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Vayikra 5769Rabbi Ari Kahn
Angelic Speech
God calls to Moshe from the midst of the
Mishkan
, and Godspeaks:
א קוספ א קרפ ארקיו
:רֹמאֵל דעֵומ לֶהֹאֵמ יָלֵא ’ה רֵבדַְיַהשֶֹמ לֶא אָרקְִַ Rather than, “God spoke to Moshe,” or even, “God calledMoshe and spoke to him,” the text reads “(He) called toMoshe, and God spoke to him”. Rashi, clearly bothered bythis awkward syntax, explains that this verse serves as anarchetype for all Divine communication: First, Moshe wascalled, and only then was he addressed by God. Before theWord of God came to Moshe, there was a preliminary step.God reached out to Moshe, engaged him, invited him.
א קוספ א קרפ ארקיו לע י"שר
האירק המדק םייצ לכל תרימא לכל תרד לכל - המ לא ארקי'אנ  םימתמ תרה יכאלמ ןל ('ר ארקי 'ד אמי) הח ןלןל ןהיל הלגנ ם"כ תמאה יאינל לא הז לא הז ארק ( היי):םל לא םיהלא רקי 'אנ האמט יארFor all the statements, sayings and commandments, acalling preceded; this is a language of affection, alanguage used by the angels who serve on high, as itsays (Yeshaiyahu, 6): ‘One called to the other.’ But toprophets of the idolatrous nations, God reveals Himself in a fleeting language, (a language) of impurity, as itsays “The Almighty happened upon Bil’am”.
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While we may have romantic notions of prophesy, there aretimes when the Word of God is described as a burden
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,
1
The difference between “He Called”
ארקיו
and “happened upon”
רקיו
is the letter aleph; this distinction isdiminished, due to the aleph being written with a small font (
רקיו
א
)
. For more on the smaller font seehttp://www.aish.com/torahportion/moray/Vayikra_-_And_He_Called.asp.
2
See for example Malachi 1:1.
א קרפ יכאלמ רפס
1
 
especially when the message is a difficult one. A suddenrevelation of the Word of God could cause sensory overload.We are therefore taught that the Word of God came to Mosheafter a warm, loving invitation, preparing him emotionally,intellectually and physically for the awesome experience of communication from God.Rashi cites a verse in the Book of Yishaiyahu in which theangels utilize this same form of preparation for their ownprayers: they call and answer one another, using much thesame language as God uses here when He calls out toMoshe. Interestingly, this proof-text contains a doxology: Theangels prepare to speak to God, a reverse gesture to that of the verse at the start of Vayikra in which God speaks to man.
Speaking like Angels
We know of another instance in which the speech of angels,even the “secret speech of angels”, is mentioned; there, itwas the Jewish People who utilized angelic speech to acceptthe Torah:
א/חפ ףד תבש
ת התצי ,"מנ"ל ""הנ" לארי מידקה ה ,רזלא יר רמא'? ןימתמ תרה יכאלמ הז זר ינל הליג ימ' ,םהל הרמא לק -לק מל ,רד י חכ ירג יכאלמ 'ה כר" (גק םילהת) ,יתכד:"מל" רדה ,"י" איר ."רדRabbi Elazar said: When the Israelites gave precedenceto ‘we will do’ over ‘we will listen,’
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a Heavenly Voicewent forth and exclaimed to them, ‘Who revealed to Mychildren this secret, which is employed by theministering angels, as it is written, ‘Bless the EternalGod, ye angels of His, ye mighty in strength, that fulfillHis word, that listen to the voice of His word.’ First theyfulfill and then they listen. Talmud Bavli Shabbat 88a
:יִכאְלַמ דַיְב לֵָרְשִי לֶ 'ה רַְד ָַמ (1. The burden of the word of the Eternal God to Israel by Malachi.
3
Sh’mot 22:7
דכ קרפ תומש
:עָמְִנְו הֶשֲעַנ ’ה רֶבִ רֶֲ לֹ רְמֹַו םָעָה יֵנְזאְב ָרְקִַו תיִרְבַה רֶפֵס חַִַו (ז
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Moshe’s Gift
All of Israel accepted the Torah; unified, as one, theyproclaimed, “
na’aseh ( 
we will do)
v’nishma
(and we willlisten),”
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employing the angelic formula which puts actionbefore listening. This is angelic speech, uttered by man anddirected towards God; the angels use this formula in speechamong themselves, and here in the opening verse of Vayikra, God uses this same type of formula to addressMoshe.
