Parashat HaMan and Fish
Parashat HaMan and Fish
In Parashat HaMan it is written: “And it was like coriander seed.” (Beshalach 16:31)
Both words—“coriander-like”—“gad”—(גד) and the word “fish” “dag” (דג)—consist of the same letters, only in a different order.
In the word “coriander-like” - “gad” —the letter ג - “gimel” comes before the letter ד - “dalet”, while in the word “fish” - “dag” —the letter “dalet” comes before the letter “gimel”.
The letter “gimel” is associated with the word “gadlut” —wealth and influence.
The letter “dalet” is associated with the word: “dalut” - poverty and receptivity.
Chassidic teachings explain that a person can receive spiritual influence from Above in two ways:
a) A person toils below, and then, in accordance with his efforts, G-d sends him blessing from Above; thus, the letter ד - “dalet” comes before the letter ג - “gimel” (“dag” —fish).
b) A person does not toil, yet despite this, G-d grants him influence from Above; in this case, the letter “gimel” comes before the letter “dalet” - “gad” —coriander-like.
It follows that the manna was received by the Jews without their having to toil for it, and therefore they complained of “hunger”—that is, they felt uncomfortable receiving it.
By contrast, fish symbolizes receiving influence from Above as a result of a Jew’s efforts, rather than as a gift. The fact that the Jews ate manna yet felt hungry is explained by the fact that they could experience any taste of food except the taste of fish. Since the manna was a gift from Heaven, this hints that the Jews were not required to earn it physically through toil in the material world. Fish, by contrast, symbolizes receiving influence from Above through effort and work in the physical world.
Source: (Цемах-Цедек «Сефер hа-Ликутим», раздел «Рыбы», стр. 88-90; Кошерная соц.сеть - https://iudaizm.com/wall/post/8799)
Was this helpful?
100% of readers found this article helpful (106 votes).
Please note: some articles on our site contain the holy Names of the Almighty. If you print these articles, they may not be thrown away or destroyed. Please handle printed copies with care and respect.
Tags: Tzemach Tzedek, Food and Spiritual Problems, Weekly Torah Portion "Beshalach", Manna and Fish, Fish and Manna, Food, Parashat HaMan, Parashat HaMan and the Fish, Parshat HaMan, Man
