Divine Protection In Galut

We are told that during the forty years that the Jewish people were in the desert, they were protected by the ענני הכבוד, “the Clouds of Glory.”

There was also a description of the clouds that rested on the Mishkan by day, and a pillar of fire was there at night. The Jewish people merited to be able to see a constant miraculous sight. It was clear that these clouds and this pillar of fire, were sent from Hashem to keep the Jewish people safe.

The Avnei Ezel noted that the last two words of the Book of Shemot, ends with the words, לכל מסעיהם, translated as, “in all their travels.” The literal translation would indicate that it was referring to all of the traveling in the desert.

If this was the explanation, those two words, בכל מסעיהם, were not needed. They were inserted to teach us that we would never be forsaken by Hashem in all of our bitter travels in the Galut, exile. When the situation for the Jews was somewhat tolerable when they were in different countries, that was a hint to the pillar of cloud by day. The pillar of fire by night was a reference to the most bitter times that Jews needed to endure, when we suffered the worst persecution. The fire will be the guarantee that the “pintele yid,” the flicker of a Jew, would never be extinguished.

We must recognize the incredible miracle of our existence, despite the nearly two thousand year old Galut. No nation on earth ever survived such hardships, and again flourished.

We acknowledge this on Pesach night at the Seder, when we recognize that it was only because of Hashem’s abundant kindness that we survived. We must remind ourselves that we are never alone, and we must not lose hope. The same G-d that protected our ancestors in the desert, continues to protect us until this very day.