Shabbos Parashas Vayikra - 5776
Shabbos Parashas Vayikra - 5776
Rabbi Hal Miller
And He called to Moshe, and G-d spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting.
[Vayikra 1:1]
Most commentators start discussion of this parsha with the last letter of the first word.
That last letter, an aleph, is written very small, much smaller than the rest of the
letters in the Torah, for which many reasons are given. But let us look today at the
whole word, vayikra. Literally, it means "And He called". It seems out of place in
context. In most similar instances, the Torah says vayidaber, "And He said". Why
here did G-d "call" instead of "say"?
One possible reason for calling to someone is that they are not immediately close by.
But that is not the case here--Moshe was standing right there. Another potential reason
would be that Moshe wasn't paying attention, and G-d had to try a few times to gain
Moshe's attention, but that doesn't appear to be the situation either. Perhaps Moshe
actually wanted to avoid G-d's next conversation?
What was that conversation that was about to take place? The book of Vayikra, which
we are just beginning, is also called "Toras Kohanim", the laws of the priests. Although
covering many topics, the primary subject matter of our parsha is the rules of animal
sacrifices. Could Moshe have wanted to avoid learning these laws?
In Bamidbar 12:3 we read, "And the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, moreso than
any man on the face of the earth." We could apply that understanding of humility to our
verse. Moshe may have felt that it would be more appropriate for Aharon to receive the
laws of the Kohanim directly from G-d, rather than take the chance of mistake when he,
Moshe, repeated them to his brother. Since Moshe had backed away from a similar situation
once before, when G-d tasked him with going back to Egypt to free the Israelites, here G-d
needed to emphatically inform Moshe that he was the intended student now on this subject,
and would be the teacher later.
Another possible explanation, also based on Moshe's humility, is that the Mishkan was
now completed, but Moshe felt inadequate to enter it to carry out the new laws of sacrifice.
Rav Aharon Kotler says that good manners, which is based on common sense, precedes
acquisition of Torah. One who learns Torah but does not live, first and foremost, with good
manners does not gain value from his learning.
There is another direction from which we can view our initial question. What is the difference
between "saying" and "calling"? Why did the Torah choose the latter word here? In other
words, thus far we have been asking from Moshe's point of view why he may have needed
to be called instead of told something. But perhaps the word selection was due to G-d's intent.
Rashi tells us that "saying" refers to a communication of thoughts, but that "calling" is a
connotation of affection. Rav Shach explains that conversational format follows rules
based on the status of the relationship. One uses the other's name or title, even though
unnecessary since they are standing next to each other, as a sign of respect, honor,
and friendship. Thus, when G-d has something to relate to the people, He speaks to
Moshe with the word "saying", but when He wishes to reach Moshe himself, He
demonstrates His love for Moshe by calling him. So how does that apply here?
We are about to learn the laws of the Kohanim. Moshe had been the intended Kohen
Gadol, the High Priest. For other reasons, covered in a different parsha, Moshe has
been removed from that role, and given a different role instead. G-d understood that
Moshe might be upset, knowing this while having to learn the laws he would have been
implementing, but instead now has to teach his brother. G-d shows His affection for
Moshe by using the word vayikra here.
This demonstration by G-d of the care required to avoid hurting another person's
feelings is a lesson for us today. A single word choice may be the difference between
a good relationship and a damaged one, between a person who is hurt and low, and
a person who will be a success.