In Parshas Beshaloch, we read about the manna which descended from heaven and sustained the Israelites as they lived in the desert. For forty years, this manna fed them, without the need for them to do any work. Every man had the same alloted amount of manna, and no matter how much one man toiled, or how little another did, they all remained equal.
This system was designed to remind the Israelites that their sustenance always comes from Hashem, but- understandably- it’s difficult to keep this mindset in the present day, when inequality is rife and we have to work for what we eat. The Rebbe reminds us that even though things seem very different nowadays, they’re in fact exactly the same: no one receives any more of less than what is allotted by G-d.
The Rebbe reminds us that the mitzvah of Shabbes contains a similar lesson to that of the manna. Initially, keeping Shabbes seems like a bad business decision, and a way to lose one’s income, but in fact, keeping Shabbes is an exercise in recognising our true source of sustenance- Hashem. Even if we have to work for a living in this day and age, we must always remember the lesson which the manna taught us, about our one true provider.
Jewish Thoughts 