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(א) וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יהוה אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃
(1) [GOD] called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying:
The verbal root (shoresh) is √קרא.
(א)בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ב) וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃ (ד) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃ (ה)וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃ {פ}
(1) When God began to create heaven and earth— (2) the earth being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water— (3) God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (4) God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. (5) God called the light Day—and called the darkness Night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.
to recite / read / cry out / proclaim
(Qal) to call, cry, utter a loud sound, to call unto, cry (for help), call (with name of God), to proclaim, to read aloud, read (to oneself), to summon, invite, call for, call and commission, appoint, call and endow,
to give name to / to call by
(Niphal) to call oneself, to be called, be proclaimed, be read aloud, be summoned, be named
(Pual) to be called, be named, to be called out, be chosen
Levinas and the Torah, A Phenomenological Approach. Richard L. Sugarman (2019) pp 167-168 (emphasis added)
One times one is one. 1 x 1 = 1. א = א x א
Alef represents the mystery of the all in the one. You represent Divinity, unity.
Alef, your form:
you are standing, rooted; you are also rising up. י + ו + י = א
A yud above, a yud below; between them an outstretched vav… the firmament separating the upper and the lower waters.
Why is this separation important… separation between the upper and lower realms? The א contains within it the yearning of the upper and lower realms to connect. What is necessary for this unification to occur?
"It is the letter beginning the first of G-d's mysterious 70 names: Elohim, G-d. It also beging ths most important thing about Him: ECHAD. One. Know that G-d is One. The first and the last and the only One." (pp. 21-22)
(א) רִבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח, (ויקרא א׳:א׳) וַיִקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר יהוה' אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר. וַיִקְרָא אָלֶף זְעֵירָא, אֲמַאי. אֶלָּא בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה מַאן הוּא הַהוּא דְּקָרָא, הַהוּא דְּשָׁרֵי בְּמַקְדְּשָׁא, וּכְדֵין זַמִּין לְמֹשֶׁה, כְּמַאן דְּזַמִּין אוּשְׁפִּיזָא. הָכָא א' זְעֵירָא, הָתָם א' רַבְּתָא, אָדָם שֵׁת אֱנוֹשׁ. (ס"א אדם) דָּא שְׁלִימוּ דְּכֹלָּא.
(1) Who was it that called? The One who abides in the sanctuary.
(ב)ויקרא מפני מה האל"ף קטנה. וי"ל מתוך ענותו של משה שהיה מקטין עצמו אמר לפניו רב"שע מפני מה כתבתני בתחלת ת"כ אמר לו מה אעשה אם אכתוב ויקר אלהים אל משה לשון מגונה הוא שכך כתבתי אל בלעם ויקר אלהים אל בלעם והוא לשון מקרה אמר לפניו בבקשה ממך שתעשה דבר שיכירו וידעו הדורות שקשה עלי הקריאה הזאת א"ל אעשה אל"ף קטנה שהקטנת עצמך:
VaYikra: why is the Aleph written small? Because of Moshe's humility he minimized his self. He said: Ribono Shel Olam why do you have you written me (Viyikra = You called to me, as the subject of your directive) at the beginning of Torah Kohanim (Sefer Vayikra)? God responded, what should I have written V'yikar = and God encountered Moshe? It is a derogatory language, for that is what I wrote regarding (my encounter with) Bilam; And God encountered Bilam, which is a language of chance. (Moshe replied) Please make it evident that that the generations will know that this designated calling is uncomfortable (embarrassing) to me. God responded: I will make the Aleph small, for you have made yourself small.
