Mi Yodeya is a question and answer site for those who base their lives on Jewish law and tradition and anyone interested in learning more. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
We know that the Jews were sustained by the heavenly mun for forty years in the wilderness. They didn't eat anything else, as it provided their every needs. They didn't even produce any bodily waste.
I was wondering, perhaps it's obvious, but did the Jewish babies nurse in the wilderness? Or did they also eat from the mun. It was miraculous food, so perhaps they didn't need to nurse. Or is it simply that they received the nutrients from the mun through their mother's milk.
Rashi (Bamidbar 11:5) explains why the manna did not assume the taste of those items enumerated in that pasuk: אמר ר' שמעון מפני מה המן משתנה לכל דבר חוץ מאלו מפני שהן קשים למניקות אומרים לאשה אל תאכלי שום ובצל מפני התינוק משל למלך וכו' כדאיתא בספרי. Since these are bad for nursing, the manna did not assume these flavors. Apparently, then, women did nurse in the wilderness.
