"Bigdei Kahuna" Parsha page by Rabbi Yehuda Katz

MISHPATIM

"And Moses went into the middle of the cloud............."(24:18)

Moshe is now going up Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah from G-d . Rashi comments on this verse as follows:" This cloud was like a kind of smoke, and G-d made for Moshe a path in the midst of it." (This is based on a Gemara in Yoma 4) What is the Torah teaching us in regard to this cloud that Moshe is entering into? I would like to propose the following original answer as follows, Bezrat Hashem: As we all know, smoke is derived from the burning (consuming) of an energy source. It is the residue resulting from the consumption of energy. People also consume energy, but for what purpose?
We can either us our energy in the pursuit of Torah and Mitzvoth, or for the pursuit of nothingness. The choice is ours to make.The cloud of smoke the Torah is referring to represents the residue of our actions. Many times a person is unable or unwilling to distinguish between what is good and what is not. Our senses are clouded, and we need a path way that will bring us to where we want to be. Therefore, when G-d made a path for Moshe , G-d was teaching us that the Torah which Moshe was about to receive is in essence our path through the maze of our own uncertainty. Is the residue resulting from our actions (smoke) good or bad (CHOS VESHOLOM)? The Torah is the only " path" that can answer this question. I would like to explain this concept with an original Moshal (Parable). There once was a village boy who wanted to travel to the big city, so he asked an elderly man for directions. The man told him to follow the road ,and eventually he'll get to the city. One night it snowed ,and road was completely covered. The village boy was lost, so he asked people for directions. The people gave him signs by which to follow, such as: Go straight for about a 1/2 a mile, at the oak tree turn to the right, then you'll reach a red house, ect. The village boy eventually found his way to the city. We all need directions in life, the Torah is our map................... Have a good Shabbos........................................