Pillars of Cloud and Fire (Parashat P'kudei)

By the end of this week's Torah portion, P'kudei, the Tabernacle has been completed. The past weeks that we have spent reading about the details of the materials of the Mishkan, their sources and implementation have come to a close and we should have our place where God can dwell within us. But at the very end of the Torah portion we read, "Over the Mishkan a cloud of the Eternal rested by day, and a fire would appear in the cloud by night, in view of all the house of Israel throughout their journeys" (Exodus 40:38). It seems that even though we have completed this dwelling place for God, this sanctuary for God, we still need to be reminded of God's presence.

The pillar of cloud and fire has been with us since nearly the very beginning of Exodus, a symbol of God's presence and protection. It stood between us and the Egyptians, it guided us from one encampment to another. And now that we have the Mishkan, it takes up its place letting us know when to move and when not to move. The Mishkan is not enough. It is not enough for us to have a place to worship God, a place for God to dwell with us. We also need a tangible sense of God's presence, something we can see and maybe even feel, the column of cloud, the warmth of the fire. Today, it isn't as easy to see God's presence before us. We don't always know when it is time to move and when it is time to stay put. We must look deeper, into ourselves and into the world, to get these signals today.