We know that the bnai Yisroel ate the mon for 40 years, but it also seems that they had meat, both in the form of their livestock as well from the slav birds that fell at night. My question is this: Did they ONLY eat mon, did they eat mon, slav and livestock, did the slav stop after the plague, and how could they complain of "this insubstantial food" if they had livestock? I get that they did not relieve themselves except during the period of the slav, and that any livestock consumed was fully incorporated by their bodies along with the mon, but just exactly what did they eat throughout the 40 years and when? I know it's a lot to consider, thank you for your input.
Nisan Blaxberg, Baltimore, MD USA
1) The opinion of Rabbi Yishmael (see Midrash Rabah Vayikra Parshas Acharei Mos 22:7 and see Chulin 17a) is that in the desert the Bnei Yisroel were not allowed to eat "Basar Taavah"; they were not allowed to eat meat according to their desires but were only allowed to eat meat if they slaughtered it as a sacrifice. However, according to Rabbi Akiva there, they were allowed to eat meat without Shechitah in the Midbar.
2) Bamidbar 11:4 tells us that the Asafsuf complained and cried "Who will give us meat?!". Rashi there seems to explain according to R. Akiva's opinion and asks that they had plenty of meat so why were they complaining? Rashi answers that indeed they were merely looking for an excuse to complain.
3) See Tosfos Chulin 88b end DH Ella that it may be that when Yisroel were in the desert, it did grow food. The posuk in Tehilim 105:41 (referring to Bnei Yisroel in the wilderness) says "He opened the rock and waters gushed out; it ran in the dry places like a river". Midrash Tanchuma Parhas Chukas #21 tells us that the waters caused "endless varities of green herbage and trees to grow".
KOL TUV
Dovid Bloom
Follow-up reply about the slav:
1) The Gemara Erchin top 15b refers to the first slav (of Shemos 16:13) and the second slav (of Bamidbar 11:31). Rashi DH Bishlav Rishon writes that when the mon started coming down the slav came down with it. Rashi writes that a long time afterwards they goaded for more.
2) Tosfos DH Hisavu infers from Rashi that the original slav did not stop coming down. However Tosfos cites Rav Yosef Kara that the first slav did stop and since they were lacking slav, the Asafsuf desired more. Then the second slav came down.
3) The Ramban on Chumash (Shemos 16:12) writes in the name of Raboseinu (possibly this refers to Rashi Erchin 15b and see also Rabeinu Yonah on Pirkei Avos 5:4 that just like the mon did not stop so too the slav did not stop) that the slav was always with them just like the mon. Ramban also writes that the Torah describes at length about the mon because it was an amazing supernatural occurence; whilst slav is only described briefly because it was more natural (see also Rabeinu Bachya).
4) Ramban continues and writes that it is probable that the older members of the people collected the slav or that it appeared miraculously to the Chasidim, but the younger members of the community were hungry which led to their desire for it. Bamidbar 11:14 tells us "the children of Yisroel also wept again" which implies that only some of them wept, not all of them.
Behatzlochah Rabah
Dovid Bloom
Further comments:
1) We must not forget that the Gemara here 75b tells us that the Bnei Yisroel ate food that the merchants of the nations of the world sold them. When we consider that they came out of Egypt with lots of silver and gold, it can be assumed that they had a wide purchase choice.
2) Rav Chaim zt'l of Volozhin, in Ruach Chaim on Pirkei Avos 3:3, explains about the food being absorbed in the body. He writes that the mon that came down from Heaven was totally good and had no waste ingredients. This is why it was absorbed in the limbs of the body. He writes that the meat of a korban is also totally pure and therefore absorbed in the body. This is why the Gemara here had to have resort to food that the merchants of the nations sold to the Bnei Yisroel; when it wanted to find an example of food that was not absorbed; and the Gemara was not able to say that they ate the meat of the Shelomim korban which was not absorbed. If the Gemara would have said this it would fit even with the opinion in Chulin 17a that they were not allowed to eat meat in the Midbar unless it was slaughtered as a korban. However the Gemara could not say this because the meat of Shelomim was also absorbed in the limbs, since the korban Shelomim is totally pure.
3) Continuing this thread, I want to say that slav was also absorbed. The proof is that otherwise the Gemara could have said that they needed to be relieved when they ate the slav. From the fact that the Gemara did not say this we learn that slav was also absorbed, and according to Rav Chaim Volozhin the reason would be because it was a pure food that came from Shomayim so it did not contain waste.
Yasher Koach Gadol
Dovid Bloom