How did a Rasha know he was a Rasha?

Question

Related question.

According to Yoma 75,

The Gemara continues to discuss the manna: It is written: “And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it” (Numbers 11:9). And it is written: “And the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day” (Exodus 16:4). And it is written: “The people went about and gathered it” (Numbers 11:8). How can these texts be reconciled? For the righteous, the manna fell at the opening of their homes. They expended no effort at all. The average people went out of the camp and gathered what fell there. The wicked had to go about farther to gather.

The Shteinzaltz explanation on this is

בינונים יצאו מחוץ למחנה ולקטו מה שהיה מכונס להם שם. רשעים שטו היו צריכים להלך הרבה ולקטו

The Beinonim had to walk outside the camp...the resha'im went out, they had to walk a lot and collect (my loose translation)

I don't know how large the machane was so I don't know how much of an imposition this distance was, and I'm wondering how far the "harbeh" was that resha'im would have had to walk to start collecting (I'm assuming, more than 2000 amot beyond the camp), but why couldn't they just start collecting as they walked past the mahn that fell "for" others. Did they try and it disappeared?

Did a rasha know he was a rasha? He had just recently been redeemed but I thought that resha'im would not have been taken out. How were there suddenly resha'im? Was there some public judging process or was this how each person found out his status?

Answer 1

Very good question.

I thought that the levels here were based on one's general zerizus (alacrity) to perform mitzvos. The mun fell all over; inside, around, and beyond the camp. Whoever woke up early to daven/learn and be responsible, was a tzadik and took first come first serve. People waking up respectably later, had to walk farther, and people goofing off still got to eat, but had to suffer the dishonor of straggling about in search. No source, just my own chiddush (my thoughts).

Answer 2

We know that "hamarbeh lo hirbeh vhamamit lo hichsir." No matter how much they collected, they were left with an omer l'gulgolos.

Shemos 16

And the children of Israel did so: they gathered, both the one who gathered much and the one who gathered little.
יז וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֖ן בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּלְקְט֔וּ הַמַּרְבֶּ֖ה וְהַמַּמְעִֽיט:

And they measured [it] with an omer, and whoever gathered much did not have more, and whoever gathered little did not have less; each one according to his eating capacity, they gathered.

יח וַיָּמֹ֣דּוּ בָעֹ֔מֶר וְלֹ֤א הֶעְדִּיף֙ הַמַּרְבֶּ֔ה וְהַמַּמְעִ֖יט לֹ֣א הֶחְסִ֑יר אִ֥ישׁ לְפִֽי־אָכְל֖וֹ לָקָֽטוּ:

Maybe it's possible that what happened is that the Tzadik left his house, saw a little manna by his door, and figured - looks like enough. Went home, measured it, and it was exactly enough. See, he tells himself, that's how much effort I need to do.

The average person thought the little by his door wasn't enough. So he walked around collecting for a while. He comes home, measures it, and presto - exactly enough. See, he tells himself, that's how much effort I need to do.

The Rasha takes what's by his door, but is not satisfied. He collects from the camp, but still isn't satisfied. He walks even outside the camp to fill his basket. He comes home, measures it - and it's just the right amount. See, he tells himself, that's how much effort I need to do.

The modern baaley mussar talk about a similar idea in regard to hishtadlus and bitachon. The more trust one has in God the less effort he needs to put forth. So to answer your question, it's possible that the people sorted themselves through their level of trust, choices, and actions.

Answer 3

I'd like to agree with David's chiddush, while we may never know for certain, generally speaking early risers are of positive connotation in society and nature and late rising is usually neutral or negative. I was at a point in my life among former such peoples in repentance and as a joke to teach a much younger kin a lesson in leaving the truck unattended in a bad neighborhood one of them decided to take the truck as the driver went inside to gather some supplies. The most virtuous and wise of them said although he knew his truck was taken he was able to come to a wise realization of the unorthodoxy of the ambience and as such the other man's trickery and remained calm because the other man was absent and knows all the wicked ones are asleep at the hour we were up to work. In other words - if for better or for worse - in the past, future and certainly the present - early risers tend to not only get more done in their life but are of , generally speaking, the of people whom self discipline, direction, reward and manhood are of a positive connotations. Who knows what the ancients were thinking or what they were trying to infer? In either case this wouldn't be the first time mankind has associated early rising with success, virtute, reward and resilience (to name a few). Me certainly being a testament to that in recent days.