The Jewish people were on the 49th level of impurity in Egypt. Then they were taken out of Egypt and they prepared for 49 days in order to receive the Torah. We commemorate this by counting the 49 day period between Pesach and Shavuos.
So the question I have this year, on the parsha, is - what about those days when they complained about the manna, about not having water, about bitter water? Those were part of the 49 days. Did they elevate themselves out of impurity on the very days that the provoked Hashem?
I've asked this question here and there and the answers I've heard haven't been satisfying. One said, it was the eirav rav. Another one said that it is the nature of a nisayon to elevate a person as a nes-flag waves on high. Still another said that is how we grow, we move forward and slip backward. But these were 49 days of continuous growth! True, Rashi says they did teshuva when they left Refidim, but what about their other complaints? And if it was just the eirav rav, I don't think the mishna in Avos would refer to the ten times we tested G-d.
So if you have anything to offer, go ahead and post a comment.
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