Pt1 Aggadic Lists of Ten, Seven, Four, and Two Items in Tractate Avot Chapter 5 (Avot 5:1-19)

This is the first part of a two-part series. The outline of the series is below.

Intro to Avot 5: Structure, Themes, and Theology

Avot 5 stands apart in both tone and structure from earlier chapters of the tractate. While previous chapters mostly deliver ethical teachings and rabbinic aphorisms, this chapter is built around schematic lists: first of tens, then sevens, then fours, and finally twos. The result is a catalog of maxims, historical reflections, and value judgments presented through numerical patterning. These groupings encode a theology of divine justice, human merit, and moral order.

The opening sections, structured around units of ten, offer a historical-mythic overview: the world was created with ten utterances, not out of necessity, but to justify greater reward or punishment. This logic continues: ten generations from Adam to Noah and then to Abraham demonstrate God's long-suffering tolerance, culminating in divine judgment or redemption. Abraham’s ten trials serve as the moral mirror to these prior failures. Other groups of ten record miracles (in Egypt, at the sea, in the Temple), provocations by Israel, and creations at twilight of the six days of creation—each framing the world as a space of divine testing, human failure, and occasional transcendence.

The sets of seven and four shift toward typologies: of human character, ethical failings, students, and social behaviors. Communal sins trigger specific punishments—famine, epidemic, war, exile—mapping a cause-and-effect theology similar to prophetic warnings. These are not abstract doctrines but embedded expectations: injustice, idolatry, and ritual neglect bring predictable national disasters.

Later parts of the chapter group people by traits: the wise vs. the fool, the charitable vs. the selfish, the diligent vs. the passive. The twos contrast inner motivations—love for its own sake vs. for ulterior gain; disputes that endure vs. ones that collapse. Moses and Jeroboam exemplify the stakes: influence others for good and you're shielded from sin; lead others astray and you're cut off from repentance.

In all, Avot 5 offers a moral map wrapped in numerical form—connecting cosmology, history, ethics, and eschatology into a single didactic structure.

Outline

Intro

The Passage - Aggadic Lists of Ten, Seven, Four, and Two Items in Tractate Avot Chapter 5 (Avot 5:1-19)

Lists of 10

1. Creation - 10 utterances - The world was created with 10 utterances to justify greater reward for the righteous and punishment for the wicked (5:1)

2. Genealogy - 10 generations (Adam–Noah, Noah–Abraham) - These illustrate God's patience—In both cases, all provoked God until Noah/Abraham emerged as the deserving recipient of reward (5:2)

3. Abraham's Trials - 10 trials - Abraham was tested 10 times and passed them all, showing his exceptional merit (5:3)

4. Miracles and Trials - 10 miracles and plagues in Egypt and at the Crossing of the sea; 10 provocations by Israel in the desert - Numbers 14:22 (5:4)

5. Temple Miracles - 10 Temple Miracles – phenomena that typically occur but were miraculously absent in the Temple (5:5)

6. Twilight Creations - 10/14 created at twilight - Manna, Tablets, “the mouth of the earth” (that swallowed Korah), Balaam's donkey’s speech, the rainbow, etc (5:6)

Appendix 1 - Ten Miracles at the Splitting of the Sea (Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Vayehi Beshalach 5:1)

Appendix 2 - The Israelites’ Ten Trials of God in the Wilderness (Arakhin 15a-b)

Lists of 7

1. Wise vs. ‘Golem’ (“Clod”) - 7 traits each - The wise person is orderly, respectful, and honest, The ‘Golem’ is the opposite (5:7)

2. Seven Communal Sins and Their Divine Punishments (5:8)

   1. Famine (רעב)

   2. Epidemic (דבר)

   3. War (חרב)

   4. Dangerous animals (חיה רעה)

   5. Exile (גלות)

Lists of 4

1. Epidemics (דבר) occur at 4 points of the Seven-Year Sabbatical Cycle (5:9)

2. 4 character types in Attitudes toward property ownership (5:10)

