What Happened to the Clouds of Glory?
Throughout the Israelites long sojourn in the harsh desert, all their physical needs were miraculously supplied. Manna came down from heaven each morning, while water flowed from a rock. The Israelites were also surrounded by special protective clouds, which served a multitude of purposes, from clearing away dangerous pests, to sheltering them from the scorching desert sun, flattening the ground and guiding them on their way. The Talmudic sages teach that water was provided in the merit of Miriam the Prophetess, the older sister of Moses. They deduce this from the fact that immediately after the Torah informs us of Miriams passing, it states, The congregation had no water; so they assembled against Moses and Aaron. The people complained bitterly: Why have you brought the congregation of the Lrd to this desert so that we and our livestock should die there? This led to the infamous incident of Moses striking the rock, even though he had been instructed to speak to it to restore the water supply to the Israelites. Likewise, the rabbis taught that the clouds of glory were provided in the merit of Aaron, Moses older brother. They derive this from the fact that the Torah informs us of an attack by one of the Canaanite kings immediately after we are told about Aarons passing. As Rashi explains, He heard that Aaron had died and the clouds of glory had departed. This knowledge emboldened the king to launch an attack on the Israelites, as he surmised that they were now unprotected. Eventually, the Israelites successfully counterattacked and beat the Canaanites back. According to some traditions, the clouds were restored in the merit of Moses. We read about a massive backlash when the water stopped upon Miriams death, and we also are told how it was restored by Moses. In the case of the clouds disappearing upon Aarons death, however, we do not hear of any protest, nor are we told in which way they returned. This is clearly impossible, as the Israelites took several further journeys after Aarons passing, including going backwards into the desert, and would have still required the services provided by the clouds  protecting them from the perils of the wild wastelands. More than One Kind of Cloud To shed light on this perplexing problem, the Rebbe offers insight into the role of the clouds, with attention to the minutest detail. The Rebbe explains that according to Rashi and those Midrashic sources, there is indeed an important distinction. Clouds of glory refers to those clouds whose entire purpose was to honor the Israelites with a visible manifestation of the Divine Presence. They were, as their name implies, intended to bring glory to the Children of Israel. But when the term clouds is used alone, it refers to the many practical services they provided, such as shielding the Israelites from the harsh desert climate and protecting them from violent attacks. Those functions of the clouds were not for glory, but were key to their ability to survive in the wilderness.