Our Torah portion recounts the watershed experience of the Israelites in the desert - the beginning of the end, the devastating denouement which unravels into an entire generation dying out in the desert. This is the last thing we expect to hear, not only because it flies in the face of the punishment they just received but also because they seem to be complaining for no reason. The Concentration Camp inmate with the obsessive goal of saving the life of his child lived each day with more zest than the retired millionaire who is bereft of plans, purpose, goals. When G-d provided the Israelites with all their needs in the desert, they lost the dreams and ideals which sparked their lives and ignited, their energies while they were still slaves in Egypt. Enough with the imagination creating the perfect menu.
Fish is better.
Even those salty smelly sardines which the Nile spit up together with its frothy film, because although they tasted putrid, while we ate them we could still dream of better times to come - and work to bring those dreams to fruition. What these vegetables have in common is that they have to be planted. They require sun, water, care, patience and, most important of all,- work. No overnight onions, no express melons. The language of 'dry souls' tells us that although G-d provided everything necessary for the body, the Israelite soul was bereft of purpose, meaning devotion.