At one point, the brother of Jared had neglected to consult with the Lord for four years. The text explains in Ether 2:14 that the Lord came to him, and “stood in a cloud and talked with him.” The Lord spoke to and chastened the brother for three hours.
For the Israelites going through the desert, the Lord was in a cloud at the tabernacle, protected from their vision. They could only speak with the Lord though the appropriate authority of the high priest, in this case Moses. Their cloud appeared as a pillar of fire at night, leading them both physically and spiritually. This calls to mind the burning bush from which the Lord addressed Moses. How do you see the veil and the cloud described in the book of Ether as being in harmony with similar events in Hebrew history and related Latter-day doctrine?