Follow that Cloud! - Life in the Midbar

(15) On the day that the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the Tabernacle, the Tent of the Pact; and in the evening it rested over the Tabernacle in the likeness of fire until morning. (16) It was always so: the cloud covered it, appearing as fire by night. (17) And whenever the cloud lifted from the Tent, the Israelites would set out accordingly; and at the spot where the cloud settled, there the Israelites would make camp. (18) At a command of the LORD the Israelites broke camp, and at a command of the LORD they made camp: they remained encamped as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. (19) When the cloud lingered over the Tabernacle many days, the Israelites observed the LORD’s mandate and did not journey on. (20) At such times as the cloud rested over the Tabernacle for but a few days, they remained encamped at a command of the LORD, and broke camp at a command of the LORD. (21) And at such times as the cloud stayed from evening until morning, they broke camp as soon as the cloud lifted in the morning. Day or night, whenever the cloud lifted, they would break camp. (22) Whether it was two days or a month or a year—however long the cloud lingered over the Tabernacle—the Israelites remained encamped and did not set out; only when it lifted did they break camp. (23) On a sign from the LORD they made camp and on a sign from the LORD they broke camp; they observed the LORD’s mandate at the LORD’s bidding through Moses.

AND ON THE DAY THAT THE TABERNACLE WAS REARED UP. Scripture begins to count the journeys of Israel. It was thus compelled to make mention of the cloud that rested on the tabernacle, for when it camped they camped and when it journeyed they journeyed.

כסה הענן את המשכן, “the cloud covered the Tabernacle.” This cloud was not the same cloud as the one that enveloped the entire camp of the Jewish people, and which therefore was at a higher elevation, as pointed out by Tanchuma Bamidbar 12. The cloud mentioned as covering the Tabernacle actually covered it as well as the surrounding area where the Levites had their dwellings.

ובמקום אשר ישכון שם הענן שם יחנו, the Torah records this in order to praise the Israelites for following G’d in the desert regardless of the site where the cloud stopped being a desolate inhospitable place.

ולפי העלות הענן, and whenever the cloud would lift, etc. The reason this paragraph begins with the conjunctive letter ו is to remind us that the cloud served two different purposes. 1) Its function was to serve as a cover for the Holy Tabernacle and all its furnishings. As such its function was decorative, a compliment for the Jewish people who had become carriers of the שכינה. This is the meaning of the words in verse 15 that כסה הענן את המשכן לאהל העדות, "it covered the Tabernacle the Tent of Testimony." The Torah adds a second function of the cloud in our verse when it describes the motion of the cloud indicating that the Israelites were to break camp and to start marching on their way to the Holy Land. The cloud signalled both when it was time to move and when it was time to make camp.

(על פי ה’ יסעו (18 ” AT THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD [THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] JOURNEYED — We have learned in the Boraitha dealing with “the structure of the Tabernacle” (s. 13), “As soon as the Israelites set forth on a journey the pillar of cloud rolled itself up (contracted itself) and extended itself out above the camp of the sons of Judah, like a beam, whereupon they blew a “Tekiah”, a “Teruah”, and another “Tekiah”. It (the cloud) did not, however, move off until Moses said, (Numbers 10:35): “Rise up, O Lord!” — the latter statement is to be found in the Sifrei Bamidbar 84:5 (on the verse quoted) — and then the banner of the camp of Judah marched forward.

ועל פי ה' יחנו AT THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD THEY ENCAMPED — As soon as the Israelites encamped the pillar of cloud rose in a column and extended itself above the camp of the sons of Judah like the roof of a hut, and did not depart until Moses said, (Numbers 10:36), “Return, O Lord, unto the myriads of thousands of Israel!” — You must say (admit; more lit., be saying) that this is the meaning of (Numbers 10:23) “at the commandment of the Lord [they encamped and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed ...]” but also by the agency of Moses (Sifrei Bamidbar 84:5).

