Parshat Vayikra: The Potter Who Yearns for a Clay Pot

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

AND [he] CALLED MOSES — All oral communications 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) 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 the Lord of hosts]”. To the prophets of the nations of the world, however, God revealed himself in a manner which the Torah describes by an expression ordinarily used for denoting events of a casual (or happenstance) character and of impurity, as it is said, (Numbers 23:4) “and God happened to meet (ויקר) Balaam”.

(1) (Lev. 1:1:) “Then [the Lord] called unto Moses.” From where did He call him? From the tent of meeting. May His name be blessed forever, because He left the upper world and chose to dwell below in the tabernacle out of love for Israel. Solomon said (in I Kings 8:27), “For will God really dwell on the earth; even the heavens and the heavens above the heavens cannot contain You?” Is there a potter who yearns for a clay pot, as it were? (Jer. 10:16) “For He has formed everything.” However, out of love (according to Ps. 84:3), “My soul longs for, yearns for [the courts of the Lord].” And so it says (in Lev. 1:1), “Then [the Lord] called unto Moses [and spoke unto him] from the tent of meeting.” Moses was great. See what is written (in Gen. 1:5), “And God called the light day.” There is a "calling" for the one (in Gen. 1:5), and there is a "calling" for the other (in Lev. 1:1)...

(7) Another approach [to the words], "And He called to Moses." What is written above this matter [of these words "And he called to Moses"]? The construction of the Mishan can be explained through a parable. This can be compared to a King who commanded his servant and said to him, "Build me a palace." On every item which the servant built he wrote the name of the King on it. When he built walls he wrote the name of the King on them. When he stood up columns he wrote the name of the King on them. When he installed beams he wrote the name of the King on them. After a while, the King entered into the palace. On everything which he looked, he found his name written. He said, "All this great honor was afforded to me by my servant and I am on the interior and he is outside?!" [The King] called [the servant] to enter into the inner part of the palace. So too, when The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to Moses, "Build me a Sanctuary," on every single mater Moses wrote, "As Hashem had commanded Moses." The Holy One said, "All of this great honor was given to me by Moses and I'm inside and he is outside?!" He (G-d) called to him (Moses) to enter the inner place, and therefore it says, "And He called to Moses."

It is taught by our sages "When a person is traveling through a dangeours place [and cannot stop to daven in full], they should say a short pray 'In every time of passage, may their needs come before You.' (Brachot 28b)
One's Creator is present within each person, even the most wicked person, all contain the Self-contracted form of G!d. This can be seen in the fact that every person has moments and thoughts of teshuva. These moments and thoughts are G!d calling out from themselves saying "Return to Me! But the person does not understand that is G!d calling out to them.

This is why the "Vayikra" of He called to Moses is written with a small aleph. G!d, the supernal Aleph (perhaps the Cosmic or Supreme One) of the world is present within each of us in contracted from, calling us to return. These are our moments of teshuva, but we do not precive these as G!d's own voice calling to us. Thus "Vayikra" is written anonymously in our pasuk. But when we understand that this is the voice of G!d and turns back toward their Creator, then "G!d spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting". When you go to commit a sin or error and are prevented from doing so by some means, this too is G!d speaking to you, calling out "Come back to me!" This is the "short prayer" Chazal meant in our gemara above - a prayer to shorten and cut off those things which separate you from G!d

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In the Holy Zohar it seems that this itself is Abraham’s praise (for which God chose him); that he heard the call ‘Lech Lecha‘ (‘Go forth’) which God calls out to every person all the time. So it is as if the call was just to him because he was the only one who heard it. This is certainly the praise itself, that he was ready to accept the call.