Illustration Credit: Noa Kelner
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר…
God called to Moshe and God spoke to Moshe from the Ohel Mo’ed (Tent of Meeting—another name for the Mishkan), saying...
This pasuk is very repetitive! Why is it telling us that God both “called” (וַיִּקְרָא, vayikra) and also “spoke” (וַיְדַבֵּר, vayedaber) to Moshe? What can we learn from this?
"וַיִּקְרָא אֶל משֶׁה"—לְכָל דִּבְּרוֹת וּלְכָל אֲמִירוֹת וּלְכָל צִוּוּיִים קָדְמָה קְרִיאָה, לְשׁוֹן חִבָּה, לָשׁוֹן שֶׁמַּלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁין בּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל זֶה" (ישעיהו ו:ג).
“God called to Moshe, and God spoke to Moshe”—Before every speaking or saying or commanding, there was a “calling,” an expression of love, a language that the angels use, as it says, “The angels would call to each other” (Yeshayahu 6:3).
- What are the angels doing when they call to each other? Why might you “call” to someone in a way that’s different from “speaking” to them?
- How might Moshe have felt when being “called to” by God? Have you ever felt like God is calling to you?
- How can our words express our love and care for each other?
Rashi believes that extra “calling” teaches us about the way God expressed love for Moshe when God spoke to him. This midrash suggests it teaches us something else:
מִכָּן אָמְרוּ כָּל תַּלְמִיד חָכָם שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ דַעַת, נְבֵלָה טוֹבָה הֵימֶנּוּ. תֵּדַע לְךָ שֶׁכֵּן, צֵא וּלְמַד מִמּשֶׁה אֲבִי הַחָכְמָה, אֲבִי הַנְּבִיאִים, שֶׁהוֹצִיא יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְעַל יָדוֹ נַעֲשׂוּ כַּמָּה נִסִּים בְּמִצְרַיִם וְנוֹרָאוֹת עַל יַם סוּף, וְעָלָה לִשְׁמֵי מָרוֹם וְהוֹרִיד תּוֹרָה מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְנִתְעַסֵּק בִּמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן וְלֹא נִכְנַס לִפְנַי וְלִפְנִים עַד שֶׁקָּרָא לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וַיִּקְרָא אֶל משֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר."
From this pasuk there’s a saying that a Torah scholar who doesn’t have manners is worse than non-kosher meat. We learn this from Moshe, the father of wisdom, the father of prophets, who took Israel out of Mitzrayim (Egypt), through whom miracles were performed in Mitzrayim and wonders at the Yam Suf, and who went to the highest heavens to get the Torah, and who was involved in building the Mishkan—but he didn’t go in until God called to him, as it says, “God called to Moshe, and God spoke to him.”
- Based on this midrash, what’s surprising about Moshe needing permission from God before entering the Mishkan? Why does Moshe not go into the Mishkan until he is called? How does this show us his manners?
- Why does a Torah scholar need to have good manners? What can we learn from this?
- Can Rashi and this midrash both be right? How so?
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