כל ימי אשר ישכון, all the days that the cloud would remain stationary, etc. Our verse details the various ways in which the cloud behaved. It also pays a compliment to the Israelites who made their own wishes correspond to G'd's wishes. The verse first tells about instances when the cloud remained stationary for a long period by stating that whenever the cloud remained in place for a long time the Israelites "were willing to remain encamped in that location during the entire length of time that the cloud showed no sign of moving." The proof for this is that the Torah speaks of יחנו in the future tense instead of reporting חנו, "they did remain in camp" in the past tense. The Torah continues by saying ובהאריך הענן, "and when the cloud tarried, etc." (verse 19), to tell us that even if the cloud remained stationary for an inordinately long period of time the Israelites did not demur but were content to stay where they were. The verse goes on to say: ושמרו בני ישראל את משמרת ה׳ ולא יסעו, "the children of Israel observed the orders of G'd and would not journey." This shows that even though there may have been times when the Israelites- had it been up to their own volition alone-would have liked to move on, they resisted such a temptation and voluntarily abided by G'd's wishes in the matter. This is why the Torah wrote ולא יסעו, "and they would not journey" instead of writing ולא נסעו, "and they did not journey," to make certain we would not interpret their remaining in a place for a long time as their first choice.

Rabba said to him: That reasoning is implausible. After all, all labors prohibited on Shabbat, we derive them from the labors performed in the Tabernacle, and there it was a case of dismantling in order to build elsewhere. They would dismantle the Tabernacle and reconstruct it at the next encampment. Ulla said to Rabba: That is not a proof, as there, in the case of the Tabernacle, it is different. Since it is written: “At the commandment of the Lord they encamped” (Numbers 9:23). The time and place of their travels and their encampments were not determined by them but rather by the word of God. Consequently, when they took down the Tabernacle it was tantamount to demolishing in order to build in the same place. Since the demolition and the construction were both accomplished at the command of God, there was never a case of destruction without a constructive purpose.

R. Eleazar of Modim says: They did journey by divine command, as we find to be so {in one place <or> two or three} [elsewhere in two or three places] (e.g., in Numb. 9:18, 20, 23): AT THE COMMAND OF THE LORD THEY (i.e., the children of Israel) JOURNEYED. So also here (in Exod. 15:22), although he has written THEN [MOSES] HAD <ISRAEL> JOURNEY, they journeyed by divine command. Then what is the meaning of (Exod 15:22:) THEN MOSES HAD <ISRAEL> JOURNEY? When he told them to journey, they did not say to him: Where are we journeying? Into the desert? Perhaps there is nothing there. Rather they arose and journeyed in trustfulness. Jeremiah has said (in Jer. 2:2): GO AND PROCLAIM IN THE EARS OF JERUSALEM, [SAYING: THUS SAYS THE LORD: I HAVE REMEMBERED IN YOUR FAVOR THE FAITHFULNESS OF YOUR YOUTH…, HOW YOU WENT AFTER ME IN THE DESERT, IN A LAND NOT SOWN].

. ושמרו בני ישראל את משמרת ה', the reason why the Torah repeats this fact a second time is to emphasise that even when the location selected by the cloud was not only inhospitable, but the cloud remained there for a long period, the Israelites did not grumble or protest this fact. They did not start journeying on their own, looking for a more suitable place to encamp.

And the Lord went before them by day (Exod. 13:21). You find that there were seven clouds of glory in all. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud (ibid.) was the first; and Thy cloud standeth over them (Num. 14:14) was the second; In a pillar of cloud (ibid.) was the third; That the cloud tarried (Num. 9:22), the fourth; And the going up of the cloud (Exod. 40:36), the fifth; And whenever the cloud was taken up (ibid., 37), the sixth; and For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle (ibid., v. 38) was the seventh. Four of the clouds were at each of the four sides; one was above them, another below them, and the seventh cloud preceded them. The last of the clouds lowered the high places, raised the low places, burnt the serpents and the scorpions, and sprinkled the road (to lay the dust) before them.

ויש אשר יהיה הענן ימים מספר, now the Torah reports the same matter for the third time as sometimes the encampment of the Jewish people was in an area which was pleasant, offered grazing for their animals and in spite of this after a day or two the cloud lifted, something which must have caused the people discontent [especially after the decree that the generation of the spies would die in the desert and they could not expect even if they moved to enter their ultimate destination. Ed.] Still, and this is why the Torah repeats the basic fact, the Israelites never complained about the movements of the cloud. Whatever the situation,

ויש אשר יהיה הענן מערב עד בוקר, this is the fourth time that the manner in which the cloud operated is being mentioned, to show that it was impossible to predict with any degree of probability how long they would stay in one location. Sometimes, only overnight. This was not even time enough to pitch their tents, much less to erect the Tabernacle. The principal reason this detail was mentioned is to make clear that the journeys never started at night.

או יומים או חדש או ימים, this is now already the fifth time that the Torah belabours the subject of these journeys, something totally unprecedented. It alerts us to how sometimes the people did not even have time to send their beasts to graze, whereas on other occasions they had to dismantle everything at very short notice, any plans they had made having to be abandoned.