Vayikra and the Small Aleph Rodeph Shalom Torah Study March 28th, 2020

(1) Adonai called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying:

ויקרא אל משה AND [ADONAI] CALLED UNTO MOSES — All oral communications of Adonai to Moses whether they are introduced by דבר or by אמר or by צו were preceded by a call (to prepare him for the forthcoming address) (cf Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Chapter 1 1-2). It is a way of expressing affection, the mode used by the ministering angels when addressing each other, as it is said (Isaiah 6:3) “And one called unto another [and said, Holy, holy, holy is Adonai of hosts]”. To the prophets of the nations of the world, however, God revealed himself in a manner which Scripture describes by an expression ordinarily used for denoting events of a casual character and of uncleanness, as it is said, (Numbers 23:4) “and God happened to meet (ויקר) Balaam” (the term ויקר, from the root ,קרה, is connected with מִקְרֶה which denotes “chance”, or “occurrence”).

The alph of vayikra is small, since Moses wanted to write vayikar (he happened), as it is said of Bilaam, as if God had only happened upon him accidentally. God told him to write an aleph, so he wrote it small.

(4) God manifested Himself to Balaam, who said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.”

(1) And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said unto him: ‘Abraham’; and he said: ‘Here am I.’

And the man Moses was more humble than any other person on the face of the earth.

The Holy One, Blessed be God, disregarded all of the mountains and hills, and rested God's Divine Presence on the lowly Mount Sinai, and God did not choose to raise Mount Sinai up. God chose to give the Torah on Mount Sinai, as it was a symbol of humility due to its lack of height, and God lowered God's Divine Presence, as it were, to the mountain.