Exodus: Gift of Light

As the people of Israel are leaving Egypt, the Lord is present as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.[footnote:Ex. 13:21.] This is a very touching gesture, He does not just lead Moses, or tell Moses where to go, the presence of the Lord is manifest --- visible --- for the whole people. The Lord is not the “light at the end of the tunnel,” He is the light that immediately illuminates and guides along the path. The Lord is not at the end of the journey, the Lord is present as a guide. The Lord does not refuse to be with His people until they go out to meet Him, He is already present, but guides His people towards a new plenitude, the possession of His gift. In order for the children of Israel to enter into possession of the gift of God --- the promised land --- they must be guided by the Lord. The Lord Himself is present along the way in order to prove, in a manner of speaking, the sweetness of life with Him and the goodness of the gifts He has to give. The pillar of cloud, according to Rabbinical tradition, made the painful and burdensome desert life more pleasant: “What is that coming up from the desert like a cloud of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of the merchant.”[footnote:The Song of Songs, 3:6; Voix de la Thora: l'Exode, p. 139; Ex. 13:21.] The Lord gives a destination to the journey, but He does not simply wait for the people in the promised land. The children of Israel are going to Canaan to worship the Eternal, but not because that is where He lives.