you did to Sihon," and reports that the Israelites "utterly destroyed them," but reports, "All the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves." The Midrash concluded that the Israelites utterly destroyed the people so as not to derive any benefit from them. Rabbi Eleazar ben Perata taught that manna counteracted the ill effects of foreign foods on the Israelites. But the Gemara taught after the Israelites complained about the manna in God burdened the Israelites with the walk of three parasangs to get outside their camp to answer the call of nature. And it was then that the command of “And you shall have a paddle among your weapons,” began to apply to the Israelites. A Midrash explained that God punished the Israelites by means of serpents in because the serpent was the first to speak slander in God cursed the serpent, but the Israelites did not learn a lesson from the serpent's fate, and nonetheless spoke slander. God therefore sent the serpent, who was the first to introduce slander, to punish those who spoke slander. Reading the Midrash told that the people realized that they had spoken against Moses and prostrated themselves before him and beseeched him to pray to God on their behalf. The Midrash taught that then immediately reports, “And Moses prayed,” to demonstrate the meekness of Moses, who did not hesitate to seek mercy for them, and also to show the power of repentance, for as soon as they said, “We have sinned,” Moses was immediately reconciled to them, for one who is in a position to forgive should not be cruel by refusing to forgive. In the same strain, reports, “And Abraham prayed to God; and God healed” (after Abimelech had wronged Abraham and asked for forgiveness). And similarly, reports, “And the Lord changed the fortune of Job, when he prayed for his friends” (after they had slandered him). The Midrash taught that when one person wrongs another but then says, “I have sinned,” the victim is called a sinner if the victim does not forgive the offender. For in Samuel told the Israelites, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you,” and Samuel told them this after they came and said, “We have sinned,” as indicates when it reports that the people said, “Pray