HaShem Is Always
Calling Us. How to Hear the Calling.
“וַיִּקְרָא
אֶל־מֹשֶׁה .../God called Moshe …” (VaYikra 1:1) This first pasuk of parshas VaYikra relates
the first time that God spoke to Moshe from the Mishkan. It teaches us, according to Chazal[1],
that each time God spoke to Moshe, he first called him. What is the significance of this?
The first Midrash on this week’s parsha cites a pasuk in
Tehillim (103:20), “בָּֽרְכוּ ה' מַלְאָכָיו גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְּבָרֽוֹ׃/Bless
God, His angels, strong warriors doing His bidding to hear His word.”[2] The word “מַלְאָךְ/angel” also means
messenger. In fact, the word mal’ach
refers to a human messenger in various places in Tanach. The Midrash explains that “מַלְאָכָיו/His angels” in this
pasuk does not refer to angels but rather to human messengers. How are we God’s messengers? The Sfas Emes explains that every Jew is sent
into this world to do the will of God.
Essentially, we are God’s agents in this world. Angels are messengers because they, too, are
sent to this world to do the will of God.
The difference between angels and us is that we are able to choose
whereas an angel has no choice but to do God’s will.
When we choose to fulfill God’s will with our actions, we
become, “עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ
לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְּבָרֽו׃/doers of His bidding to hear His
word.” This is a strange construct. Shouldn’t the pasuk state that we will listen
to His word in order to do His bidding?
How can we do His bidding before understanding what is required? The Sfas Emes explains that the pasuk is
teaching us a deep concept. We don’t
always know what God’s will is. In any
given situation, what is it that God wants us to do? It is not always clear. The pasuk is teaching us the way to know
God’s will. First we need to do His
bidding. We do this by first resolving
to satisfy His will with our action.
Before acting we can think that we want our action to achieve God’s
will. If we do this, we will merit
understanding God’s will in those very activities.
This concept explains “גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ/strong warriors” as well. In addition to strength, the word ko’ach
means potential. God’s will is the
potential of every action. We learn from
this pasuk that a person who is determined to fulfill God’s will with his every
action, who wants to be God’s emissary in this world, accomplishing that for
which he was sent here, is someone who transforms the potential of God’s will
into reality.
Moshe Rabbeinu was the archetypal emissary. Like an angel, he was so tuned in, as it
were, that he was always ready to hear God and do His will.[3] One who is looking to carry out God’s will
with his every action, always hears God.
The Torah emphasizes this the very first time God spoke to Moshe
Rabbeinu after the construction of the Mishkan with the words, “וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה .../God called
Moshe.” This, then, is the significance
of the first pasuk of this week’s parsha.
God is constantly calling us.
The difference between us and Moshe Rabbeinu is that he always heard it
because he was prepared to hear it, prepared to always achieve God’s will
through his actions. Like Moshe, God
sent all of us into this world to be His agents. He gave each of us the tools we need to achieve
this. Moshe Rabbeinu was the
quintessential agent of God but the Midrash is speaking to each and every
Jew. May we each merit transforming
God’s will into reality in all of our daily activities.
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