The other night, in the middle of the night, while I deeply slumbered, I began dreaming. I dreamt that my eight year old daughter was calling out to me. She could only whisper. No matter how hard she tried, only a whisper came out of her. She didn't seem to be in any kind of distress or pain. Yet something was very important because she kept whispering my name. "Abba, Abba, wake up Abba. Abba, Abba help me Abba." I couldn't move, nor did I feel as if I was being pushed towards my daughter's whispering voice. The whispering seemed to intensify and finally I opened my eyes. There was my eight year old daughter, standing by my side of the bed, whispering in the smallest of voices. I sat up, hugged, asked if she was going to be sick, she shook her head no. I asked if she was OK. She nodded yes. I hugged her. She whispered to me that her throat hurt. I picked her up, carried her downstairs, gave her some water, felt her forehead for fever and then carried her back to bed. I sat with her for several minutes. I asked her how long she had been whispering my name, and how did she whisper so that Mommy did not wake up. She said that she whispered my name and directed the whisper only to me for just a few seconds; and I woke up nearly right away. From my perspective, the whispering seemed to last for hours. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.
This week's Parsha marks the beginning of the third book of the Torah known as Vayikrah. While the entire book focuses upon sacrificial offerings, the role of Aaron and his sons and the means by which individuals and the nation achieve holiness; Parsha Vayikra begins with outlining the general rule of making sacrificial offerings, the types of sacrificial offerings and the reason to bring a sacrificial offering. The parsha begins with a very unique phrase: Vayikrah El Moshe, VaYidabeir Hashem Eilav - And He called out to Moshe; and Hashem spoke to him (Lev. 1:1). Before transmitting all this information God took a moment to call out to Moshe. Moshe was aware enough that he heard the calling, acknowledged it and only then to God begin speaking.
Throughout the previous book of Exodus (Shmot), the common phrase to begin God's transmission of laws and information was a one step process. God spoke or God said. VaYidabeir Hashem El Moshe Leimor - Hashem spoke to Moshe saying, or VaYomeir Hashem El Moshe Leimor - Hashem said to Moshe, saying. Now in Sefer VaYikrah, prior to transmitting information, prior to VaYidaber -speaking or VaYomeir -saying; God calls out - Vayikrah. Why does God call out to Moshe here, prior to the transmission of the rule for sacrificial offerings but not in Sefer Shmot? Why is the "Aleph", the last letter in the word VaYiKRAh in a diminished size? How was it that only Moshe heard God calling and the rest of B'nai Yisroel did not hear any such calling?Rashi, the great 11th century French commentator, offers insight to these questions as well as an interesting perspective on the nature of God and Moshe's relationship. L'Chol Dibrot U'LeChol Amirot, U'LeChol Tzivuim Kadma Kriah - Before all the instances of "speaking, "saying" and "commanding", "calling" preceded them. Lashon Chiba, Lashon Sheh'Malchei HaShareit Mishtamshim Bo Sh'Ne'Emar V'Karah Zeh El Zeh V'Amar - [Calling} is the language of endearment, a term which the ministering angel used with each other as it says 'and one called out to the other (Isaiah 6:3). Before God speaks, talks, or commands, the assumption is that God first calls out. that means prior to speaking or commanding, the person to whom God wants to speak with must indicate that he heard was paying attention, that he was responsive, that he was listening and that he was spiritually in tune in with God. The fact that the Torah explicitly used the word VaYiKRah when God is about to introduce the laws for Korbonot (offerings) suggest that there is something so special about Korbonot that God endearingly calls out only to Moshe. Korbonot (offferings) comes from three lettered hebrew root word KaReiV- approach. A KoRBon (offering) is a means by which we approach God for any number of reasons including: Thanksgiving, Sin, Guilt, Peace and Daily offerings. These Korbonot emanate from our desire or our need to approach God. In order to approach however, we must be able to here God call. We may hear God's call as a result of our own internal mechanism i.e. conscience or soul; we may hear God's call because of an external mechanism i.e. communal sensibilities. Whether these mechanism are internal or external, the underlying assumption is that an effort is required to engage God in a relationship.
Rashi adds another dimension to God's calling. Hakol Holeich U'Magiyah L'Aznav V'Chol Yisroel Lo Shomin - The voice went and and reached his ears but all of Israel did not hear. The nature of this callings, with its diminished "Aleph" suggests that the "calling was directed only to Moshe. So far, Moshe has had the most intimate relationship with God. Moshe already experienced several revelations in Sefer Shmot. Even though the content of this message will focus upon Aaron, his sons, the role of the Kohen and sacrificial offerings, only Moshe has opened himself to God. Only Moshe could hear this "diminished" calling or this whisper. Only Moshe existed on such an elevated spiritual level that he could approach God when all that he heard would be the faintest of whispers.
Had my daughter yelled my name in the middle of the night standing right near my ear, I am sure that I would have heard it. However I don't know if I would have responded the same way. I don't know I would have approached her in a concerned and compassionate manner. We all hear the "loudness" of life, the "loudness" of the weekdays, the "loudness" of the material/secular world. We may not listen; we may even have grown numb to it and even stopped paying attention to it. However our most sacred relationships: our husbands/wives, our children, our family, friends and God are premised on our ability to be in tune with these sacred relationships. It is easy to hear the calling of these relationships when the calling is loud. However, when the relationship calls to us in a whisper, are we spiritually open and available enough to hear that whisper, to respond to that whisper and to draw towards the holiness of that whisper.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
No comments:
Post a Comment