The Jewish people, while in the desert, were surrounded by the Clouds of Glory. The Midrash tells us that these clouds were miraculous: they protected them from all harm, killed dangerous animals, straightened the path, and even cleaned and ironed their clothes. They also enjoyed the miraculous waters of Miriam's Well, which accompanied them during their journeys through the desert. The Torah is eternal, and the stories that took place in the past also carry within them eternal content, applicable to all times and places. The same is true of the Clouds of Glory and Miriam's Well; they teach a person how to deal with the difficulties of daily life.
When a person goes out into the world, they are forced to struggle with the "desert." This material world is called the "great and fearful desert, where there is no water." To protect themselves, the person needs the "Clouds of Glory.".
These "Clouds of Glory" that protect the person represent the power of sacrifice that transcends reason, a power inherent in the nature of every Jew. Within the heart of a Jew lies an unlimited capacity to sacrifice himself for God, a capacity that can lead him to the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life for God's Name.
This potential may lie hidden, but the moment the truth is revealed, it comes to light in all its power. As the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, recounted, during the bombing of Warsaw he took refuge in a place where other Jewish refugees were gathered. There was a group there belonging to the Rebbe with his Hasidim, a group of men of average background, men with a simple understanding of Judaism, and Jews who until that moment had thought they had no connection to Judaism. However, when a bomb exploded nearby and the blast shook the entire place, they all, in unison, began to recite the"Shema Israel""(Hear, O Israel, a prayer that represents the oneness of God and the unconditional surrender of the Jew to Him).".
This is the hidden potential in the soul of every Jew. While it is difficult to reach this point in the soul, when it is actually reached, whether through a situation of suffering, as in the story mentioned, or through a situation of pleasure, even the simplest Jew is prepared to make the call of ""Shema Israel"", in the same way as a Torah sage.".
To overcome the difficulties of the "desert," the Jew also needs "water." The outstanding quality of water is that it always flows downward. The Torah is compared to water, meaning that the light of the Torah descends to every Jew, at whatever level they may be.
A person might think that, because they are simple in their knowledge of Judaism, they lack the strength to receive the vitality and potential of the Torah. That is why we say that the Torah is like "water"—it flows from the highest spiritual levels to the lowest. Even a Jew who only knows how to read the words of the Torah, without understanding their meaning, absorbs the holiness of the Torah, and this gives them strength, because the light of the Torah reaches their soul through the holy words, helping them to cope with the difficulties of the material world.
Extracted from www.chabad.org.il