Jewish%20thought for Yoma 150:17

דבר אחר לחם אבירים אכל איש

I. e. , bread which was absorbed by the two hundred and forty-eight parts [ebarim]. Then how do I apply: And thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XXIII, 14. The paddle is to serve thus: And it shall be, when thou sittest down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back, and cover that which cometh from thee. But, if the manna was completely absorbed, there was nothing 'coming from the Israelite', hence no need for the paddle.');">²⁸</span> That refers to what [foods] the foreign merchants were selling unto them. R'Eleazar B'Perata said: Even of the foodstuff which merchants of other nations sold them, the manna would counteract the effect. What then is the meaning of 'And thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons'? - That applied to the time after their offence.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In complaining of the manna as Num. XXI, 5; Our soul loatheth this light bread.');">²⁹</span> The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I thought they shall be like ministering angels, but now I shall burden them with the walk of three parasangs<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To get outside the confines of the camp for the call of nature.');">³⁰</span> as it is written: And they pitched by the Jordan, from Beth-jeshimoth even unto Abel-shittim.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XXXIII, 49.');">³¹</span> And Rabbah B'Hana had said: I have seen this place, it is three parasangs in extension.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Er. 55b.');">³²</span> And furthermore it was taught when they went to relieve nature they went neither forward, nor sideways, but rearwards.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' None would turn backwards, therefore there was no offence against common decency involved.');">³³</span> But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XI, 6.');">³⁴</span> They said: This manna will swell up their bowels, for is there one born of woman who absorbs food without eliminating it too? But when these words were reported before R'Ishmael he said to them: Do not read abbirim [mighty] but ebarim [parts of the body], i.e., something which is absorbed by the two hundred and forty-eight parts. But how do I then interpret: 'And thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons'? - That refers to food that came to them from the distant parts.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'province of the sea'.');">³⁵</span> Another interpretation of: Man did eat the bread of the mighty:

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