Derasha 1 on Behaalosecha 11:6

Parashas Behaalosecha · Aliyah 5 · Passuk 6

The Complete Passuk

וְעַתָּ֛ה נַפְשֵׁ֥נוּ יְבֵשָׁ֖ה אֵ֣ין כֹּ֑ל בִּלְתִּ֖י אֶל־הַמָּ֥ן עֵינֵֽינוּ׃

Chabad.org — English translation + Rashi

Source Citation

Torah Temimah: “אין כל” — they said the man would swell in their bowels; is there a human who takes in and does not put out? “Kol” is read as digestion/processing.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
״וְעַתָּה נַפְשֵׁנוּ יְבֵשָׁה אֵין כֹּל״. אָמְרוּ: עָתִיד מָן זֶה שֶׁתִּיפַּח בְּמֵעֵיהֶם, כְּלוּם יֵשׁ יְלוּד אִשָּׁה שֶׁמַּכְנִיס וְאֵינוֹ מוֹצִיא?

English: What is “there is nothing”? They said, this man will swell in their bowels — is there one born of woman who takes in and does not put out?

Type of Learning

Complaint about the man — fear of a food that does not follow the ordinary cycle of the body.

What Is Learned

The midrash exposes the anxiety beneath the words “our soul is dried out.”