"And Hashem went before them by day in a column of cloud, to guide them in the way and by night in a column of fire to give them light; to go by day and night. He did not cause the column of cloud to depart by day, nor the column of fire by night, before the people."
The Jewish path of teshuva includes a commitment to know Hashem by spending time with Him every day. Our primary meeting place is tefillah, prayer. We focus in tefillah despite the fact that the brightness of day spotlights the details of the mundane world, distracting us and threatening to prevent His drawing near. "Ruach" (spirit/wind) moves a cloud to shield us, softening the sun's glare while promising life-giving rain. Hashem likewise protects us through "a column of cloud" brought down to our level, that we may reach him through the very details that distract us.
Rashi tells us that, "a column of cloud to guide them in the way" served "to divide the camp of Egypt from the camp of Israel and to absorb the arrows and missiles of the Egyptians." This "cloud" is a Presence before us during prayer designed to protect our busy daytime minds from getting lost in excessive thinking. The yetzer hara, in its desperation to drag us back, shoots all kinds of extraneous thoughts to put the brakes on our spiritual journey. The cloud absorbs them as a filter, allowing some thoughts to be transformed into vehicles for d'vakut, cleaving to Hashem.
After the enthusiasm of the day is depleted, a period of decline and foreboding set in. At this point, we need a different kavanah, or mental process/intent, for our tefilla to flow with Hashem. We face the darkness and confusion with "a column of fire to give them light." Fire is the inspiration of a common vision. It is the affirmation of life, the warmth of relationship. It is kindled in our memory of leaving Egypt then and now, and ignited in "Shema Yisrael" as our voices embrace in care and vision.
The Shema is the kavanah par excellance to prepare for prayer. And just as the Torah teaches us to say it in the day and in the night, it tells us the columns are formed "to go by day and night."
Why is it expressed in terms of a "column?" As related in Genesis, man is created in the "image" and "likeness" of the divine. The hallmark of Jewish spiritual expression is the Amida, the "standing prayer." Israel is also called yeshurun (upright). Just as the Divine Presence, the Shechina, is represented by an upright cloud, so, too, do we stand in the form of the One to whom we aspire in love and awe.
Thus we see the Creator represented in His creation. Drawing down the Shechina/column requires our cooperation, becoming in a sense our own creation. And just as we take the form of our Creator, our inner spiritual process takes the form of the "column" we require during the Amida.
Architecturally, a column is rooted in the earth and realizes its purpose -- physical support -- at its top. It thereby consists of three parts: a base, a shaft, and capital. So it is with us (our column of intent also has three components, only inverted-we take the image of the Creator, not the created).
With our intellect as a solid base, our intent informs the emotions that support our actions, our purpose. Keter (the will) births the mind's basis for a kavanah; tiferet (beauty/truth) is it's heart manifestation, and yesod (foundation/relationship) is our physical relationship to Hashem's Divine Presence, represented as malchut (manifestation) -- from the placing of our feet to the breath of our speech. This array -- keter, tiferet, yesod, malchut -- is in fact described in kabala as "the central column." Thus, by directing wholesome intent through this process as we enter the Amida, we help bring down the Shechina, the "column" that guides us to Hashem and gives us light to manage His world.
So we see the need for kavanah in prayer. But Hashem does not want us to stop there: "Hashem went before them by day in a column of cloud…" "Halach" (went) comes from the same root as halacha, "the law." Thus the same phrase may be rendered: "Hashem's law before them by day in a column of cloud…" Since we found that kavanah is required to form our cloud, we must first generate this kavanah to properly fulfill His law. This includes not only Shema and Amida, but also the other aspects of our lives under the guidance of halacha -- from getting up to lying down -- all aspects "to guide them in the way."
In this era of three-minute Amidas, one wonders whether we are attaining the kavanah we are capable of. Some do not have the time for a long Shacharit. Others say they can't understand the Hebrew or don't identify with the English translation, while a few assert they don't have the patience. By blaming circumstances for sub-par mitzvah observance, we are blaming Hashem. But Hashem reminds us that "He did not cause the column of cloud to depart…before the people;" the people themselves let it depart, then as well as now. In truth, when we practice the intent symbolized by the column, the excuses dissolve and we are left basking in the Presence of Hakodesh Boruch-Hu.
In the Beit Hamikdash, there was the appearance of a column of cloud (really smoke) by day and, when there was enough to burn, a column of fire by night. May we merit to build it in our day, columns and all.