עַנְנֵי כָבוֹר אוֹמְרִים - Clouds of Glory Say:
Iyov 37:11
אַף-בְּרִי יַטְרִיחַ עָב יָפִיץ עֲנַן אוֹרוֹ
af-beri yatriach av yafitz anan oro
Af Beri burdens the cloud; he scatters His rain cloud
(Af Beri is the name of the angel who is appointed over the clouds,
and he scatters the Omnipresent’s rain cloud)
Also translated as...
Also He burdens the thick cloud with an overflow; the thin cloud scatters its light
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. (Rabbi Nosson Slifkin)
“And the night will be dark about me” Heb. אור, literally "light." And the night will darken before me. This אוֹר is an expression of darkness, like (Iyov 37:11) “he spreads his clouds of darkness (אור) ”
During the forty years in the wilderness, Yisrael was protected and given light by the Clouds of Glory. The Talmud teaches that they had no need for sunlight because the holiness of the clouds gave them all the light they needed. Also, when the earth needs rain, G-d thickens the clouds with moisture and gladdens the dry earth. (Tanach; Rabbi Scherman)
