Clouds

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The Covenant of the Rainbow

TANAKH

The rainbow in the clouds is a symbol of God's everlasting covenant with all living creatures, ensuring that a flood will never again destroy all life on earth. The book of Genesis recounts the story of Noah and the flood, highlighting the rainbow as a sign of God's promise to humanity.

When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature among all flesh, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures, all flesh that is on earth.

Genesis 9:14-16

The Sweetening of Rainwater in the Clouds

MIDRASH

The rabbis of the Talmudic era were fascinated by natural phenomena and sought to understand them through a theological lens. The early medieval midrash Bereshit Rabbah, a talmudic-era midrashic work on the book of Genesis, offers a detailed discussion on how clouds function to purify and distill rainwater, reflecting the sages' diverse opinions on the origin and nature of rain.

From where does the earth receive its [rain] water? Rabbi Eliezer says: From the water of the ocean, as it is written: “A mist would rise from the earth.” Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: But is the ocean water not salty? He said to him: It becomes sweetened in the clouds, as it is written: “Which the skies distill” (Job 36:28). Where is it distilled? In the skies. Rabbi Yehoshua says: [Rain comes] from the upper waters, as it is stated: “By the rains of the heavens it drinks water” (Deuteronomy 11:11)…

Bereshit Rabbah 13:10

The Cause of Thunder

TALMUD

The rabbis offered various explanations for the phenomenon of thunder, attributing it to different natural causes. The Babylonian Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, in tractate Berakhot, records these rabbinic opinions.

We also learned in the mishna that over thunder one recites: Whose strength and power fill the world. The Gemara asks: What causes thunder? Shmuel said: When the clouds located in the curvature of the firmament collide with the firmament itself, they produce this sound, as it is stated: “The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightning lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook” (Psalms 77:19). And the Rabbis say: Thunder is the sound of clouds pouring water into one another…

Berakhot 59a:7

A Vision of Storm and Radiance

TANAKH

The vivid and dramatic imagery of a stormy wind, a huge cloud, flashing fire, and a radiant glow with a gleam of amber creates a powerful and awe-inspiring vision. The prophet Ezekiel, speaking from Babylonian exile, describes the meteorological effects that accompanied his vision of the divine.

I looked, and lo, a stormy wind came sweeping out of the north—a huge cloud and flashing fire, surrounded by a radiance; and in the center of it, in the center of the fire, a gleam as of amber.

Ezekiel 1:4

The Guiding Cloud

SECOND TEMPLE

The Torah describes a pillar of cloud guiding and protecting the Israelites in their journey through the wilderness. Philo of Alexandria, a 1st-century Jewish philosopher, describes this miracle in his work on Moses' life, including a theory that the purpose of the cloud was to veil an angel.

[166] A cloud shaped like a tall pillar, the light of which in the day-time was as the sun and in night as flame, went before the host, so that they should not stray in their journey, but follow in the steps of a guide who could never err. Perhaps indeed there was enclosed within the cloud one of the lieutenants of the great King, an unseen angel, a forerunner on whom the eyes of the body were not permitted to look.

On the Life of Moses, Book I 29:4

The Illuminating and Obscuring Clouds

KABBALAH

The Zohar distinguishes between two types of clouds: one that illuminates and another that obscures, symbolizing different spiritual states. This foundational Kabbalistic text, traditionally attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, explores deep mystical concepts through esoteric interpretations of the Torah.

“A great cloud” indicates the cloud of darkness that darkened the whole world. Observe the difference between this cloud and the other cloud. Of the other cloud it is written: “And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day” (Num. 10, 34), also, “and thy cloud standeth over them” (Ibid. 14, 14), indicating the bright and luminous cloud wherein there are visible all varieties of light. But this cloud is the cloud of utter darkness that prevents any light whatever from penetrating through it.

Zohar, Vayakhel 12:165

The Revelation at Mount Sinai

LITURGY

The dramatic revelation of God at Mount Sinai, with its dense cloud, thunder, lightning, and shofar blasts, left an indelible mark on the Jewish people and the world. The Musaf Amidah prayer on the second day of Rosh Hashanah in the Ashkenazi tradition reflects on this awe-inspiring event, emphasizing God's majesty and the giving of the Torah.

You were revealed in Your cloud of glory to Your holy people to speak to them. From the heavens, You let them hear Your voice, and revealed Yourself to them in pure clouds. So too, the entire world quivered before You, and the works of creation trembled before You, when You, our King revealed Yourself upon Mount Sinai to teach Your people Torah and mitzvos. You let them hear the majestic splendor of Your voice, and Your holy words from flames of fire; amidst thunder and lightning You revealed Yourself to them, and with the sound of a shofar, You appeared to them…

Machzor Rosh Hashanah Ashkenaz, Musaf, Second Day of Rosh Hashana, Amidah 43

The Divine Process of Rain Formation

TARGUM

The Targum Jonathan offers a mystical and vivid description of how rain is formed, connecting it to divine processes. This Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible expands on the biblical verse describing a mist watering the ground as part of the creation of the world.

But a cloud of glory descended from the throne of glory, and was filled with waters from the ocean, and afterward went up from the earth, and gave rain to come down and water all the face of the ground.

Targum Jonathan on Genesis 2:6

Light Through the Clouds

CHASIDUT

How do you experience light through a cloud, as opposed to directly from the sun? In Sha’ar HaYichud, Rabbi Dov Baer Schneuri, the second rebbe of Chabad, uses an analogy of light through a cloud to explore concepts of contemplation, the divine, and analogy itself.

