The 16th of Iyar (today) was the day on which the Jews began to receive the miraculous Manna from the heavens. We will leave the in depth study for another time, I just wanted to point out the date and a few quick points.
(Taken from the book Let My Nation Serve Me by Yosef Deutsch)
The manna did far more than sustain the Jewish people physically in the desert. It also had a profound impact on their spiritual condition. It provided food for their bodies so that they would not die of starvation, but it also provided food for their souls, so that they would grow in stature and come closer to Hashem.
The manna established the singular relationship between Hashem and His chosen people. Ordinarily, one would expect the servant to procure food and prepare it for his master. Yet Hashem said, "I took the Jewish people out of Egypt so that they should serve Me. Nevertheless, even though I am the Master and they are the servants, I will tend to them. I will prepare the food and serve it to them.
Hashem also showed His love for the Jewish people by reversing for them the manner in which food is produced. Ordinarily, food grows from the ground, and the dew that falls from the sky covers it. With the manna, Hashem brought forth food from the sky and placed dew on the ground underneath it.
The manna also provided the first opportunity for the first blessing related to food, the Bircas HaMazon, the Grace after Meals.
The many phenomena of the manna were also a metaphor for life itself. Regardless of how much a person gathered, be it a lot or a little, in the end everyone was left with the same amount, an omer measure per person; no matter if he was rich or poor; he was left with the same omer measure. In life as well, people may exert huge efforts to accumulate much wealth, but in the end, all die and leave the world with the same amount. Only the accumulation of spiritual wealth is lasting.
The Many Miracles of the Manna:
The very fact that the manna fell.
The manna fell from the sky even though food is normally derived from the ground.
The manna's two major tastes of oil and honey depended on the individual.
Manna left from one day to the next rotted and filled with worms.
The manna had numerous interchangeable tastes.
The manna was completely absorbed into a persons body, producing no waste products.
The spiritual essence of the manna prepared the Jewish people to receive the Torah.
The spiritual nature of the manna shielded the Jewish people from evil thoughts.
A vast amount of manna fell every day.
The manna only fell near the Jewish encampment.
The manna accompanied the Jewish encampment on all its travels.
After the morning gathering, the remaining manna melted into a stream of liquid from the heat of the sun.
The manna never spoiled before it liquefied.
Regardless of how much or how little one gathered, the final amount was always one omer measure per person.
A double portion fell on Friday, one for that day, the other for Shabbos; it was as though the manna itself kept Shabbos.
Unlike the rest of the week, no manna fell on Shabbos.
Manna left over from Friday to Shabbos did not rot.
The manna of Shabbos had a distinct taste.
The manna was able to adjudicate disputes.
For 900 years, the manna remained fresh in the Ark.
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