3. 4 kinds of temperaments - anger and appeasement (5:11)

4. 4 types of students - speed of comprehension and forgetting (5:12)

5. 4 types of attitudes in charity-givers (5:13)

6. 4 types among those who frequent the study-house (‘bet midrash’) (5:13)

7. 4 types of learners - Sponge (absorbs all), funnel (forgets all), strainer (keeps the bad), sieve (keeps the good) (5:15)

Lists of 2 (Parallel Contrasts)

1. Love - 2 types - Love dependent on external factors (Amnon-Tamar) versus intrinsic love (David-Jonathan) (5:16)

2. Disputes - 2 types - For the sake of Heaven (Hillel–Shammai) vs not (Korah) Only the former is sustainable (5:17)

3. Influence - 2 outcomes - One who benefits the public is protected from sin (Moses - Deut. 33:21); one who causes others to sin is denied repentance (Jeroboam - I Kings 15:30) (5:18)

4. Generosity & Humility - 2 archetypes - Abraham (generosity, humility) vs Balaam (greed, arrogance), each with differing fates in this world and the next (5:19)

The Passage

Avot.5.1-19

Lists of 10

Creation - 10 utterances - The world was created with 10 utterances to justify greater reward for the righteous and punishment for the wicked (5:1)

בעשרה מאמרות נברא העולם.

ומה תלמוד לומר?

והלא במאמר אחד יכול להבראות?

אלא

• להפרע מן הרשעים --

  • שמאבדין את העולם שנברא בעשרה מאמרות,

• ולתן שכר טוב לצדיקים --

  • שמקימין את העולם שנברא בעשרה מאמרות

With 10 utterances the world was created.

And what does this teach?

for surely it could have been created with one utterance?

But [this was done by God, so as]

• to punish¹ the wicked --

  • who destroy the world that was created with 10 utterances,

• And to give a good reward² to the righteous --

  • who maintain the world that was created with 10 utterances.

Genealogy - 10 generations (Adam–Noah, Noah–Abraham) - These illustrate God's patience—In both cases, all provoked God until Noah/Abraham emerged as the deserving recipient of reward (5:2)

1. עשרה דורות מאדם ועד נח,

   1. להודיע כמה ארך אפים לפניו,

   2. שכל הדורות היו מכעיסין ובאין

   3. עד שהביא עליהם את מי המבול.

2. עשרה דורות מנח ועד אברהם,

   1. להודיע כמה ארך אפים לפניו,

   2. שכל הדורות היו מכעיסין ובאין,

   3. עד שבא אברהם, וקבל עליו שכר כלם

1. [There were] 10 generations from Adam to Noah,³

   1. in order to make known (להודיע) what long-suffering⁴ is His;

   2. for all those generations kept on provoking⁵ Him,

   3. until He brought upon them the waters of the Flood (מבול).

2. [There were] 10 generations from Noah to Abraham,⁶

   1. in order to make known what long-suffering is His;

   2. for all those generations kept on provoking Him,

   3. until Abraham came and received the reward of all of them.

Abraham's Trials - 10 trials - Abraham was tested 10 times and passed them all, showing his exceptional merit (5:3)

עשרה נסיונות נתנסה אברהם אבינו עליו השלום

ועמד בכלם,

להודיע כמה חבתו של אברהם אבינו עליו השלום

With 10 trials⁷ was Abraham tested,

and he withstood them all;

to make known how great was Abraham’s love⁸

Miracles and Trials - 10 miracles and plagues in Egypt and at the Crossing of the sea; 10 provocations by Israel in the desert - Numbers 14:22 (5:4)

1. עשרה נסים נעשו לאבותינו במצרים,

   1. ועשרה על הים.

2. עשר מכות הביא הקדוש ברוך הוא על המצריים במצרים

   1. ועשר על הים.

