The answer, my friends, might be more profound than you think.

The text we're looking at comes from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations that expands on the biblical narrative. And it offers a really powerful explanation.

According to this passage, God's choice of the thorn-bush—the sneh—wasn't arbitrary. It was deeply symbolic. "He abandoned the entire mountain, and descended into the thorn-bush, and He abode therein," the text tells us. Why abandon the majestic mountain for a prickly shrub?

Because, it continues, "the thorn-bush was (an emblem of) grief and distress, and it was full of thorns and thistles."

Think about what that means. The thorn-bush represents suffering. It embodies the pain and hardship of the Israelite people in Egypt. It’s a symbol of their oppression.

And where does God choose to reveal Himself? Not in a place of power or glory, but right in the thick of that suffering. "Why did He abide in the midst of the thorn-bush which was (an emblem of) grief and distress?" the text asks. The answer? "Because He saw Israel in great grief and He also dwelt with them."

That's a pretty powerful image, isn't it?

God doesn't just observe suffering from afar. God doesn't send help from a distance, remaining untouched. Instead, God actively dwells within it. As it says in Isaiah 63:9, a verse quoted in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer to emphasize this point, "In all their affliction He was afflicted."

This idea—God's presence in suffering—is a recurring theme throughout Jewish thought. We see it echoed in the concept of the Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, accompanying the Israelites in their wanderings, even in exile. The Shekhinah, in Kabbalistic thought, is often associated with the feminine aspect of God, embodying compassion and empathy. The Zohar, the foundational text of Kabbalah, expands on this idea, depicting the Divine as intimately connected to the suffering of the world.

And, as Louis Ginzberg recounts in his monumental work, Legends of the Jews, the details surrounding the burning bush are filled with layers of meaning designed to illustrate God's deep concern for His people.

So, the next time you encounter a thorny situation—a moment of grief, distress, or hardship—remember the burning bush. Remember that, according to this ancient text, you are not alone. The Divine is not distant, but present, dwelling with you, even in the midst of the thorns.