Many of us I suspect are aware of the Chinese surveillance balloon that has been floating over the country for several days.
The increase in cameras and other surveillance technologies makes us think at the same time about God’s watchful eye on us. Our tradition suggests God is always present, always aware, always paying attention.
God’s constant and watchful presence could feel as intrusive as surveillance, but the Torah tells a story, both in words, and later by implication, that while God is mindful of us, we have free will, and we’re ultimately responsible for our choices.
At this stage in our Torah reading, God is directly involved in shaping events around our ancestors. By the time we come to reading the Book of Psalms, Esther, and other books like it, God seldom engages directly with humanity anymore.
For the moment though, God is very much a part of the Exodus, and this a time when the people are in need of hand-holding, support, and help, and I believe we are living through a time now, similar to the emotional intensity of the Exodus in many ways. A time of transitions across the globe, a time of conflict, a time of strident voices, technological breakthroughs, with ripple effects in the world’s economies.
The example of God’s watchfulness I find most meaningful and helpful shows up in our Torah reading today in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
These phenomena guide our ancestors without interfering in their lives, without changing reality, without fanfare. This type of guidance and presence is gentle and reassuring.
Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo ben Isaac, explains the two pillars even act gently and respectfully with one another. They trade off with one another, when one sets for the day, the other comes out for the night, and so on.
It’s as though they are setting an example to the young nation of how to act as free people, allow the other space to be who they are and to become who they can be, just as we allow ourselves the space and time to develop ourselves. Now that we’re free, Pharaoh does not determine our fate anymore – we will determine our future and the quality of that future depends upon the quality of our relationships with God and with each other.
As it happens, I also believe God sends the cloud and fire so that our ancestors recognize it is in fact God who is involved and who is guiding them. Without these two pillars, our ancestors might choose to look up at the sun by day and the moon by night and think these represent God or they are gods themselves.
They also hint at an important lesson about tzedakah, about giving, which will be something new for our ancestors. The pillars of cloud and fire do not request offerings or worship. They give without expectation of receiving. They are there to help and guide and have no self-interest of their own, and nor does God at this point.
For this reason, our tradition sees this early time between the people and God as pure innocence and blessing.
The prophet Jeremiah shares God’s thoughts about this time, “Zacharti lach chesed ne’u’ra’yich, I remember these early days of lovingkindness, when you followed Me into the wilderness, into an unsown land.” (Jer. 2:2)
I wouldn’t mind having the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Selfishly, these would be comforting to me – I wonder if they’d be comforting to all of us?
Often what we need most in life is reassurance, reassurance things will turn work out somehow, reassurance we’re doing the best we can, reassurance we and the people we care about will have the opportunity to fulfill at least some of our potential.
The miracle at the sea that we sang today is a visual delight, an amazing story, a legend for all time, but it is basically a one time occurrence. Yes, the Jordan will yield for the Israelites to enter the Holy Land, but we all know the Jordan River isn’t so deep or wide, that later parting is a homage to the event at the Sea of Reeds.
The fire and cloud are constant and reliable. And maybe at some point our ancestors started to take the for granted, but being reliable and mindful of others never gets old, and we’re looking for reassurance and for God’s Presence today during these turbulent times, but unfortunately we don’t have the pillars of cloud and fire with us day and night. But maybe we can find the spirit of these inside of us, the warmth inside us, all 98.6 degrees of it, reminds us of the fire and the clouds in the sky and our breath that crystallizes in front of us in the cold air remind us of the pillar of cloud.
And let’s remember we are not on a new journey, we’re on the same journey our ancestors started when they left Egypt – they’re with us too, marching on either side, and so are our fellow community members here.
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