and glorious name of God, and throw it into the water, whereupon
the water would become drinkable and sweet. [81]

The ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, differ from the ways of
man: Man turns bitter to sweet by the agency of some sweet stuff,
but God transformed the bitter water through the bitter laurel tree.
When Israel beheld this miracle, they asked forgiveness of their
heavenly Father, and said: "O Lord of the world! We sinned
against Thee when we murmured about the water." [82] Not
through this miracle alone, however, has Marah become a
significant spot for Israel, but, especially, because there God gave
to Israel important percepts, like the Sabbath rest, marriage and
civil laws, and said to the people: "If you will observe these
statutes, you will receive many more, the Ten Commandments, the
Halakot, and the Haggadot; the Torah, however, will bring you
happiness and life. If you will diligently endeavor to walk through
life uprightly, so that you will be virtuous in your dealing with
men, I will value it as if you had fulfilled all commandments, and
will put upon you none of those diseases that I brought Egypt. If,
however, you will not be mindful of My laws, and will be visited
by diseases, then will I be you physician and will make you well,
for as soon as you will observe the laws, shall the diseases vanish."
[83]

The cause for the want of water at Marah had been that for three
days the people had neglected the study of the Torah, and it was
for this reason that the prophets and elders of Israel instituted the
custom of reading from the Torah on Saturday, Monday and
Thursday, at the public service, so that three days might never
again pass without a reading from the Torah. [84]