The Cloud הענן
- Leann Shamash
- Jul 2
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 2
#parshatchukat #chukat #seferbamidbar #bamidbar #bookofnumbers #aaron #moses #miriam #aaronsdeath #miriamsdeath #parshathashavua #summerparsha #wordshavewings #thecloud #הענן
And so it goes… the Torah text has taken a huge jump and without so much as a whisper we have leaped forward 38 years. Seemingly the old generation has nearly died off and the Hebrews are soon to inhabit The Land, when abruptly and without warning Miriam dies. The text says nothing of a mourning period for this leader who is associated with water, song and dance.
A few short paragraphs later and Moshe has disobeyed (accidentally? Forgetfully?? From the grief of his sister's death?) Gd’s command to speak to the rock that will provide water. Instead, Moshe hits the stone and his punishment is delivered swiftly. This great and humble leader, will never set foot on The Land.
Shortly after this Moshe is instructed, קַ֚ח אֶֽת־אַהֲרֹ֔ן וְאֶת־אֶלְעָזָ֖ר בְּנ֑וֹ וְהַ֥עַל אֹתָ֖ם הֹ֥ר הָהָֽר׃ or "Take Aaron and his son Elazar to the mountain of Hor. There Aaron is sent to die with a kiss from Gd as the priesthood is transmitted to a new generation.
The Midrash wonders about these three amazing leaders and how they helped to watch over the Hebrews in the desert.
Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: Three good sustainers rose up for the Jewish people during the exodus from Egypt, and they are: Moses, Aaron and Miriam. And three good gifts were given from Heaven through their agency, and these are they: The well of water, the pillar of cloud, and the manna. He elaborates: The well was given to the Jewish people in the merit of Miriam; the pillar of cloud was in the merit of Aaron; and the manna in the merit of Moses. When Miriam died the well disappeared, as it is stated: “And Miriam died there” (Numbers 20:1), and it says thereafter in the next verse: “And there was no water for the congregation” (Numbers 20:2). But the well returned in the merit of both Moses and Aaron. When Aaron died the clouds of glory disappeared, as it is stated: “And the Canaanite, the king of Arad heard” (Numbers 33:40). Ta'anit 9:9
(For the remainder of this midrash, see https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/577732.2?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=bi
All this time in the desert this people, consistently ungrateful and questioning, have had Divine protection, under the umbrella of their three great leaders, Moshe, Miriam and Aaron.
These protections cease as the leaders meet their ends and this new generation that has not known the effects of slavery is left to fend for themselves and to live their lives more independently, without the benefits of the water, The Cloud and the mannah.
I wonder what characterized this cloud (הענן)? For all of us, there is the indescribable awe of witnessing something remarkable for the first time. Think of it, the magnificence of a mountain, a volcano, the sea or A Cloud that covers the Mishkan for the first time with new eyes that are filled with awe. With time, though, even amazing scenes lose their impact when seen every day and we begin to take these things for granted. So it is with The Clouds that are suspended over the Mishkan. This is a story of seeing until gradually we do not see at all and then day comes when we wish we could see that thing again, even for a brief moment.
Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until we lose it.
This weekend that celebrates these United States of America, I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
Perhaps take some time to see this country with fresh eyes over the next few days.
May we hear and experience good news.
Leann
P.S. I regret that I did not also write about the death of Miriam this week. As much as people took The Cloud for Aaron for granted, the water merited by Miriam was also taken for granted, until it was gone. The obvious lesson here, not to take for granted what we have and those who populate our lives.
The Cloud. הענן
He cowered when he first saw it, hiding his eyes and crouching like a child.
They said that it was the cloud that God dwelled in.
The Cloud. The Cloud that would protect them from harm.
Slowly he lifted his eyes and dared to look and it was with new, fresh eyes that he saw it.
How he marveled! He was in awe of the sheer size of The Cloud, at its shimmering middle, its wild sculpted edges. The cloud pulsated as though it breathed. It swayed and bobbled and exuded power.
He was transfixed as it hovered over the Mishkan as if it was suspended between
heaven and earth.
It was Jacob's ladder, it was as though Sinai itself became a cloud and hovered in the sky!
It was a miracle!
He looked and looked and he blessed.
He felt small, but safe and seen.
The next morning he woke up. He ventured quickly to the door of his ten and marveled that The Cloud was still there. He noticed its great size, the colors that radiated from the top to the bottom that hung over the Mishkan.
He looked and marveled but then he walked away. After all, there were things to do.
For the next week, his eyes, not quite as fresh as before, took note when he emerged from his tent and then with occasional glances during the day, to check if the cloud remained.
By the second week he barely noticed the cloud. Grateful for its presence he was, but he no longer carried that same awe in his eyes. He lifted his head and there it was and then he went on about his day.
By the next year he barely noticed The Cloud. He paid his perfunctory respects but, the majesty, The Cloud's glory and deeper meaning loosened and fell away.
This continued from father to son. The Cloud remained a staple; scanned and noted , but maybe taken for granted. Seen less and less, like a fading moon.
Then one day The Cloud was gone. The man, his son and others awoke from their beds and
The Cloud and its protections had disappeared.
I
Never again in his lifetime would he see The Cloud and benefit from The Protection it offered.
Never again would he see its size, its trembling magnificence, its majesty, so long taken for granted.
If he could just see that cloud one more time he would see it through fresh eyes again.
He promised himself.
Just one more time.
He blinked, but this time it was tears he blinked away.
**********
Farewell, Aharon Ben Amram v’Yochevet and The Cloud that hung over the Mishkan in your merit.
Links to learn more about the deaths of Miriam, Aaron and Moshe
Other Posts from Words Have Wings on Parshat Chukat
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/thirty-eight-years THIRTY EIGHT YEARS
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/sing-a-new-song SING A NEW SONG
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/the-staff-of-moses THE STAFF OF MOSES
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/with-these-hands WITH THESE HANDS
הענן
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