Immediately after relating the supernatural passage through the split sea and the Shirah (Song of Thanksgiving) that Bnei Yisroel recited upon that event, we read, 'And they came to Marah, and they could not imbibe the water of Marah, for it was bitter...And the nation complained against Moshe...' (Shemos 15:23-24) The Torah proceeds to describe how the water of Marah is then miraculously sweetened, whereupon Hashem adjures the people to heed His mitzvos and commands them in some basic laws. (See Rashi on v. 25, from Sanhedrin 56B).

The previous d'var Torah on Parshas Beshalach explained how the laws that were commanded at Marah were intended to instill in the nation a greater sense of recognition of varying levels of authority, including those of God and Moshe. As a result of its enslavement, the just-liberated people lacked a sense of submission to reliable and caring authority and a responsible societal structure, and Marah represented the beginnings of this. It is for this reason as well that the Jews received Mann (Manna) shortly thereafter, as its purpose was to instill in Bnei Yisroel a sense of reliance on Hashem and to test their commitment to Him. (See 16:4.)

The very next thing we read, however, after the incident at Marah, is quite puzzling: 'And they came to Eileem where there were 12 springs of water and 70 date-palms, and they encamped there at the water.' (v. 27) Seeing that the nation was being actively groomed to rely on God, what was the purpose of the water and comfort of Eileem? Unlike the water of Marah and the Mann, which immediately preceded and followed the sojourn at Eileem, the Jews were not expected to show their faith at Eileem in order to merit its benefits; if anything, it would seem that the experience at Eileem would serve to hinder their sense of total reliance on Hashem, as they did not demonstrate their emunah (faith) in God as a prerequisite for meriting the water of Eileem; on the contrary, a Jew untrained in his reliance on Hashem may very well have thought that the people got lucky by stumbling upon Eileem. Why - smack in the middle of the process of instilling a sense of reliance on Hashem - did He bring the nation to Eileem and enable an impression that Bnei Yisroel could receive water and shade by 'chance'?

The Mechilta (see Rashi on 15:27) interprets the 12 springs of Eileem to represent the 12 shevatim (tribes) and the 70 date-palms to reflect the Shivim Zekeinim (Seventy Elders). The Ramban (ibid.) further explains that each shevet at Eileem encamped at its own spring, and that the Shivim Zekeinim enjoyed the protective shade of the locus, all of this being a demonstration of God's benevolence.

Perhaps the underlying message of Eileem was one of Hashem encouraging the people to return to its roots and express its reliance on Him as did the Avos, Imahos and the Yaakov's sons - the founders of the shevatim. We find that God contrasted Moshe (upon His initial Divine encounter) to the Avos, as it was difficult for Moshe to accept Hashem's promises of redemption in the face of so much defiance by Pharaoh and Bnei Yisroel, whereas the Avos never expressed any hesitation. (Rashi on 6:9 from Medrash) We also find that the Shotrim (Jewish overseers of the Hebrew slaves) were willing to be beaten in order to spare their brethren from suffering, and that these Shotrim merited membership in the Sanhedrin and became the Shivim Zekeinim as a result of their sacrifice. (Rashi on 5:14 from Medrash)

The symbolism and message of Eileem consisted of exhorting the Jews to return to the sense of emunah and total reliance on Hashem as embodied by the Avos and their families. Avrohom, Yitzchak, Yaakov and his sons accepted the fate of the nation in Mitzrayim and went through so many tests to display their trust in God. Yosef told his brothers what the future of the people would be, and the brothers never complained. So, too, the Shotrim willingly accepted and underwent beatings, all to protect their brethren, as they knew that it was the right thing to do and would shield the masses from more suffering. The dedication of the Shotrim to these values was persistent and unyielding, even though it meant great discomfort and personal suffering.

At Eileem, Hashem reminded the Jews of their glorious past of reliance on Him and historical commitment to do what is right and noble while swallowing discomfort. Hashem presented the nation with a choice of breaking forth from its slave mentality, which contributed to undisciplined, complaining masses, and He sought for them to again rise to the level of emunah that their ancestors (as expressed through the shevatim) embodied, and to realize the lofty ideals that the Shivim Zekeinim did when they served as Shotrim. When one is on such a level, he needs no systematic training in emunah such as was represented by Marah and the Mann. One who is on an elevated plane of emunah accepts what comes his way, and God unexpectedly provided, again and again, for the Avos, Imahos and shevatim due to their total reliance on Him, just as He provided the oasis of Eileem without any expectation. The oasis of Eileem was a spiritual opportunity from Hashem for the nation to return to Him with a full heart and to restore its identity as totally reliant on Him, rather than undergoing the basic training program of the Mann. Eileem's physical oasis was on a deeper level a spiritual one - the exhortation of God to take on and continue the mission where the ancestral shevatim and Shotrim left off. Eileem was a throw-back to the experiences of the Avos, where God spontaneously provided for His devout ones without complaint or expectation.