3. עשרה נסיונות נסו אבותינו את המקום ברוך הוא במדבר,

   1. שנאמר (במדבר יד): וינסו אתי זה עשר פעמים, ולא שמעו בקולי

1. 10 miracles (נסים) were done for our ancestors⁹ in Egypt,

   1. and 10 at the sea.¹⁰

2. 10 plagues (מכות) did God bring upon the Egyptians in Egypt

   1. and 10 at the sea.

3. 10 trials did our ancestors test God in the Wilderness,

   1. as it is said: “and they have tried (ינסו) Me these 10 times, and they have not listened to my voice” (Numbers 14:22).¹¹

Temple Miracles - 10 Temple Miracles – phenomena that typically occur but were miraculously absent in the Temple (5:5)

עשרה נסים נעשו לאבותינו בבית המקדש:

1. לא הפילה אשה מריח בשר הקדש,

2. ולא הסריח בשר הקדש מעולם,

3. ולא נראה זבוב בבית המטבחים,

4. ולא ארע קרי לכהן גדול ביום הכפורים,

5. ולא כבו גשמים אש של עצי המערכה,

6. ולא נצחה הרוח את עמוד העשן,

7. ולא נמצא פסול

   1. בעמר

   2. ובשתי הלחם

   3. ובלחם הפנים,

8. עומדים צפופים, ומשתחוים רוחים,

9. ולא הזיק נחש ועקרב בירושלים מעולם,

10. ולא אמר אדם לחברו: צר לי המקום שאלין בירושלים

Ten miracles were done for our ancestors in the Temple:¹²

1. no woman miscarried from the odor of the sacred meat¹³

2. the sacred meat never spoiled (הסריח)

3. no fly was ever seen in the slaughtering area¹⁴

4. no [nocturnal] emission¹⁵ occurred to the High Priest on Yom Kippur

5. the rains did not extinguish the fire of the [altar’s] wood arrangement¹⁶

6. the wind did not prevail against the [altar's] column of smoke¹⁷

7. no defect (פסול) was found

   1. in the omer,

   2. or in the Two Loaves (שתי הלחם)

   3. or in the Showbread;

8. the people stood pressed together,¹⁸ [yet] bowed down and had [enough] space (רוחים);

9. never did a serpent or a scorpion harm anyone in Jerusalem;

10. and no man said to his fellow: the place is too congested¹⁹ for me to lodge overnight (אלין) in Jerusalem.

Twilight Creations - 10/14 created at twilight - Manna, Tablets, “the mouth of the earth” (that swallowed Korah), Balaam's donkey’s speech, the rainbow, etc (5:6)

עשרה דברים נבראו בערב שבת בין השמשות,

ואלו הן:

1. פי הארץ,

2. ופי הבאר,

3. ופי האתון,

4. והקשת,

5. והמן,

6. והמטה,

7. והשמיר,

8. והכתב,

9. והמכתב,

10. והלוחות.

11. ויש אומרים: אף המזיקין,

12. וקבורתו של משה,

13. ואילו של אברהם אבינו.

14. ויש אומרים: אף צבת בצבת עשויה

Ten things were created on erev Shabbat at twilight,²⁰

and these are they:

1. the earth’s mouth²¹

2. the well’s mouth²²

3. the donkey’s mouth²³

4. the rainbow,²⁴

5. the manna,

6. the staff²⁵

7. the ‘shamir’ (שמיר)

8. the letters,

9. the writing,²⁶

10. and the Tablets.

11. And some say: also demons²⁷

12. Moses’ grave,²⁸

13. Abraham’s ram²⁹

14. And some say: and also tongs (צבת), made with tongs.

Appendix 1 - Ten Miracles at the Splitting of the Sea (Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Vayehi Beshalach 5:1)

Mekhilta_DeRabbi_Yishmael%2C_Tractate_Vayehi_Beshalach.5.1

The midrash (Mekhilta) lists 10 miracles that occurred at the splitting of the sea, each linked to a biblical verse:

1. The sea arched overhead like a dome (כפה)

2. It split in two

3. The seabed became dry (יבשה)

4. Despite the previous, where Egyptians went, it was muddy (טיט)

5. The sea crumbled into pieces (פרורין)

6. It turned into rocks (סלעים)

7. It split into multiple sections (גזרים)

8. The waters stood in heaps (ערמות)

9. They formed vertical walls (נד)

10. Fresh water emerged from saltwater.

11. the sea froze and became like glass

עשרה נסים נעשו לישראל על הים:

1. נבקע הים, ונעשה כמין כפה,

   1. שנאמר: (חבקוק ג,יד) "נקבת במטיו ראש פרזו יסערו להפיצני".

