A Soulful Journey

It is written, "And God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud . . . and by night in a pillar of fire" ( Exodus 13:21 ). But how is it possible to say this? Is it not written, "The whole earth is filled with His glory"? ( Isaiah 6:3 ). Rabbi Antoninos explained this with the following example: A king once sat in judgment and remained in court until after dark. His children remained in court so that they would be able to accompany him home. When the king left for his palace, he took a lantern and carried it, lighting the way for his children. His officers and nobles saw this and offered to carry the lantern for the king. The king then told them, "I do not carry the lamp because I lack someone else to carry it. I carry it to show my love for my children." Rabbi Antoninos explained that the same is true of God. He reveals His glory before His children as an expression of love for them.  - Mekhlita

Why was the Torah given in the wilderness and not in Israel? To teach us that just as the desert is free and available to all people, so God’s Torah applies, at least in its basic teachings, to the nations fo the world, not to the Jews alone .   - Rabbi Israel Leventhal

All journeys can serve as a means of repairing one’s faith. Sometimes a person travels because he feels unsure that God can provide from him where he is; this is a sign of blemished emunah (faith). Later, when he makes another journey, he can repair the damage to faith that made him take the earlier trip. This is true of the individual just as it was of the Jewish people as a whole in their journeys through the desert. -Rebbe Nachman Our life is a journey. Faith will steer us, if we let it.