Parshat Pekudai

The last pasuk of the parsha concludes Sefer Shemot:

"For the cloud of Hashem was upon the Mishkan by day, and fire was there by night, before the eyes of all of Bnei Yisrael, throughout all their journeys."

We’ve already seen the Shechinah at Har Sinai, when the cloud covered the mountain at Matan Torah. Now, the same cloud rests on the Mishkan, signifying Hashem’s presence dwelling among Klal Yisrael.

The Ramban calls Sefer Shemot "Sefer HaGeulah"—the Book of Redemption—because it tells the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim and the beginning of Klal Yisrael’s journey toward their ultimate destiny. But even after leaving Mitzrayim, their geulah wasn’t complete. They still had a long way to go to become a true nation of Hashem. The sefer ends with two nissim that would accompany them throughout their journey:

1. *The Cloud* – On the one hand, it’s completely ruchni, intangible and beyond physical reality. But at the same time, clouds bring rain, which sustains the gashmiyut of the world.

2. *The Fire* – Like the cloud, it has both a ruchniyut and gashmiyut aspect. Fire is an untouchable, almost spiritual force, yet it enables construction, energy, and sustenance—driving the physical world, especially in modern times.

These two elements—cloud and fire—represent the duality of Klal Yisrael’s avodah. As they journey through the midbar, they must develop the ruach necessary to carry them for forty years and prepare them to enter Eretz Yisrael with kedushah. But they also need to take the great spiritual light of the Mishkan and bring it into their daily lives. The mann won’t always fall, Hashem won’t always fight their battles for them, and if they want a place for the Shechinah to dwell, they’ll have to build it themselves.

The Gemara in Taanit (7a) discusses why rain might stop falling, linking it to Klal Yisrael’s spiritual state. While science today explains weather patterns, the Torah doesn’t contradict that—it adds a deeper layer, showing that the world’s physical state reflects its spiritual reality.

This balance between ruchniyut and gashmiyut is why Hashem chose fire and cloud to lead Bnei Yisrael—representing Torah and avodah, neshamah and guf. The need for a strong Torah foundation is clearer than ever. In Eretz Yisrael, more institutions and leaders are embracing emunah, yet the ultimate goal isn’t just a Jewish state, but a state that reveals Hashem’s Name in the world.

The challenge of our generation is merging the Torah, refined through millennia of galut, with the young, growing State of Israel. With the eish and anan Hashem gave us, we must bring this fusion to life in the best possible way.

Shabbat shalom,

Rav Ari Haber