Help, I’ve been abducted by pirates in the Nigeria and the only way to save me is to wire me thousands of dollars and your social security numbers!
We have all seen and hopefully ignored variations of these hoax emails, but social psychologist Stephen Greenspan studies them closely. Over a decade ago, he began researching why it is that people fall for scams like these, which led to the publishing of Annals of Gullibility: Why We Are Doped and How to Avoid It, where he provides a comprehensive look at the problem of gullibility. Just a year after publishing his thesis, this self-proclaimed expert on gullibility and scams wrote a follow up article updating his theories after suffering from a scam himself: he lost a third of his retirement savings in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme.
I would like to expose a get-rich-quick scheme sent to me this week by multiple sources. Don’t worry, your bank accounts are safe, but you may have fallen for the scheme. This Tuesday, some of us were encouraged to recite Parshat HaMan- the section of this week’s parsha which describes G-d miraculously providing the Jewish people with man in the desert. Simply reading this excerpt from our parsha twice in Hebrew and once in Aramaic—shnayim mikra v’echad targum- and you will supposedly strike it rich.
This segula seems to have increased in popularity in our world of Whatsapp and Twitter, but the practice of reciting Parshat HaMan this week predates social media by two hundred years, beginning with Chassidishe Rebbe Rav Menachem Mendel of Rimanov. In fact, the segula is a slight variation of a more labor intensive segula which began a thousand years earlier and is quoted in Shulchan Aruch- reciting Parshat HaMan every single day of the year as a segulah for parnassa.
I have qualms nether with this Rebbe nor the earlier sources; reciting Parshat HaMan is beautiful. But I think the segula has become somewhat distorted.
Why did G-d send us the man? Of course, we needed food, but the commentaries point out that the properties of the man- its susceptibility to spoil daily and the need to rely each day on this heavenly food- taught the Jews in the desert and us some crucial principles. The Netziv, the Malbim, Rav Hirsch, among others extrapolate various lessons from the man. A lesson of Emunah, of faith and trust in Hashem to provide each day. The Jews in the desert saw the hand of G-d and recognized Who provides mankind with sustenance. The man serves as a reminder to us not to spend the entirety of our lives pursuing materialism, לא העדיף המרבה והממעיט לא החסיר, the person who collects more man and the person who collects less man both end up with the same amount. Gathering extra was useless; G-d determines a person’s portion.
With these lessons in his mind, the Mishna Berura explains exactly how this and some other segulas work:
משנה ברורה סימן א ס”ק יג
פרשת העקידה – קודם פרשת הקרבנות. ויכול לומר פרשת העקידה ופרשת המן אפילו בשבת. ואין די באמירה אלא שיתבונן מה שהוא אומר ויכיר נפלאות ד’ וכן מה שאמרו בגמרא כל האומר תהלה לדוד ג’ פעמים בכל יום מובטח לו שהוא בן עוה”ב ג”כ באופן זה. וטעם לאמירת כ”ז כי פרשת עקידה כדי לזכור זכות אבות בכל יום וגם כדי להכניע יצרו כמו שמסר יצחק נפשו ופרשת המן כדי שיאמין שכל מזונותיו באין בהשגחה פרטית וכדכתיב המרבה לא העדיף והממעיט לא החסיר להורות שאין ריבוי ההשתדלות מועיל מאומה ואיתא בירושלמי ברכות כל האומר פרשת המן מובטח לו שלא יתמעטו מזונותיו ועשרת הדברות כדי שיזכור בכל יום מעמד הר סיני ויתחזק אמונתו בה’ ופרשת הקרבנות דאמרינן במנחות זאת תורת החטאת כל העוסק בתורת חטאת כאלו הקריב חטאת וכו’:
“The parsha of the Binding {of Yitzchak} — before the parsha of the sacrifices. And one is able to say the parsha of the Binding and the parsha of the Manna even on Shabbat. And it is not sufficient with mere saying, but rather he must understand what he is saying and and recognize the wonders of Hashem. And so too that which they say in the Gemara that anyone who says Ashrei three times every day is guaranteed that he will be a resident of the world to come, in this manner {that is, not an incantation, but understanding and appreciating this}. And the reason for the saying of all this is as follows: the parsha of the Binding is in order to recall the merit of the forefathers every day, and also to humble his yetzer, just as Yitzchak was moser nefesh. And the parsha of the Manna is such that he will believe that all his food {/livelihood} comes through special Divine direction {hashgacha pratis}, as it is written “and the one who took more did not end up with more and the one who took less did not end up with less,” to teach that increasing effort does not help at all. And it is found in Yerushalmi Berachot that anyone who says the parsha of the Manna {others have here: every day} he is guaranteed that his livelihood will not decrease. And the {saying of the} Ten Commandments is in order to recall every day the standing by Mt. Sinai, and his faith in Hashem will be strengthened. And {the reason for reciting} the parsha of the sacrifices is because of what we say in Menachot: “Zot Torat HaChatat — Anyone who engages in the {learning of} Torah of the Chatat is as if he sacrificed a Chatat {sin offering}, etc.”
(The translation and bolding above was taken from www.rationalistjudaism.com with slight changes made)
The Mishna Berura is teaching us that Parshat HaMan is not a lottery ticket. Its recitation is a reflection on the messages it represents.
The Jews in the desert were punished for asking for the luxurious slav. They were supposed to be satisfied by their daily man allotment. Simply saying Parshat HaMan as a segula for riches defeats the point; part of the lesson of man was to teach us to emulate the wealthy man described in Pirkei Avot who is sameach bchelko, satisfied with his or her lot. Reciting Parshat HaMan as a magic formula, or paying someone to say it for you (which I actually saw online) as a get rich quick scheme which will likely suffer a similar fate to those in the book of gullibility.
Whether or not you had a chance to say Parshat HaMan this week, I encourage you to say it today. Say it and reflect on its meaning. Appreciate the food in your cabinet, realize that our sustenance is provided by Hashem. Many of us are just beginning our careers and not sure exactly where our paths will lead. As you recite Parshat HaMan, consider that despite our uncertainties, we have faith that G-d will provide direction.
Let’s not look for spiritual shortcuts or schemes to get rich quick, but for reminders to appreciate what we have and Who is looking out for us.
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