With
the beginning of the reading of the book of Vayikra this Shabat in the
synagogue, the title of the book itself calls out to us for
understanding what is meant when the Torah tells us that God called out
to Moshe. Moshe experiences a special and unique method of Godly
revelation. The Torah testifies to this by describing that God, so to
speak, talks to Moshe ‘face to face.’
The prophets of Israel receive Godly communication while in a
dreamlike trance. But the thrust of Jewish tradition is that even though
there is no longer any type of Godly prophecy present in our world, God
still communicates with humans. But, He does so in very subtle means –
in reflections of human behavior and world events themselves.
Free will allows humans to behave as they will, yet there is a
guiding heavenly hand in world affairs visible to those who wish to see
it. A few decades ago two scientists won a Nobel Prize for proving
their ability to yet hear the echo of the sounds of the original birth
of the universe at the moment of its creation. We all know that human
hearing is possible only within a limited range of wave frequencies.
Judaism preaches that good deeds, moral behavior, Torah observance and
loyalty to traditional Jewish values help expand our hearing ability –
and this enables us to tune into heavenly sound frequencies which were
originally blocked to us.
The auxiliary message of Vayikra, when God called out to Moshe, is
that Moshe’s hearing is so perfectly attuned to heavenly communication,
he is always ‘face to face’ with his Creator. That is the true
indication of the greatness of Moshe and makes him the most unique of
all the world’s prophets, teachers and leaders.
The word Vayikra, as written in the Torah, contains a miniature
letter ‘aleph.’ This indicates to us that God’s message to us is subtle,
quiet, and easy to ignore temporarily, but persistent and ongoing. As
the Lord told the prophet Elijah, ‘I do not appear in the great wind or
in earthquakes or other terrifying natural phenomena, but rather in a
small, still voice.’ Listening to a still, small voice requires good
hearing acumen and intense concentration. Casual hearing will not
suffice.
In our times, the small ‘alef’ requires us to really listen and pay
attention to what transpires in our personal and national lives.
Oftentimes, we, like the prophet Yonah, attempt to flee from the still
small voice that continually echoes within us. But it remains
persistent, and waits patiently for our hearing ability to improve in
our everyday lives.
The Bible teaches us that Shimshon began his career as the savior
and Judge of Israel when he was able to hear the spirit of the Lord
beating within his heart. In our busy and noisy lives, with so much
incessant sound exploding all around us constantly, we really have
little time or ability to listen to our true selves – those small voices
that are always speaking to us. Our inner voice is the medium that
Judaism uses to teach us that the Lord calls out for our attention, to
give us moral and courageous guidance. But it can only be of value if we
listen – and that requires concentration, thought and commitment.
A great sage once remarked that when a Jew prays to God he or she
is talking to God. But, when a Jew studies Torah then God, so to speak,
is talking to him or her. That is one of the reasons that Judaism places
such a great emphasis on Torah study. As the Talmud says: ‘the study of
Torah outweighs all other commandments.’ It is the proven method for
attuning to the spiritual frequencies that beat within us. Our Creator
constantly calls out to us, and we have to make every effort to improve
our hearing and our listening.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Berel Wein
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