2. נחלק לשנים,

   1. שנאמר: (שמות יד,טז) "ונטה את ידך על הים ובקעהו".

3. נעשה יבשה,

   1. שנאמר: (שמות יד,כט) "ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה".

4. נעשה כמין טיט,

   1. שנאמר: (חבקוק ג,טו) "דרכת בים סוסיך חמר מים רבים."

5. נעשה פרורין פרורין,

   1. שנאמר: (תהלים עד,יג) "אתה פוררת בעזך ים".

6. נעשה סלעים סלעים,

   1. שנאמר: (תהלים עד,יג) "שברת ראשי תנינים על המים."

7. נעשה גזרים גזרים,

   1. שנאמר: (תהלים קלו,יג) "לגזר ים סוף לגזרים".

8. נעשה ערמות,

   1. שנאמר: (שמות טו,ח) "וברוח אפיך נערמו מים".

9. נעשו כמו נד,

   1. שנאמר: (שמות טו,ח) "נצבו כמו נד נזלים".

10. יצאו להם זכרי מים מתוקים מתוך מלוחים,

    1. שנאמר: (תהלים עח,טז) "ויוצא נוזלים מסלע, ויורד כנהרות מים."

11. קפא הים משני חלקים, ונעשה כמין בולוס שלזכוכית,

    1. שנאמר: (שמות טו,ח) "קפאו תהמת בלב ים."

Ten miracles were performed for Israel at the sea:

1. The waters were split and became like a dome,

   1. viz. (Habakkuk 3:14) "You split (the sea) for his tribes; the summit of its scattering raged to scatter me";

2. It split in two,

   1. as it is said: “Stretch out your hand over the sea and split it” (Exodus 14:16).

3. the sea became dry land,

   1. viz. (Exodus 14:29) "and the children of Israel walked on the dry land";

4. it became like tar (where the Egyptians trod),

   1. viz. (Habakkuk, Ibid. 15) "You led your horses in the sea, in the mire of many waters";

5. it (the water) became like crumbs,

   1. viz. (Psalms 74:13) "You 'crumbed' the sea with Your might";

6. it became like rocks,

   1. viz. (Ibid.) "You broke the heads of serpents (the Egyptians) on the waters";

7. the sea split into sections,

   1. viz. (Ibid. 136:13) "You split the Red Sea into sections," viz. (Ibid. 15:8) "and with the breath of Your nostrils the waters piled up";

8. It became heaps,

   1. as it is said: “And with the breath of Your nostrils the waters heaped up” (Exodus 15:8).

9. they became like a wall,

   1. viz. (Ibid.) "the waves stood up as a wall";

10. He extracted for them sweets from salts,

    1. viz. (Psalms 78:16) "and He brought forth streams from a rock and brought down waters as rivers";

11. He froze (קפא) the sea for them and it became like vessels (בולוס) of glass,

    1. viz. (Exodus 15:8) "The depths froze in the midst of the sea."

Appendix 2 - The Israelites’ Ten Trials of God in the Wilderness (Arakhin 15a-b)

Arakhin.15a.14³⁰

תניא:

אמר רבי יהודה:

עשר נסיונות ניסו אבותינו להקדוש ברוך הוא:

1. שנים בים,

2. ושנים במים,

3. שנים במן,

4. שנים בשליו,

5. אחת בעגל,

6. ואחת במדבר פארן.

