יהושע, פרק ה׳, פסוק י״א

Entering the land of Canaan marked a profound historical and spiritual shift for the Israelites. They transitioned from relying on the miraculous, heavenly manna to eating the natural produce of the earth. The wilderness was a desolate place, still affected by the ancient curse brought about by the sin of the first man and the serpent. Because it could not grow crops, God provided the manna. However, crossing into the land broke this curse, allowing the earth to yield a pure and blessed harvest [אהבת יהונתן]. This shift signaled the end of the manna, which had fallen in the merit of Moses and ceased upon his death on the seventh of Adar. Even so, the Israelites survived on the leftover manna stored in their vessels until the very day they began eating the local grain [רש"י, אברבנאל].

The food they consumed consisted of field grain and moist kernels roasted in fire [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. This meal took place during the actual daylight hours rather than the preceding night [מצודת ציון], precisely on the day they were instructed to do so [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A significant discussion among commentators revolves around the exact timing of this event and the type of grain eaten following the Passover. The primary approach among many scholars is that the eating occurred on the sixteenth of Nisan, the day the Omer offering is brought. According to this view, the Israelites first dedicated the Omer from the new harvest, which then permitted them to eat from the fresh crops [רש"י, מצודת דוד, רלב"ג, צאינה וראינה]. This sequence also serves as a definitive proof against certain ancient sects, demonstrating that the Omer offering is tied to the day following the Passover holiday rather than a standard Sabbath [רלב"ג].

Conversely, other commentators argue that the meal took place on the fifteenth of Nisan, the day immediately following the Passover sacrifice. On this day, the Omer had not yet been offered, making the consumption of new grain strictly forbidden. Even the obligation to eat matzah could not override this prohibition. Therefore, the Israelites specifically ate old grain from previous years, which they purchased from local merchants. They used this old harvest to bake their holiday matzot and enjoyed a small amount of roasted grain as a dessert [רד"ק, מלבי"ם, אברבנאל].

Looking closely at the types of food prepared, a remarkable miracle becomes apparent. Matzah requires fully ripened grain that has been harvested, ground, and baked, while the roasted kernels come from moist grain that has not yet finished ripening. The presence of both types side by side reveals that within just a few days of entering the land on the tenth of the month, the local crops ripened at an astonishing speed, providing the Israelites with both fully mature and moist grain simultaneously [אלשיך].