This was explained elsewhere, by way of example, from the light of the sun as it radiates through a cloud; that its light is increased there and is more recognizable than [when looking at the light that comes from] the body of the sun itself.

The Gate of Unity 46:20

Blessings for Lightning and Thunder

HALAKHAH

The specific conditions for reciting a blessing for lightning and thunder are detailed, including the need to repeat the blessing if the clouds disperse. The Kitzur Shulchan Arukh, a 19th-century condensed code of Jewish law, provides practical guidance on daily observance, including blessings for natural phenomena.

As long as the clouds have not scattered, one berachah exempts all [the lightning and thunder that may occur]. But if the clouds dispersed and the skies became clear between thunder claps and lightning flashes, you must repeat the berachah. A flash of lightning unaccompanied by thunder, [i.e., lightning] that is caused by the heat, is not considered real lightning and requires no berachah.

Kitzur Shulchan Arukh 60:3

The Divine Cloud on Mount Sinai

TANAKH

Descriptions of the encounters with God on Mount Sinai are full of clouds. The book of Exodus describes the cloud that covered Mount Sinai when Moses ascended the mountain.

When Moses had ascended the mountain, the cloud covered the mountain. The Presence of יהוה abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud hid it for six days. On the seventh day [God] called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.

Exodus 24:15-16

Uplifting Hearts and Hands

COMMENTARY

The Book of Ecclesiastes includes an ambiguously worded verse about raising up hearts. Rashi, in his renowned 11th-century commentary on the Tanakh, gives multiple possible interpretations of the word "palms" which appears in the verse, including associating the word with clouds.

Let us uplift our hearts together with our hands. When we lift up our hands to heaven let us also lift up our hearts with them to return, to bring back our hearts before the Omnipresent, Blessed is He. Another explanation: “With our hands.” אֶל כַּפָּיִם means] to the clouds, to heaven, as [Scripture] states, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s palm, rising.” And similarly, “Over the clouds He covers the rain.” But the Midrash of our Rabbis [states], “Let us uplift our hearts” sincerely to the Holy One, Blessed Is He, like a person who washes his hands to clean them…

Rashi on Lamentations 3:41:1

Faith Amid Uncertainty

TANAKH

Living with unpredictability and finding faith and joy amid uncertainty is symbolized by the sukka and the Clouds of Glory. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks explores how a humble sukka, representing a temporary and fragile dwelling, is sufficient for protection and glory when one has faith.

On Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur we pray to be written into the Book of Life. On Sukkot we rejoice because we believe we have received a positive answer to our prayers. But as we turn to face the coming year, we acknowledge at the outset that life is fragile, vulnerable in a dozen different ways. We do not know what our health will be, what our career or livelihood will be, or what will happen to society and to the world. We cannot escape exposure to risk. That is what life is.

I Believe; A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible, Emor; Radical Uncertainty 21

The Movement of the Cloud

COMMENTARY

After the dedication of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the divine cloud rested on it, and the cloud would rise up to indicate the time for breaking camp and guide the people to the next location. Rashi, in his renowned 11th-century commentary on the Torah, delves into the linguistic subtleties of the verb describing the cloud's movement.

העלות הענן — Understand this as the Targum does: the departure (more lit., the raising itself). Similar is, (v. 21): תעלה הענן which means “when the cloud raised itself” (departed; in both cases the verbs are Niphal). It would not be correct to have written in these passages ולפי עֲלוֹת הענן and וְעָלָה הענן (the verbs in the Kal), because this would not be an expression denoting departure, but “springing forth” and “rising”, just as, (1 Kings 18:44): “Behold a little cloud as small as a man’s hand rises (עלה) from the sea."

Rashi on Numbers 9:17:1

The Swift Cloud of Redemption

MUSAR

The ingathering of the exiles is likened to a swift cloud, indicating that when the time comes for the Messiah, the process will happen quickly. The Chafetz Chaim, Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, emphasizes the importance of actively awaiting the Messiah and doing everything possible to hasten the redemption.

Now, a person could think that the ingathering itself will extend for several years. However, in truth, this is not so, for the Holy One, blessed is He, makes all the preparations for this ahead of time, so that when the time comes, it will not take a long time. This is as written, “Though he may tarry, wait for him.” Lest you say, “Will not the ingathering itself be drawn over an extended period of time?” In answer to this the verse continues, “for he shall surely come.” This means that when the time comes that Moshiach can come, it will not at all be delayed, as the verse states…

Ma'amar Tzipita LeYeshuah 2:9

Divine Provision Through Clouds

TANAKH

The Psalms, a collection of poetic expressions of faith, include verses that highlight God's control over natural elements like clouds, rain, and vegetation.

who covers the heavens with clouds,
provides rain for the earth,
makes mountains put forth grass;

Psalms 147:8

The Dual Nature of Clouds

HALAKHAH

Clouds serve as both a revelation and a concealment of the divine presence, moderating the intense divine illumination for human absorption. Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s contemporary work explores this dual nature of clouds, drawing on verses from Psalms and teachings from Tanya.

A cloud both reveals and conceals. On one hand, it is an expression of the Shekhina, but at the same time it conceals the intense divine illumination so that we can absorb it gradually. This is how God reveals Himself to us. First, He radiates a powerful illumination upon us, but since it is too powerful for us to comprehend, He masks it, so the light reaches us in accordance with our ability to absorb it. It is like the sun, which provides the world with energy, but since we cannot withstand its intensity, God created the atmosphere to protect us from its rays…

Peninei Halakhah, Sukkot 1:4:5

Landscape Study with Clouds, Emile Loubon, 1829-31

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