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Ramban on Exodus 16:2/רמב"ן על שמות ט״ז:ב׳

אוַיִּלֹּנוּ כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל מֹשֶׁה הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁיְּסַפֵּר הַכָּתוּב תְּחִלַּת טַעֲנַת הַתְּלוּנָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר בְּמָרָה (שמות ט"ו:כ"ד) וּבִרְפִידִים (שמות י"ז:ב') וּבְכָל הַתְּלוּנוֹת, וְיֹאמַר כָּאן וְאֵין בָּשָׂר לֶאֱכֹל וְאֵין לֶחֶם לִשְׂבֹּעַ וַיִּרְעַב הָעָם לַלֶּחֶם. וְרַשִׁ"י כָּתַב (רש"י על שמות ט"ז:א') שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי לְהַפְרִישׁ חֲנָיָה זוֹ, לְפִי שֶׁבּוֹ בַּיּוֹם נִשְׁלְמָה הַחֲרָרָה שֶׁהוֹצִיאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם וְהֻצְרְכוּ לַמָּן, לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאָכְלוּ מִשְּׁיָרֵי הַבָּצֵק שִׁשִּׁים וְאַחַת סְעוּדוֹת. וְקַבָּלַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ הִיא (מכילתא כאן). וְלָזֶה לֹא פֵּרֵשׁ תְּלוּנֹּתָם מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא הֶאֱרִיךְ בַּנֵּס הַזֶּה הַנַּעֲשֶׂה לָהֶם בַּסֵּתֶר, וּכְבָר כָּתַבְתִּי הַטַּעַם בְּסֵדֶר וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו (בראשית מו טו). ור"א אָמַר (אבן עזרא על שמות ט"ז:א') כִּי הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי לֵאמֹר שֶׁכְּבָר יֵשׁ לָהֶם חֹדֶשׁ יָמִים שֶׁיָּצְאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְאָכְלוּ הַלֶּחֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִיאוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם וּמִקְנֵיהֶם כִּי קָהָל רַב הָיוּ, וְזֶה טַעַם הַתְּלוּנָה:
וְעַל דַּעְתִּי הִזְכִּיר הַכָּתוּב וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל מִדְבַּר סִין לְהוֹדִיעַ תְּלוּנָתָם, כִּי בְּבוֹאָם אֶל מִדְבַּר סִין וּכְבָר רָחֲקוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם אָמְרוּ מַה נֹאכַל וּמַה יַסְפִּיק לָנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ בָּאִים בּוֹ, אוֹ כִּי מִתְּחִלָּה הָיוּ סְבוּרִים שֶׁיָּבֹאוּ אֶל הֶעָרִים אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבוֹתֵיהֶם אַחֲרֵי יָמִים מְעַטִּים, וְעַתָּה יֵשׁ לָהֶם חֹדֶשׁ וְעִיר מוֹשָׁב לֹא מָצָאוּ, וְאָמְרוּ כֻּלָּנוּ מֵתִים בַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדוֹל שֶׁבָּאנוּ בּוֹ. וְזֶה טַעַם וַיִּלֹּנוּ עַל מֹשֶׁה וְעַל אַהֲרֹן בַּמִּדְבָּר, כִּי תְּלוּנָתָם מִפְּנֵי הַמִּדְבָּר. וְכֵן אָמְרוּ (שמות ט"ז:ג') כִּי הוֹצֵאתֶם אֹתָנוּ אֶל הַמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה לְהָמִית אֶת כָּל הַקָּהָל הַזֶּה בָּרָעָב, הִזְכִּירוּ הַמִּדְבָּר וְהַקָּהָל לֵאמֹר כִּי קָהָל גָּדוֹל כָּזֶה יָמוּת בְּלִי סָפֵק בָּרָעָב בַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה. וְהקב"ה שָׁמַע אֲלֵיהֶם, וְהֵחֵל עַתָּה לַעֲרֹךְ לָהֶם שֻׁלְחָן בַּמִּדְבָּר עַד בֹּאָם אֶל אֶרֶץ נוֹשָׁבֶת:

1AND THE WHOLE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL MURMURED AGAINST MOSES. Scripture should have first narrated the nature of the complaint just as it did in Marah²⁸⁴. and Rephidim,²⁸⁵. and at all other complaints — and stated here first: “and there was no flesh to eat, nor bread for them to the full, and the people were famished for bread.” Now Rashi explained that the reason Scripture specifically mentions [that the date of their arrival in the wilderness of Sin] was on the fifteenth day of the second month²⁸⁶ is in order “to make this encampment unique. On that day, there came to an end the provision which the Israelites took along with them from Egypt, and they now needed the manna. It thus informs you that they ate sixty-one meals²⁸⁷ of the remains of the dough [which they had baked in Egypt on the day of the exodus].”²⁸⁸ [Thus far the language of Rashi.] This is a tradition received by our Rabbis,²⁸⁹ and the reason that Scripture did not [first] explain the nature of their complaint was that it had not elaborated on this miracle which was done for them secretively, [i.e., that the remains of the dough furnished sixty-one meals]. And it is as I have already written in Seder Vayigash concerning the reason [that Scripture is disposed to be silent on hidden miracles].²⁹⁰Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that Scripture records the date on the fifteenth day of the second month in order to explain that a month’s time had already elapsed since their departure from Egypt. In the meantime, they consumed the bread they took out of Egypt as well as their cattle, since they were a great multitude of people. This was the reason for the murmuring.In my opinion, the reason for their complaint is to be found in the Scriptural expression, and they came… unto the wilderness of Sin.²⁸⁶ When they came to that wilderness far away from Egypt, they began saying: “What shall we eat? What will this great wilderness into which we have come supply us with?” It may be that at first they had thought that after a few days they would come to the cities round about them. Now that a month had gone by and they found no city of habitation,²⁹¹ they said, “We will all die in the great wilderness into which we have come.” This then is the meaning of the verse, And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness, the murmuring being because of the wilderness. And so likewise the people said, for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to put to death this whole assembly by famine.²⁹² Thus they mentioned “the wilderness’ and “the assembly,” therein stating that a large assembly such as this will undoubtedly die of hunger in this great wilderness. The Holy One, blessed be He, hearkened unto them, and He now began to prepare a table for them in the wilderness²⁹³ until they came to a land inhabited.²⁹⁴