It is taught in a baraita that

R' Yehuda says:

Our ancestors tried God with 10 trials:

1. 2 at the sea³¹

2. and 2 with water,³²

3. 2 with the manna,³³

4. 2 with the quail³⁴

5. 1 with the golden calf,

6. and 1 in the wilderness of Paran

1. להפרע - literally: “repay”.

2. שכר טוב - ‘schar tov’ is an archaic phrase—typically , ‘schar’ alone suffices to mean reward, and it’s inherently positive (contrasted with ‘pur’anut’, as it is here). The phrase likely draws from Ecclesiastes.4.9:

טובים השנים מן־האחד

אשר יש־להם שכר טוב בעמלם

Two are better off than one,

in that they have greater benefit from their toiling.

3. Based on Genesis 5. See the ten generations listed in the table in Wikipedia, “Generations of Adam“, section “Comparisons“, screenshot:

And see also the Wikipedia template “Adam to Noah family tree“, and ibid., “Genealogies of Genesis“, section “Cain and Seth“.

4. ארך אפים - a biblical idiom, often used in the Bible to describe God, see list of verses here: ביאור: ארך אפים – ויקיטקסט

5. מכעיסין - literally: “angering”.

6. The ten generations from Noah to Abraham, as listed in Genesis 11:10–26, are:

1. Shem

2. Arpachshad

3. Shelah

4. Eber

5. Peleg

6. Reu

7. Serug

8. Nahor

9. Terah

10. Abram [=Abraham]

See the names listed in the table in Wikipedia, “Genealogies of Genesis“ (cited also earlier), section “Genesis chrono-genealogy“, screenshot (ignore “Cainan”):

(And see the complete family tree at Wikipedia, “Abraham's family tree“, section “Family tree“.)

As the Mishnah points out, this genealogy mirrors the earlier ten generations from Adam to Noah (Genesis 5), forming a symmetrical structure in early Genesis.

7. עשרה נסיונות - see Genesis.22.1a:

ויהי אחר הדברים האלה

והאלהים נסה את־אברהם

Some time afterward,

God tested (נסה) Abraham

8. חבתו - i.e. Abraham’s love for God. Alternatively: God’s love for Abraham.

9. אבותינו - literally: “[fore]fathers”.

10. I.e. at the parting of the sea.

See the discussion of this idea at Hebrew Wikipedia, “עשרה נסים שנעשו לבני ישראל על הים“. And see my appendix at the end of this piece: “Appendix - Ten Miracles at the Splitting of the Sea (Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Vayehi Beshalach 5:1)”

11. For a breakdown of the ten, see the baraita cited in Arakhin.15a.14, which I cite at the end of this piece, “Appendix 2 - The Israelites’ Ten Trials of God in the Wilderness (Arakhin 15a-b)”.

The Talmud there goes on to explain each part at length, in Arakhin.15a.14-15b.4; I cite those in footnotes.

12. 9 out of the 10 the miracles listed are negations: “No (לא) [such-and-such occurrence]”. All are phenomena that typically occur but were miraculously absent in the Temple.

For a general discussion of this list, see Hebrew Wikipedia, “נסים שאירעו בבית המקדש“, section “הנסים לפי מסכת אבות“.

And compare my “A List of Ten Extremely Powerful Sounds and Smells of the Temple, According to the Mishnah (Mishnah Tamid 3:8)", where the Mishnah similarly lists ten miracles that consistently occurred in the Temple, in that case relating to miraculously powerful sounds and smells.

13. בשר הקדש - i.e. the meat of animal sacrifices.

14. בית המטבחים - this area in the Temple is mentioned a few times in the Mishnaic corpus.

Meaning, no flies ever appeared in that area, despite the large amount of raw meat there; raw meat in the open typically attracts large amounts of flies.

15. קרי - keri.

16. מערכה - i.e. of the altar.

See Mishnah_Tamid.2.3:

החלו מעלין בגזרין לסדר אש המערכה.

וכי כל העצים כשרים למערכה?

