Midrash sobre Êxodo 40:38

And the Lord went before them by day (Exod. 13:21). You find that there were seven clouds of glory in all. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud (ibid.) was the first; and Thy cloud standeth over them (Num. 14:14) was the second; In a pillar of cloud (ibid.) was the third; That the cloud tarried (Num. 9:22), the fourth; And the going up of the cloud (Exod. 40:36), the fifth; And whenever the cloud was taken up (ibid., 37), the sixth; and For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle (ibid., v. 38) was the seventh. Four of the clouds were at each of the four sides; one was above them, another below them, and the seventh cloud preceded them. The last of the clouds lowered the high places, raised the low places, burnt the serpents and the scorpions, and sprinkled the road (to lay the dust) before them.

9) "Outside the parocheth of the testimony": Now was the light of the menorah required? Was it not with His light (i.e., that of the Shechinah) by which the Jews traveled all forty years in the desert? Rather (it is to be understood as meaning that) it served as testimony to the inhabitants of the world that the Shechinah resided in Israel. What is the testimony? Rava said: It is the western lamp, into which he would place as much oil as in all the other lamps, and yet would commence (lighting all the other lamps) with it and conclude (servicing the lamps) with it.

(Bamidbar 10:34) "And the cloud of the L-rd was above them by day": From here they said: There are seven "clouds": (Bamidbar 14:14) "and in a pillar of cloud You go before them by day," (Shemot 14:19) "and the pillar of cloud turned from before them," (Bamidbar, 14:14) "and Your cloud stands over them," (Devarim 1:33) "and in cloud by day," (Bamidbar 9:19) "And when the cloud lingered over the mishkan," (Shemot 40:38) "For the cloud of the L-rd was on the mishkan by day," (Bamidbar 10:34) "And the cloud of the L-rd was above them by day." There were seven clouds — four on their four sides, one above, one below (to cushion their feet), and one before them, which lowered what was high and raised what was low, and killed the serpents and the scorpions, and swept and sprinkled before them. R. Yehudah says: There were thirteen (clouds) — two on each side, two above and two below, and one before them. R. Yoshiyah says: Four. Rebbi says: Two.

Variantly: "And the cloud of the L-rd was above them by day": Whence is it derived that if one of the Jews withdrew from under the wings of the cloud, it withdrew with him until he returned? From "And the cloud of the L-rd was above them." Perhaps just as it protected them by day, so it protected them at night. (This is not so,) for it is written "by day" — It protected them by day and not at night. Granted, then, that the pillar of cloud did not protect them at night, but perhaps the pillar of fire provided light for them by day; it is, therefore, (to negate this) written (Shemot 40:38) "and fire was on it by night" — It gave light at night, but not in the daytime. Perhaps just as it gave light for Israel, so it gave light for the idolators. (This is not so,) for it is written (Shemot 40:38) "and fire was on it by night in the sight of all of the house of Israel" — It gave light for Israel, but not for the idolators. R. Shimon b. Elazar says: Whence is it derived that all the forty years that Israel were in the desert they did not require a lamp, but even if one entered a room within a room, a kind of torch entered with him until he returned? From (Shemot 40:38) "in the sight of all of the eyes of Israel in all of their travels" — Even if one entered a room within a room, the pillar of fire would give light before him.