on the edge of materialism, Canaan. Rephidim means a place of rest. They have come to a place of rest, but it is arid. The ideas of the consciousness, the Israelites, are dissatisfied with the leadership of the
spiritual consciousness, represented by Moses.
36 (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)