Likutei Sichos – Vol 16 p 173 ff – Shabbos and the Manna: it’s a miracle but you must do something

Beshalach

Exile and Redemption (132)

Likutei Sichos vol 16 page 173 ff

Shabbos and the Manna, it’s a miracle but you must do something.
On one level the Manna is called לחם מן השמים it came from heaven with no effort.
On another level, the fact that it is connected to the לחם מן הארץ we would eat after going into ארץ ישראל compels us to assert that there is something “earthly” (even) about the Manna.
This is indicated in that the falling of Manna is compared to rain (הנני ממטיר לכם לחם מן השמים) and not dew.
This is the work and the (few) laws that surrounded the Manna, beginning with the need to “go out and collect it”.
This is similar to Shabbos which is strongly linked to Shabbos, which…
On the one hand, is כל מלאכתך עשוי’ה we have nothing to do with the world.
On the other, what we do before Shabbos determines the Shabbos. There IS a connection.