Beshalach: Complaint of Meat

The rich have their ways, and they’re seldom subtle. In the grand estates where servants scurry to and fro, it’s an unspoken rule: the help will eat in their own corner, far from the polished silver and crystal goblets. And while the masters dine on roast duck and fine wine, the servants are left with gristly scraps and day-old bread. It’s not ideal, but such is life. Most of the staff endure it quietly, knowing full well that no law has been broken.

However, when it comes time to be paid, and one of the workers notices that he has been shortchanged on his wages, he may remark with a bitter smile:

"Why is my salary reduced? Perhaps it is because all year long you’ve been feeding me such rich delicacies at your table..."

Oh, his grievance was clear enough—he's upset about not being paid in full. But listen closely to the sting in his words, and you’ll hear a second complaint nestled between the lines: And don’t think I didn’t notice the lousy scraps you’ve been feeding me.

Their Hidden Request

When the Israelites left Egypt—their home for centuries—fear gnawed at their bellies, just as hunger did. And so they cried out to Moses:

"You brought us into this wilderness to starve the whole assembly to death!" (Exodus 16:3).

A fair request. People need to eat. No one can be blamed for wanting food.

But tucked inside their complaint was something else. They spoke of Egypt, wistfully painting a picture of plenty, with mouthwatering meat and fancy fruit. When they complained about the difficulties of life in the desert, unlike Egypt where "we could sit by pots of meat," we hear a secondary complaint: there was no meat in the wilderness.

And so, God, who hears not just the words of our lips but the whispers of our hearts, told Moses: “I have heard their complaints. Tell them, ‘Bread will come in the morning, and in the evening, they’ll have meat.’”

Meat? Who asked for meat?

No one did. Not outright. But like the servant’s pointed remark, their lament about Egypt told a larger story. The Midrash puts it plainly: With their mouths, they asked for bread. But in their hearts, they longed for meat.

And so, manna fell from heaven, and quail covered the land. God answered their hunger, and their secret desires, too. Even in the wilderness, a Father knows the unspoken needs of His children.

(Mishlei Ya'akov, pp. 321-322)  

Note: The episode of the quail appears twice—once in Exodus 16 and again in Numbers 11. But the circumstances (and outcomes) could not be more different.

In Exodus, their request is desperate. The people are newly freed, still trembling from centuries of slavery. They fear the unknown and worry for their survival. God responds as a loving parent—with reassurance and care. 

Numbers, on the other hand, speaks of a very different scenario. Here, their complaint is fueled by greed and discontent. The people rejected the manna—a miraculous gift from heaven—and demanded indulgence. Their craving for meat is improper and unworthy; and God responds by giving them what they ask for, but in a way that underscores the consequences of their ingratitude.