In this week’s Parasha we find the most dramatic rescue of all time, followed by a litany of complaints from B’nei Yisrael about the lack of water and food. Three days after their dramatic rescue from slavery in Mitzrayim, and despite the miracles they have witnessed at the Red Sea, they seem to believe that they are going to be left to die in the desert, without water or food. Even when Hashem sends them fresh Manna from heaven every morning, they still find cause for complaint.

Rashi explains that our Parasha describes Manna as the perfect food, to show that even when something is perfect, people will still find fault with it. Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein of Sochochov explains that the Manna was spiritual food, designed to inspire the people to faith in Hashem. As such it was pure goodness, providing total nutrition, but B’nei Yisrael were not yet on the right spiritual level to appreciate it.

Part of the purpose of the B’nei Yisrael’s desert odyssey was to teach them, through learning the Torah and its mitzvot, to look for meaning and purpose in their lives. Once we recognise that our world has a spiritual dimension, we should complain less about its physical imperfections. Perhaps this is the message of the Manna – the food that took on the taste of whatever each person wanted to eat. Like life, it could be sweet or bitter, depending on your outlook.