הן,

כל העצים כשרין למערכה

[…]

After the ashes were cleared to the middle of the altar, the priests began raising logs (גזרין) onto the altar in order to assemble the arrangement (מערכה) of wood on which the offerings were burned.

The tanna asks: And is wood from all the trees fit for the arrangement?

The tanna replies:

Yes,

wood from all the trees is fit for the arrangement

[…]

And see there further at relative length.

17. עמוד העשן - i.e. of the altar, or possibly of the incense.

18. צפופים - “crowded”.

19. צר - “narrow”.

20. בין השמשות - i.e. late Friday afternoon right before Shabbat, at the conclusion of the six days of creation.

For a general discussion of this list, see Hebrew Wikipedia, “עשרה דברים שנבראו בערב שבת בין השמשות“.

And compare the similar list in the Talmud, that I quote here, in “Appendix 1 - Numbered Lists in the Talmud, "And Some Say," and Further Examples“, section “10 to 13 Things Created on Friday Afternoon at the Close of the Six Days of Creation, Just Before Shabbat (Pesachim 54a)“.

21. At the time of Korah’s rebellion, see Numbers.16.32a:

ותפתח הארץ את־פיה

ותבלע אתם

[…]

and the earth opened its mouth

and swallowed them up

[…]

22. פי הבאר - referring to the story of Moses and the well in Marah.

Compare also the Talmudic concept of “Miriam’s well”, see Hebrew Wikipedia, “בארה של מרים“.

23. פי האתון - referring to Balaam’s donkey in Numbers.22.28:

ויפתח יהוה את־פי האתון

ותאמר לבלעם:

מה־עשיתי לך

כי הכיתני זה שלש רגלים?!

Then YHWH opened the donkey’s mouth (פי האתון)

and she said to Balaam,

“What have I done to you

that you have beaten me these three times?!”

For a general discussion of Balaam’s donkey—in the Bible and later interpretation—see Hebrew Wikipedia, “אתונו של בלעם“.

24. Alluding to Genesis.9.13:

את־קשתי נתתי בענן

והיתה לאות ברית ביני ובין הארץ

I have set My rainbow (קשתי - literally: “bow”) in the clouds,

and it shall serve as a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

25. מטה - i.e. Moses’ staff.

Compare also Aaron's staff (מטה אהרן).

26. הכתב והמכתב.

Alluding to Exodus.32.16:

והלחת מעשה אלהים המה

והמכתב — מכתב אלהים הוא

חרות על־הלחת

The tablets were God’s work,

and the writing (מכתב) — was God’s writing,

incised upon the tablets.

27. מזיקין - mazzikin.

28. Referring to Deuteronomy.34.6:

ויקבר אתו בגי בארץ מואב מול בית פעור

ולא־ידע איש את־קברתו עד היום הזה

He buried him [=Moses] in the valley in the land of Moab, near Beth-peor;

and no one knows his burial place to this day.

On Moses’ burial, see also the Mishnah in tractate Sotah, discussed in my “Divine Reciprocity: Biblical Instances of Measure-for-Measure (‘Midah Keneged Midah’) Punishment and Reward (Mishnah Sotah 1:7-9)“, section “Chain of burials“, sub-section “God buries Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6)“.

29. Referring to Genesis.22.13:

וישא אברהם את־עיניו וירא

והנה־איל אחר נאחז בסבך בקרניו

וילך אברהם

ויקח את־האיל

ויעלהו לעלה תחת בנו

When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon

a ram, caught in the thicket by its horns.

So Abraham went

and took the ram

and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.

30. The Talmud there goes on to explain each part at length, in Arakhin.15a.14-15b.4; I cite those in footnotes.

31. ים - i.e. at the Splitting of the sea.

The Talmud explains that the first trial was when they descended into the sea, protesting with “Were there no graves in Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11).

The second is an elaborate aggadah: upon their safe emergence, the Israelites doubted that the Egyptians had drowned, suspecting they may have escaped on the other side. Psalm 106:7 (“they rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds“) is cited to show the Israelites’ rebellion even at the moment of salvation.

