Appreciating G-d’s Eternal Gifts to the Jewish People in the Desert - the Clouds Of Glory, the Manna & the Well

From the Talks of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Zt”l

Our Sages discuss the clouds of glory, the well and the manna we read about in this week's Torah portion, Chukat.

The clouds of glory surrounded the Jews and guarded them. They protected them from the wind, killed snakes and serpents, leveled the mountains as they walked through the desert and cleaned their clothes.

The manna was the food the Jewish people ate in the desert. It had any taste a person wanted; each individual experienced a different flavor when he ate it. Ingested and assimilated into the Jew's physical body, it became part and parcel of their flesh and innermost being.

Provided in the Merit of Miriam

The well, provided by G-d in the merit of Miriam, supplied the Jews with water. Water, although not a food in its own right, is nonetheless the means by which nourishment is transported to all parts of the body.

Allegorically speaking, these three phenomena -- the clouds, the manna and the well -- are also found in Torah. Like the clouds, the Torah protects us from without. Like the manna, it enriches our inner being and becomes united with it. And like water, Torah is the means by which these inner and outer qualities are conveyed to all Jews.

Let us look at each of these phenomena individually:

Understanding the Uniqueness of Every Jew

The manna, which permeated the Jew's inner essence, was not given in an equal manner or in equal proportions to everyone. Righteous people were given manna that was ready to eat; the wicked had to grind and cook it to make it edible. Why? Because internally, every Jew is different.

For one Jew, reciting "Shema Yisrael" is enough to fulfill the mitzva of learning Torah, yet another must sit and study a whole day! The Torah's demands are dependent on a person's individual situation and circumstances; his obligations are in exact proportion to his ability.

The clouds, by contrast, surrounded all the Jews equally, without distinction. The clouds protected everyone, in a place rampant with snakes and scorpions. The desert is symbolic of this world, in which people often encounter difficulties. Similarly, the Torah encompasses all Jews, protecting every member of the Jewish people. The essence of the Jewish soul is the same in every Jew. Likewise, the Torah belongs equally to all of us.

The Power of the Torah to Effect Every Jew

Lastly, water flows from a high place to a low place. (In fact, the Torah has descended from the very highest of spheres to the lowest -- the physical world in which we live.) It conveys the Torah's "manna" and the Torah's "clouds of glory" to every Jew. And when a Jew reads the Torah, he receives its "manna" and "clouds" -- even if he does not understand the meaning of the words.

Reprinted from the Parshat Chukat 1997/5757 (Issue #476) edition of L’Chaim Weekly, a publication of the Lubavitch Youth Organization in Brooklyn, NY. Adapted from Likutei Sichot, Volume 2.