Memory is generative. The congregation of Israel misses the pots of meat and eating bread until they were full and they wish they had never left Egypt. They do not seem to remember their taskmasters increasing their burdens or having to murder their children to prevent their population from growing. God is about to provide them with manna from heaven.

Exodus 16

The entire congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from Elim and came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after departing out of the land of Egypt.

2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

3 The children of Israel said to them “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, and ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4 Then the LORD said to  Moses “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather enough for each day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not.

5 But on the sixth day when they prepare what they bring in, it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

6 Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel “At evening, you will know that the LORD has brought you out from the land of Egypt:

7 In the morning you will see the glory of the LORD; for he hears your grumbling against the LORD: and what are we, that you grumble against us?”

8 And Moses said “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening, and in the morning bread until you are full; for the LORD hears your grumbling which you grumble against him: and what are we? Your grumblings are not against us, but against the LORD.” 

9 Moses spoke to Aaron “Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel: ‘Come near before the Lord: for he has heard your grumbling.”

10 As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

11 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel: Say to them ‘This evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread; and you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”

13 That evening the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

14 And when the dew had evaporated, on the surface of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as fine as frost on the ground.

15 When the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

16 This is what the LORD has commanded: Gather as much of it as every person needs to eat, an omer for each person, according to the number of your persons; take according to the number of people in your tents.”

17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

18 When they measured it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing left over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his needs.

19 And Moses said “Do not leave any of it till the morning.”

20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some of them left it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was angry with them.

21 They gathered it every morning, each person as much as he needed: and when the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

23 He said to them “This is what the LORD has said “Tomorrow is a day of rest to the LORD, a holy sabbath: bake that which you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and what remains left over put up  to be kept until the morning.”

24 And they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded: and it did not stink nor was there any worm in it. 

25 Moses said “Eat that today; for today is a sabbath to the LORD: today you will not find it in the field.

26 Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, there shall be none.”

27 But some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, and they found none.

28 And the LORD said to Moses “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?

29 See, the LORD has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he has given you the bread of two days; remain everyone in his place, do not go out your place on the seventh day.”

30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 The house of Israel called the name of it Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

32 And Moses said “This is the thing which the LORD commands: ‘Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread with which I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.”

33 So Moses said to Aaron “Take a jar, and put an omer full of manna inside, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.”

34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

35 And the children of Israel ate manna for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan.

36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.