דברים, פרק כ״ט, פסוק ה׳

The forty-year journey through the wilderness was designed to break the Israelites' reliance on the natural world and train them to recognize direct, miraculous leadership. Depriving the nation of standard food and drink was never a punishment or a sign of lack. Rather, it served as a profound educational tool meant to shape their spiritual awareness and demonstrate God's constant, watchful care over their lives.

The complete absence of baked bread, new wine, and aged wine [אוהב גר] highlights that the Israelites were freed from the daily burdens of survival. Without the need to plant, harvest, bake, or press grapes, they could devote their energy entirely to achieving spiritual perfection [ביאור יש״ר, מלבי״ם]. However, the primary approach among commentators is that this does not mean the nation never tasted a single morsel of bread for four decades. While they were primarily sustained by the miraculous manna, they did occasionally purchase bread and water from Edomite and Moabite merchants as they approached settled lands near the end of their journey. Crucially, these purchases were not driven by hunger or a desperate need to survive, but simply for the pleasure of the experience [רמב״ן, הטור הארוך].

The ultimate purpose behind this unique way of life was to prove that God can sustain humanity even without basic, physical food supplies [ביאור שטיינזלץ, מלבי״ם]. Beyond the immediate miracle in the desert, this reality carries a lasting promise for future generations. It ensures that even during the most difficult periods of exile, when the Israelites might lack natural means of survival, God will always provide an alternative path for them to live and will never abandon them to destruction [העמק דבר].

At the climax of this message, a sudden shift in the speaker occurs. While Moses had previously been speaking about God in the third person, the narrative unexpectedly transitions to the first person. This indicates that God Himself is now speaking directly to the people [חזקוני]. The use of the word "I" here carries deep philosophical weight. A human being can only ever recognize their own external traits, never fully grasping their true inner essence. God, however, is the only being who completely and perfectly knows His own essence. Therefore, the title "I," in its most absolute and authentic sense, belongs exclusively to Him [הכתב והקבלה].