The beginning of the passage, Arakhin.15a.15:

שנים בים:

1. אחת בירידה

2. ואחת בעלייה.

בירידה —

דכתיב: ״המבלי אין קברים במצרים״

2 at the sea:

1. 1 when the Jews descended into the sea,

2. and 1 when they ascended from the sea.

The Jews tried God when they descended into the sea —

as it is written: “And they said to Moses: Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?! What is this you have done to us, to take us out of Egypt” (Exodus 14:11).

32. The Talmud explains that the Israelites complained about water first at Mara, where the water is bitter, and then at Rephidim, where there is none. In both cases, they challenged Moses and, by extension, God’s provision.

The full passage, Arakhin.15a.19-20:

שנים במים —

1. במרה

2. וברפידים.

במרה --

• דכתיב: ״ויבואו מרתה ולא יכלו לשתות״,

• וכתיב: ״וילן העם על משה״.

ברפידים —

• דכתיב: ״ויחנו ברפידים ואין מים לשתות״,

• וכתיב: ״וירב העם עם משה״.

2 with water:

1. 1 in Mara

2. and 1 in Rephidim.

The Jewish people tested God in Mara --

• as it is written: “And when they came to Mara, they could not drink of the waters of Mara, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Mara” (Exodus 15:23), as Mara means bitter.

• And it is written: “And the people murmured against Moses, saying: What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:24).

The Jewish people also tested God in Rephidim --

• as it is written: “And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages, according to the commandment of YHWH, and encamped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink” (Exodus 17:1).

• And it is written: “And the people fought with Moses, and said: Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said to them: Why do you fight with me? Why do you test YHWH?” (Exodus 17:2).

33. The Talmud explains that the manna prompted two acts of disobedience, going against Moses’ warnings: hoarding it overnight, and attempting to gather it on the Sabbath.

The full passage, Arakhin.15a.21-15b.1:

שנים במן —

דכתיב:

• ״אל תצאו״

  • ויצאו,

• ״אל תותירו״

  • ויותירו.

Two with manna --

as it is written:

• Do not go out, as indicated in the verse: “And Moses said: Eat that today; for today is a Sabbath for YHWH; today you will not find it in the field” (Exodus 16:25).

  • But nevertheless there were people who went out to look for manna, as it is written: “And it came to pass on the seventh day [=Shabbat] that some of the people went out to gather, and they found none” (Exodus 16:27).

• The verse also states: “And Moses said to them: Let no man leave any of it until the morning” (Exodus 16:19),

  • and there were people who left it until morning, as it states: “But they did not listen to Moses; and some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and rotted; and Moses was angry with them” (Exodus 16:20).

34. שליו.

The Talmud explains that on two occasions, the Israelites demand meat:

1. The first comes just before the manna is first given, with nostalgia for Egypt’s “meat pots” (Exodus 16:3).

2. The second involves the “mixed multitude” (אספסף) and ends with an overwhelming flood of quail and an epidemic (Numbers 11).

The full passage, Arakhin.15b.2-3:

שנים בשליו [בשליו] — ראשון

ובשליו שני.

בשליו ראשון —

״בשבתכם על סיר הבשר״.

בשליו שני —

״והאספסף אשר בקרבו״.

The Talmud continues its elucidation of the baraita:

There were two trials relating to the quail, one was on the first occasion when the quail appeared,

and the other on the second occasion the quail appeared.

The Talmud clarifies:

The trial of the 1st quail is described in the verse: “And the children of Israel said to them: Would that we had died by the hand of YHWH in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3).

Immediately afterward the quail arrived, as the verse states: “And it came to pass in the evening, that the quail came up, and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew round about the camp” (Exodus 16:13).

The 2nd trial of the quail is described in the verse:

“And the mixed multitude that was among them desired; and the children of Israel also wept on their part, and said: Would that we were given meat to eat” (Numbers 11:4).

Later the verse states: “And there went forth a wind from YHWH, and brought across quails from the sea and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth” (Numbers 11:31).