In Perek Shirah, the ancient Midrash that
lists the philosophical and ethical lessons to be learned
from the natural world, one of the songs is that of the
ananei hakovod, which literally means "the clouds of
glory": "The clouds of glory are saying, `Also He burdens
the thick cloud with an overflow; the thin cloud scatters
its light' (Iyov 37:11)."
The "clouds of glory" refers to thin clouds that do not rain
but instead have only the effect of scattering the sun's
light, thereby forming beautiful and glorious patterns in
the sky. Even if they only absorb a tiny amount of sunlight,
scattering it evenly and thereby appearing to be white, they
present a spectacular contrast to the blue skies; when they
refract the light unevenly and produce striking shades of
red and orange, they are all the more magnificent.
The commentaries on Perek Shirah explain that the
lesson contained therein is as follows. The rain contained
by the thick clouds, albeit a blessing, blocks out the
sunlight. Rain is called geshem in the Torah, the
source of the word gashmiyus, physicality. Rain
represents the material blessings of this world. Immersion
in the material pleasures of this world can obscure the
light of the heavens. One can forget about the ultimate
source of life and light -- Hashem.
Light, thin clouds represent the purging of gross
materialism -- they allow the sunlight to shine through.
More: by doing so, they become things of glorious beauty,
sometimes producing the most beautiful aerial sight of all --
a rainbow. The song of these clouds is that Hashem "burdens
the thick cloud with an overflow; the thin cloud scatters
its light." If we purge ourselves of the grossness of this
physical, material world, if we become as ethereal and as
spiritual as the glorious delicate clouds, then we will
merit diffracting the light of Hashem.
The thin water vapor of the skies not only enhances the
sunlight; it also protects us from it. When we rub the sleep
from our eyes in the morning, or yawn with exhaustion in the
evening, it would be difficult if we also had to shield our
eyes from the dangerous glare of the sun. Fortunately, at
such times the sun is lower in the sky and therefore its
light must pass through a far greater thickness of
atmosphere to reach us. The atmosphere contains a large
amount of water vapor, which scatters away most of the
shortwave radiation, producing a hazy red sky. The result is
that we are able to look at the filtered light without
suffering harm.
There are spiritual forms of light, too, which possess too
strong a glare and must be filtered. For example, when
Hashem traveled with the Jewish people in the wilderness, He
was clothed with a cloud. The essence of Hashem is too
overwhelming for man to be exposed to it -- indeed, the
Midrash states that when the nation heard Hashem
speak at Sinai, their souls departed from them -- and Hashem
must therefore conceal His radiance somewhat by use of a
cloud.
Similarly, certain parts of the Torah are too lofty to be
exposed fully to the masses. They are therefore clothed in
riddles and parables, which cloud their true meaning. The
result is that the unsophisticated are not confused by them,
while scholars are able to penetrate the cloud and ascertain
their true meaning.
The song of the thin clouds is performed by their scattering
the light of the sun. Some light is too bright for us to
stare at, and these clouds remind us to be grateful that
Hashem conceals that which we are not ready to absorb. "Also
He burdens the thick cloud with an overflow; the thin cloud
scatters its light."
Rabbi Nosson Slifkin teaches at Yeshivas Ohr Somayach in
Jerusalem. He is currently preparing an English elucidation
of Perek Shirah entitled Nature's Song for
publication.
