Editing Manna (section)

==Gathering==
[[File:Gathering of the Manna.jpg|thumb|''The Gathering of the Manna'', {{circa|1460–1470}}.]]
Exodus says each day one [[Omer (unit)|omer]] of manna was gathered per family member (about 3.64 litres),<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|16:16|HE}}.</ref> and may imply this was regardless of how much effort was put into gathering it.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|16:17-18|HE}}.</ref> A midrash attributed to Rabbi [[Tanhuma]] remarks that although some were diligent enough to go into the fields to gather manna, others just lay down lazily and caught it with their outstretched hands.<ref>Tanhuma, ''Beshalah'' 22.</ref> The Talmud states that this factor was used to solve disputes about the ownership of slaves, since the number of omers of manna each household could gather would indicate how many people were legitimately part of the household.<ref name="autogenerated11">Yoma 75a.</ref> The omers of manna for stolen slaves could be gathered only by legitimate owners, and therefore legitimate owners would have spare omers of manna.<ref name=autogenerated11/>

According to the Talmud, manna was found near the homes of those with strong belief in [[God]], and far from the homes of those with doubts;<ref name=autogenerated11/> indeed, one classical midrash says that manna was intangible to Gentiles, as it would inevitably slip from their hands.<ref>[[Midrash Abkir]] (on Exodus), p. 258.</ref> The [[Midrash Tanhuma]] holds that manna melted, formed liquid streams, was drunk by animals, flavored the animal flesh, and was thus indirectly eaten by Gentiles, this being the only way that Gentiles could taste manna.<ref name="autogenerated6">Midrash Tanhuma.</ref>

Despite these hints of uneven distribution, classical rabbinical literature expresses the view that manna fell in very large quantities each day. It holds that manna was layered out over 2,000 [[cubit]]s square, between 50 and 60 cubits in height, enough to nourish the Israelites for 2,000 years<ref name="Seligsohn-1906"/> and to be seen from the palaces of every king in the East and West.<ref>Yoma 76a.</ref>

===Sabbath===
[[File:Gathering of the Manna - Hours of Catherine of Cleves - MS M. 917-945 137v - Morgan Library New York, around 1440 (cropped).jpg|thumb|The Gathering of the Manna, a cropped image from [[Hours of Catherine of Cleves]]. Manuscript MS M. 917-945 ff 137v, [[Morgan Library & Museum]] New York, around 1440.]]
According to Exodus, [[Shabbat]] (Sabbath) was reinstituted the first week manna appeared.<ref name="autogenerated14">{{bibleverse||Exodus|16:23|HE}}.</ref> It states that twice as much manna as usual was available on the sixth morning of the week, and none at all could be found on the seventh day;<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|16:5|HE}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Exodus|16:22|HE}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Exodus|16:26-27|HE}}.</ref> although manna usually rotted and became maggot-infested after a single night,<ref name=autogenerated1/> that which had been collected on the sixth day remained fresh until the second night.<ref name="autogenerated7">{{bibleverse||Exodus|16:24|HE}}.</ref> Moses stated that the double portion of Preparation Day was to be consumed on Shabbat;<ref name=autogenerated14/> and that [[God]] instructed him that no one should leave his place on Shabbat,<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|16:27-29|HE}}.</ref> so that the people could rest during it.<ref>{{bibleverse||Exodus|16:30|HE}}.</ref>

[[Form critic]]s regard this part of the manna narrative to be spliced together from the Yahwist and Priestly traditions, with the Yahwist tradition emphasizing rest during Shabbat, while the Priestly tradition merely states that Shabbat exists, implying that the meaning of "Shabbat" was already known.<ref name="Nelson-1962"/><ref name="Hirsch-1906">{{cite web |date=1906 |last1=Hirsch |first1=E. G. |last2=Jacob |first2=B. |last3=Driver |first3=S. R. |title=Exodus, Book of |url=https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5940-exodus-book-of |publisher=JewishEncyclopedia.com}}</ref> These critics regard this part of the manna narrative as an [[etiology|etiological]] supernature story designed to explain the origin of Shabbat observance, which in reality was probably pre-[[Moses|Mosaic]].<ref name="Nelson-1962"/>