And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. - Deuteronomy 8:3
The Lord gave the congregation of the people of Israel bread to the full in the morning.
And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. - Exodus 16:14-15
Cosmology
Like a seed, manna embodies the simple essence of phenomena.
The manna is from heaven, ascends, is fine like coriander seed, white, and looks like crystal. The children of Israel materialized it - gathering, grinding, and making cakes with it. It is a food that informs the soul.
(The Language of Creation: Cosmic Symbolism in Genesis - A Commentary by Matthieu Pageau, 2018. Pages 55-57)
Etymology
Manna means “what,” similar to the “quiddity” of western philosophy.
(The Language of Creation: Cosmic Symbolism in Genesis - A Commentary by Matthieu Pageau, 2018. Pages 55-57)