Parashat Beha'alotcha / פרשת בהעלתך Pillar of Cloud

(1) לא ימיש means He — the Holy One, blessed be He — did not let depart (did not remove) את עמוד הענן יומם ועמוד האש לילה THE PILLAR OF CLOUD BY DAY NOR THE PILLAR OF FIRE BY NIGHT. — This tells us (we may gather from this) that the pillar of cloud handed over the camp to the pillar of fire and the pillar of fire handed it over to the pillar of cloud — that before the one set the other rose (Shabbat 23b).

The Gemara relates that Rav Yosef’s wife would kindle the Shabbat lights late. Rav Yosef said to her: Wasn’t it taught in a baraita with regard to the verse: “The pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people” (Exodus 13:22), this teaches that the pillar of cloud would overlap with the pillar of fire?

The pillar of fire would appear slightly before nightfall. And the pillar of fire would overlap with the pillar of cloud, as well. The pillar of cloud would appear slightly before daybreak.

Therefore, in lighting the Shabbat lights it is also appropriate to light earlier, beginning Shabbat slightly before dark on Shabbat eve. She thought to kindle the lights much earlier, on Shabbat eve, long before nightfall.

An Elder said to her, we learned: As long as he neither lights too early nor too late.

(15) On the day that the mishkan (tabernacle) was set up, the cloud covered the mishkan, the Tent of the Pact; and in the evening it rested over the mishkan 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 ה' the Israelites broke camp, and at a command of ה' they made camp: they remained encamped as long as the cloud stayed over the mishkan. (19) When the cloud lingered over the mishkan many days, the Israelites observed ה's mandate and did not journey on. (20) At such times as the cloud rested over the mishkan for but a few days, they remained encamped at a command of ה', and broke camp at a command of ה'. (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 mishkan—the Israelites remained encamped and did not set out; only when it lifted did they break camp.

(23) On a sign from ה' they made camp and on a sign from ה' they broke camp; they observed ה's mandate at ה's bidding through Moses.

(1) (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 (on the shofar) 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 (kumah HaShem...)!” — 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.

(2) 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).

(1) AND WHEN THE CLOUD TARRIED. This means that if the cloud tarried upon the Tabernacle many days, and the place [where they happened to be camped] was not good in their eyes, so that they very much desired and wanted to journey away from there, they were nonetheless not to transgress the will of G-d; this being the meaning of the verse, and the children of Israel kept the charge of the Eternal, and journeyed not, namely that [it was only] because of their fear of G-d and because they kept the charge of His command that they did not journey. Similarly, if the cloud was there only a few days, for instance two or three days, and the people were very tired because their strength had weakened in the way, they would nonetheless fulfill the will of G-d and walk after the cloud. And Scripture further relates that sometimes they tarried for only one night and journeyed in the [next] morning, although it was a great strain for them. And at times the cloud tarried a day and a night, when they had journeyed throughout the night and arrived at that place in the morning, and the cloud stayed there all that day and all the night, and was taken up on the second morning and they journeyed. This was an even greater trouble for them than the previously-mentioned one, because the people would think that they were to stay there [for a long time], and would unload the wagons and lay down their burdens, as is the custom of those who come from a journey, and when the cloud was taken up they began reloading, and could not make any preparations for the journey. Whether it were two days, and they journeyed at night.
It is possible that it happened during their journeys that they had to do as is narrated here, and not in another way, namely that the cloud first tarried from evening until morning, then a day and night, then two days, then a month and finally a year. This is why Scripture mentioned these periods in detail. It [the cloud] would also tarry for many years, as Scripture mentioned at the beginning [of this section], such as in Kadesh of which Scripture states, And ye abode in Kadesh many days, according to the days that ye abode there.

(36) And when it halted, he would say:

Return, O ה',

You who are Israel’s myriads of thousands!

Go and see, the Ark would travel with a distance of three days in front of them: the Shechinah (symbolized by the nun) would not separate herself from it, and would travel with it. And because of his love for Israel the nun turns its face and turns back to the Ark, similar to a young deer that keeps turning her face back to the place she left when she goes forth. Therefore when the Ark set forth, the nun turned her face towards the children of Israel and the shoulders of her body towards the Ark.

And with this the Ark would set travel: Moshe would say: Rise up, Ad-nai - [means] ‘do not forsake us and turn Your face towards us’ then the nun turned its front backwards to us like this. Like one who turns his face to someone who loves him and that,when the Ark began to rest, she [the Shechinah] turned back her face from Israel and turned her face towards the Ark.

(1) "And it was, when the ark traveled"(Bamidbar 10:35): There are signs (inverted nuns) before (this verse) and after (the next verse). Rabbi says: Because it is a book in itself — whence they ruled: A [Torah] scroll which was erased, and there remained eighty-five letters, as in the section "And it was, when the ark traveled" [imparts tumah to the hands]. R. Shimon says: There are signs before and after because this is not its place. What should have been written [immediately]? "And the people were as complainers." (Bamidbar 11:1) An analogy: Some men say to the king: Would you please accompany us to the governor of Acco? They arrive at Acco — he has gone to Tyre. They arrive at Tyre — he has gone to Tziddon. They arrive at Tziddon — he has gone to Antochia. They arrive at Antochia — some of them start complaining against the king for having put them to all of this trouble! It is the king who should complain, for having been put to all of this trouble for their sakes! Similarly, on that day the Shechinah traveled a three-days journey, so that they could [immediately] enter Eretz Yisrael — and they began to complain before Him for having been put to all of that trouble! It is God (if anyone) who should have complained! For it was for their sakes that the Shechinah was thus constrained!

And Moses said, rise up, Ad-nai," and another verse says: "At Ad-nai's command they rested and at Ad-nai'scommand they journeyed".[How can these two verses be reconciled?] To what may this be compared? To a king who was going on a journey accompanied by his closest friend. When he resumes his journey he says: I shall not go forward until my friend gives the order, and when he halts he says: I shall not halt until my friend says he is ready to halt. This reconciles the verses "And Moses said, rise up, Ad-nai" and Ad-nai's command they rested and at command they journeyed."