Parshat Vayikra 5762
March 15th-16th, 2002
3 Nisan, 5762

One of the amazing things about the Torah is how a single verse can contain so much wisdom, and speak to us on so many different levels. Even a verse that's rather nondescript and unremarkable on the surface--like the very first one in the Book of Vayikra (Leviticus), that opens up this week's portion--conceals many layers of meaning. 

"He called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying..." 

And then the Torah goes on, for the rest of the portion, to discuss the laws of the various korbanos--offerings--brought in the Tabernacle (and later, the Temple), either as atonement for certain transgressions or simply as a means to achieve greater closeness to the Holy One, Blessed be He. 

"He called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying..."

Gosh, you might say, if there was ever a perfunctory, purely introductory verse, it's this one! But with the help of some expert guides to lead us on our excavation, and show us the riches of which we were previously unaware, we will discover much more. We will find a beautiful lesson in proper behavior (derech eretz), a strong declaration of Judaism's theological uniqueness, and an inspiring bit of advice on how to get the most out of the mitzvos we do. 

Our guides, naturally, will be the Sages of the Talmud and Midrash, our Oral Tradition, and the great later commentators who are completely conversant in that tradition. (The plain verses of the Torah were never meant to be read alone, but rather, to be taught to us by our masters.) 

First things first. The Talmud takes note of the strange syntax of this verse: instead of simply saying, "And Hashem called to Moshe, saying...", the Torah glaringly separates the call from the utterance. The Talmud explains: 

"Why was the utterance preceded by a calling? The Torah is teaching us proper behavior (derech eretz): a person should not say something to his friend unless he [first] calls him." (Yoma 4b)

As the Torah Temima explains, the Torah is teaching us not to speak to someone suddenly or abruptly, but to first say his name in order to allow him to prepare himself to listen. This is just what G-d did when He confronted Adam, who was hiding in the Garden after eating from the forbidden tree: "And Hashem called to the man, and He said to him, 'Where are you?'" (Genesis: 3, 9) Yet the Talmud chooses our verse in Vayikra ("Hashem called to Moshe...") to support this teaching because it drives the point home even harder. Even to someone as familiar and as beloved as Moshe (who was unique among the prophets in that he was always "on call" to be ready to receive the divine communication at any time), G-d gave a prefatory signal in order to allow him to prepare himself to listen. 

We are being taught that we should do the same thing to others--as a sign of courtesy and respect (not to abruptly violate their "personal space," in the modern lingo). Address, and prepare, the person before speaking to him. 

Let's get even more specific. It was not some gruff form of introductory address that Hashem used before communicating to Moshe ("Yo, Moshe, heads up...") The great commentator, Rashi, cites a Midrash that deepens our appreciation of this call:

'Calling' preceded every statement, and every saying, and every  command [from G-d to Moshe]. It [i.e., the word, vayikra-and He called] is an expression of affection. (Rashi's commentary to 1, 1)

Each time Hashem would communicate with Moshe, he would preface his words by calling affectionately, "Moshe, Moshe." Moshe would answer, "Here I am (hineni)," an expression denoting humility and readiness to act. (Toras Kohanim, and Rashi to Genesis 22, 1)

G-d's call was not a frightening summons (booming voice, menacing tone) but a gentle and affectionate salutation...that alerted Moshe physically, and awakened him spiritually.

Besides teaching us proper behavior, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains that the verse, by setting off the "calling," means to emphasize that G-d's voice was external to, and apart from, Moshe. The Torah is not describing some inner voice from his own psyche (Moshe as schizophrenic), nor does it mean to connote some vague, 

quasi-metaphorical "divine inspiration" (as many non-traditional interpreters of Judaism would have it). It was G-d's voice that came to him--a real voice (from a real G-d), heard clearly and unambiguously by the individual termed the "father of the Prophets" by our Sages. As Hirsch writes:

"Not from within Moshe, [but] from without it came to him, called him out  of whatever train of thought he might be in at the moment, to listen to what G-d wished to say to him. This "vayikra" [and He called], this call preceding G-d's speech, does away with that idea of the words of G-d which he transmitted arising from within Moshe himself. It characterises G-d alone as the Speaker , and Moshe purely as the listener. The Word of G-d to Moshe was in no way provoked by him, he had not even any idea beforehand that it was coming." (Hirsch, Commentary on Vayikra: I, p. 3) 

As for our own religious life, the verse also teaches us an important principle. The S'fas Emes (great Chassidic commentary on the Torah) writes that just as G-d prefaced His own communication to Moshe with an affectionate call, we need to preface our own performance of mitzvos (commandments) by calling on our own souls, as it were. We need to prepare ourselves for the divine connection of the mitzva by awakening in ourselves awe and love of G-d, by reminding ourselves of the bond that already exists between our souls and G-d, and of the affection that Hashem feels for each of us. This inner "awakening" (or "meditation") focuses the attention on the loftiness of the forthcoming act and on the loftiness of our soul, on which that act will impact. It is this "calling" that should precede any mitzva we do, and that will increase the spiritual power and eternal radiance of that mitzva. 

Address a person by name, with affection, before speaking to him...and address your deepest self, with affection (and a renewed awareness of G-d's affection), before doing a mitzvah. If we can internalize these teachings of this deceptively simple verse- "He called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying..."--, our relationships with our fellow man, and with G-d, will be enhanced. 

Any bit of increased mindfulness in this hectic world certainly couldn't hurt. Learn the lesson of this verse: go ahead and make the "call."

GOOD SHABBOS.

My new e-mail address is yosefe@comcast.net

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