ויקרא אל משה וידבר ד׳ אליו מאהל מועד לאמר. לכאורה היה ראוי לכתוב ויקרא ד' אל משה וידבר אליו כדי שנדע מי קראו, ולא כן עתה ויקרא אל משה סתם ואינו יודע מי קראו. אך הענין הוא דאיתא בזוהר ויקרא כו׳ אלף זעירא, דהשכינה כשאינה במקומה אזי היא זעירא, ואז היו במדבר ועיקר מקום כבודו הוא בבית המקדש בירושלים, ולכן מתחילה נאמר "ויקרא אל משה" והוא אלף זעירא קרא אל משה, אך אח"כ כשכבר קראו והיה משה רבינו ע"ה מטה עצמו לעבודת הבורא ב"ה בכל יכלתו, והיה מקדש עצמו במאוד מאוד ובא למדריגה זו "וידבר יהוה אליו" שהוא שם הרחמים, וזהו שהתפלל דוד המלך ע"ה (איכה ה, יט) "אתה יהוה לעולם תשב", כי עתה בעוונותינו הרבים שהשכינה בהגלות, כשהקב"ה רוצה לדון את ישראל, צריך ברוב רחמיו לעמוד מכסא דין ולישב עליהם בכסא רחמים, אבל לעתיד לבא יהיה כולו רחמים גמורים ולא יצטרך לעמוד מכסא דין כלל ולשנות מכסא לכסא, ועל זה התפלל "אתה יהוה לעולם תשב כסאך לדור ודור", דעיקר שכינת כבודו יתברך הוא על הצדיקים, והתפלל לאמר אע"פ שנתמעטו הדורות אם ראשונים כו׳, אעפ"כ יהיה כסאך עלינו בכל דור ודור, ברוב רחמיך תחופף עלינו אור שכינתך. אמן.
And [He] called to Moshe, and Ad-nai spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying (Leviticus 1:1) - on a first glance it would have been appropriate to write "And Ad-nai called Moshe, and spoke to him" so that it would be known Who called him, and now, with "and [He] called", simply, he does not know who called. Yet, the issue is like what is in the Zohar: Vayikra [And He called] is written with a small alef etc, because when the Shechinah is not in Her place then She becomes small, and then they were in the desert, and the essence of the place of His Glory is the Temple in Jerusalem, and therefore from the outset it is written "and [He] called Moshe" the small alef called Moshe, yet after that when He had already called him, and Moshe our Teacher, had bent himself towards the service of the Holy Blessed Creator with all his might, and he himself was a Temple, deeply, and came to this level of 'and Ad-nai spoke to him' which is a name of Compassion. This is what King David prayed 'You, Ad-nai, are enthroned forever' (Lamentations 5:19) that due to our many sins the Shechinah is in exile, and when the Holy One of Blessing wants to judge Israel, He needs, due to His immense compassion, move from the throne of Judgment and sit on the throne of Mercy, but in the future to come there will be only the throne of Complete Mercy, and God will not need to move from the throne of Judgment at all and change from one throne to another. It was regarding this that [King David] prayed 'But You, Ad-nai, are enthroned forever, Your throne endures through the ages' that the essence of the Shechinah of the Blessed One's glory is the righteous, and he prayed saying that despite the fact that the generations diminished and so on, despite all this may Your throne be on us in every generation, due to Your great Compassion may the light of Your Shechinah surround us. Amen.
(יא) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר צֵ֣א וְעָמַדְתָּ֣ בָהָר֮ לִפְנֵ֣י יהוה וְהִנֵּ֧ה יהוה עֹבֵ֗ר וְר֣וּחַ גְּדוֹלָ֡ה וְחָזָ֞ק מְפָרֵק֩ הָרִ֨ים וּמְשַׁבֵּ֤ר סְלָעִים֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יהוה לֹ֥א בָר֖וּחַ יהוה וְאַחַ֤ר הָר֙וּחַ֙ רַ֔עַשׁ לֹ֥א בָרַ֖עַשׁ יהוה׃ (יב) וְאַחַ֤ר הָרַ֙עַשׁ֙ אֵ֔שׁ לֹ֥א בָאֵ֖שׁ יהוה וְאַחַ֣ר הָאֵ֔שׁ ק֖וֹל דְּמָמָ֥ה דַקָּֽה׃
(11) “Come out,” He called, “and stand on the mountain before GOD.”
And lo, GOD passed by. There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by GOD’s power; but GOD was not in the wind. After the wind—an earthquake; but GOD was not in the earthquake. (12) After the earthquake—fire; but GOD was not in the fire. And after the fire—a soft murmuring sound.
(א) וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יהוה אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃
(1) [GOD] called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying:
(ג)וְקָרָ֨א זֶ֤ה אֶל־זֶה֙ וְאָמַ֔ר קָד֧וֹשׁ ׀ קָד֛וֹשׁ קָד֖וֹשׁ יהוה צְבָא֑וֹת מְלֹ֥א כׇל־הָאָ֖רֶץ כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃
(3)And one [angel] would call (vayikra) to the other,“Holy, holy, holy! GOD of Hosts—Whose presence fills all the earth!”
Let us be present in this ongoing conversation. Let us listen, and learn, and act to manifest justice and peace.
