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Divrei Yoel - Parshas Vayikra


Question(s):
This third book of the Torah, and our parsha, begins with the pasuk, "And He [Hashem] called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying:" Many commentators ask why the pronoun "He" is used to begin this new section of the Torah without explicitly stating who was the one who called. Theoretically, the text should have said, "And Hashem called to Moshe etc."

Rabbenu Bachya provides a possible answer to this question. He says that the Torah wants to emphasize that the book of Leviticus is a continuation of the book of Exodus which concluded (Ex. 40:34) "The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting and the Glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan." The pronoun "He" is now used in this parsha to refer to "The Glory of Hashem" which concludes the previous parsha.

If Rabbenu Bachya's answer is correct, then why does the Torah explicitly state in this first pasuk "Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting" ? It should have continued to use the pronoun "He" and the text should read: "He spoke with him from the Tent of Meeting".

Background (Part I) – The dispute between Rashi and Ramban:
In order to obtain clarity to the message of this pasuk, we must first understand the viewpoints of Rashi and Ramban regarding an episode in the end of parshas Mishpatim (Ex: 24:1-12). Hashem instructs Moshe to go up to Hashem and then Moshe first tells (va-yi-sa-pair) the Jewish people"all the instructions of Hashem and all the laws". And the Jewish people finally proclaim "na-aseh v'nish-mah" - "we will do and we will heed".

When did this episode take place? And what did Moshe tell (va-yi-sa-pair) the Jewish people at this time?

Rashi teaches us that it occurred on the 4th and 5th of the month of Sivan. In other words, it occurred the day before the giving of the 10 Commandments. And Moshe tells the Jewish people the 7 Noahide Laws, the Laws of Shabbos, honoring parents, the red heifer, and all the other laws which were previously given.

Yet, Ramban maintains, as does Ibin Ezra, that it occurred after the giving of the 10 Commandments and the laws that were taught were all those enumerated in the previous few chapters which comprise parshas Mishpatim. Ramban and Ibin Ezra prove this by stating that it doesn't make sense that Moshe would have to teach the Jewish people all these laws such as the 7 Noahide Laws and the other laws which were previously presented, since they already know them! Furthermore, the word from the pasuk, "va-yi-sa-pair- tell over," principally implies that something new is being taught – not a review of previous laws and commandments.


Background (Part II) – Justifying Rashi's point a view:
On the surface it seems as if Ramban (and Ibin Ezra) assertions prove Rashi wrong. However, that is not necessarily true. Rashi is actually taking an extremely spiritually insightful approach to this episode.

We know that every single word of the holy Torah contains profound concepts and unfathomable mystical secrets. Everyone who studies Torah comprehends it according to their own ability. However, each time someone exerts effort and toils in its study, they uncover and reveal new insights that they had not previously perceived. One of the many similes our sages use to describe the Torah is that of a mother's breast (Eruvin 54B). Just like each time the baby returns to it, it will find more milk – so too, each time one re-reads or better yet, re-learns a portion of the Torah they will find new insights.

Our sages reiterate this idea as well when explaining the pasuk in Shema (Duet. 6:6) "And these words that I command you today shall be upon your heart". What is the necessity of emphasizing "today"? Rather, each day the words of Torah should appear refreshed as is today. They should not be viewed as ancient edicts of little importance but rather like new ideas which everyone runs to investigate and learn(see Rashi).

In truth, how can someone view what they have already studied as if it were new? The answer is, that if one attains new insights each time they study, then even what one has learned before and could be considered "old material" it is actually considered "new material" due to the new insights which were gained and the revelations which were discovered.

Rashi agrees with Ramban in his claim that "va-yi-sa-pair- tell over" implies teaching something new. However, even if it is a reiteration of the 7 Noahide Laws, the Laws of Shabbos, honoring parents etc., they are still considered "new material" since Moshe obviously enlightened them with additional insights, which were previously concealed. This was a new learning experience. Therefore, this episode could have occurred before the giving of the 10 Commandments.

An application of the aforementioned ideas:
The Chassidic books ask why the opening paragraph in the Amidah reads, "G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, and G-d of Jacob etc." Each patriarch has a separate sentence. Wouldn't it be acceptable to state, "G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob", all in one sentence? The answer presented is that each patriarch gained an additional insight in their own Divine service and relationship to Hashem. Abraham's insights stemmed from loving-kindness (chesed), Isaac's via inner-strength (gvurah) and Jacob's via glory (tiferes). Grouping all the patriarchal references together without this expression of their unique individuality would not be appropriate during our time of prayer and communion with Hashem.

Answer to the original question(s):
Based upon the above ideas we can now answer the original question(s).
Why is Hashem not stated explicitly as the one who called Moshe? His name is not mentioned, as answered by Rabbenu Bachya, in order to emphasize that this book of Leviticus is actually a continuation of the previous book of the Torah, the book of Exodus which concludes with the revelation of the Glory of Hashem. Implicitly, we know that it is the Glory of Hashem, or Hashem himself, who is calling out to Moshe in this very next paragraph of the Torah.

Why then, does the Torah explicitly state in this first pasuk "Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting" ? It should have continued to use the pronoun "He" and the text should read: "He spoke with him from the Tent of Meeting".

From a mystical perspective, two revelations of Hashem has occurred a revelation as the "Caller" and a revelation as a "Speaker". The reason Hashem is mentioned in the second half of the pasuk is because He is perceived by Moshe with more insight than before. It is to convey to us that Moshe continually and constantly underwent a spiritual metamorphous. Due to the mere fact that he was called by Hashem to enter the Tent of Meeting, he became elevated to a higher spiritual plain thereby gaining additional and greater insightfulness, and which in turn intensified his connection with - and insightfulness of - Hashem. Ultimately, when the moment arrived for Hashem to speak with Moshe, he had already attained a new spiritual elevation due to the "calling" that occurred a short time earlier.

It was Hashem's calling which helped to refine Moshe and elevate him to new heights which caused him to experience Hashem in a more elevated and mature way. The revelation of Hashem as the "Caller" did not achieve the same perception by Moshe as did the revelation of Hashem as the "Speaker". Moshe intensified his perception of Hashem after the revelation as the "Caller" yet, before the revelation as the "Speaker". Hence, Hashem as the "Speaker" is now considered like a new entity and cannot be referred to with a pronoun "He" which refers to the Hashem as the "Caller".


Our Conclusion:
The Divrie Yoel has emphasized the importance of continual spiritual growth. The means to achieve this goal is by actively learning Torah and reviewing what we have learned already. Each new insight stimulates more spiritual growth. Furthermore, just like Moshe gained new insights, between the "Calling" and the "Speaking", in his comprehending Hashem, we too have gained new insights, since our childhood, in our understanding of Hashem. May we continue to grow on this path.

These thoughts have been based on pages 38 and 39 of the Divrie Yoel parshas Vayikra.

This drasha can also be viewed on-line at http://divreiyoel.blogspot.com/