א קוספ א קרפ ארקיו לע י"שר
אל לארי לכ ינזאל יגמ ךלה לקה (כ"ת 'ד אמי) - המ לא ארקי… ןימ The voice travelled and reached (Moshe’s) ears; therest of Israel did not listen… The voice came only to Moshe. All others heard silence.Why? When the Voice of God rang out at Sinai, readilyaudible to the entire nation, the people recoiled; they were
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Rav Yehonatan Eybishitz explains that Jews who have faith are transformed by action; others, who adopta philosophical approach as their starting position, require to “hear” first, something which he understandsas an intellectual process. This idea is echoed and elucidated by the
Yismach Moshe
(Moshe Teitelbaum,Parshat Mas’ei, page 86.
אי שורד - ןושאר קלח - שבד תורעי רפס
רמג רומכ ,דקה חור תגהו המכח תגהל הכזנ ,החמ התוע הוצמ י"ע יכ טרפו ,ונל לכ חמנ לו ליגנ ל ךיורדהו ונוצר יוע ,'וכו ו םימתמ תרה יכלמ הז זר הליג ימ ,לוק ת הצי ,עמנו הענ לרי ורמ הע ].חפ ת[.ורד לוק עומל:תרה יכלמ ו םימתמ המו הזה זרה המ ןיהל יוךירצ ןיו ,תוהל תגה גיהל םיפוסוליפ תעד יכ ,םילוקמה דוחיו ,םיינרותה ןיו םיפוסוליפה ןי י תקולחמ יכ ,ןינעה ללכוי דע ,םיילכ םירד ולכ קדתהל ,הנהכו םידומיל םיעט תולכומו תומכח תומכחתה הנכה ךירצ ,הונ ירד רמולךכלו ,הול לכ םמו ,םילדנה םילכ םמו ,לעופה לכ וקדה דע םכחתיו יו ,ולכ רמוחה ןמ תורוצה טיפהלקמוע תולכתסה םהימי לכ וליכו ,רתוי םתעדל וליכה ,םהמ רתוי הונה תוי ימל ורמ ,הונ ורפכ ויריחו ו"טסיר.תוריקחו תומכחההנוכו תומיל תווצמ תוע ם יכ ,דקה חורל ימה הז ל ורמו ,הז לע וקלח םילוקמו םיינרותה להיוצררתוי תוכזל לכוי ,תוי קדו החמ המל הכוס הועהו ,'ה דוכ וילע חורזל ורו ונל רייו ולעפ ת םיהל הצרי ם ,:םהימי לכ םיפוסליפה תכו ו"טסיר תומכח לכמ ,הול לכו םילדנ םילכ תומלל
א/ופ ףד יעסמ תשרפ - השמ חמשי רפס
הז זר הלג ימ ,(ז דכ תומ 'וכו עמנו הענ לרי ורמ הע ("ע ח"פ ת םרמ לע ריפ ה"ס ףד ד תורעיה יפ לע.ו ןימתמ תרה יכלמ ןול ינלתומכח תומכחתה הנכה ךירצ ,הונ רדו תוקל תוגה גיהל םיפוסליפה תעד יכלעופה לכ וקדה דע תיעטה תולכומו.תיקול לכ םמו ,םילדנה ילכ םמו ,הז ל יכ ורמו הז לע וקלח םילוקמוםיה לע םינוח םתויה לרי הנהו .היוצר הנוכו תומיל םיוט םיעמו תוצמ תוע ם יכ ,הונו דוקה חור ידיל ימידי לע יכ ,עמנו הענ ורמ הזו .םיוט םיעמו תוצמ תוע ידי לע הונו דוקה חור תגה רקיע יכ וניה ,ור המ ורועומל הכוז ןי ,ו ןימתמ תרה יכלמ הז זר הליג ימ רמ הזו .דוקה חורו הונ ונייה 'ה לוק עומל הכזנ ,העמם ןייע וירד ןכ דע ,'וכ עומל ורד יוע (כ גק םילהת רמנ ,ורו ןוצרו תוצמ תייע ידי לע ם יכ 'ד לוקהמ ונייהו .הלעמה 'וכ 'ה הי ורמ לו ,תומוקמ המכ םיפוסליפהו םידלכה תכ ומכ להה רח וכליו ,יתוצמ עומלמ ילעמ וקחר יכ 'וכ וצמ,דוקה חור תגרדמל ןתו הלעה ,ויתוצמל העומו הנומ ידי לע קר ,עדמ לכמ קיר ויה דועי ידי לע ז יכ ,םירצמ ץרמ ונתו:ןהו (חל תליכמ 'וכ םיה לע החפ התר הזל הירו
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