Mastering the Mystery
The mystery is exile. Moses’s existence is to solve the existential mystery of life. Moshiach will reveal this because he possesses Moses’ soul
What Kind of a Name is Vayikra?
Vayikra-”And He called” is the name of the third book of the Torah that we commence reading this week.
Offhand, it does not sound like a very logical name with which to identify a Biblical book. The entire book is about the special and chosen role of the Temple; its sacrifices, and the ceremonies held for its dedication. In addition, the book deals with the special and chosen role and responsibilities of the Kohain, the priest, whose job it was to serve in the chosen Temple. From the role of the Kohain whose life was dedicated to holiness, the book of Vayikra deals with behaviors that make us holy.
In short, the entire book is devoted to holiness. The question thus is, what does “And He called”
have in common with the theme of holiness and “chosen-ness?”
An Enigmatic Midrash
To answer this question, it would serve us well to clarify the words of the Midrash on the opening verse of this book, which, upon deeper reflection will help us to understand the significance of the title “And he called.”
This enigmatic Midrash discusses the name that the Torah uses for Moses, which, of course, is Moses. Despite the fact that Moses actually had ten names—the Midrash writes—the name that G-d used to call him was: Moses. This was the name given to him by Basya the daughter of Pharaoh, as the Torah recounts in Exodus.
This Midrashic comment is rather enigmatic:
First, how does the fact that G-d accepted the name Moses have to do with the opening remarks of this book?
Second, Moses name has been mentioned numerous times in the preceding book of Exodus. Why then did the Midrash not made this observation the first time G-d speaks to Moses? Why did it wait to discuss the significance of Moses’ name in the beginning of the book of Vayikra?
And third, why indeed did G-d prefer this name over his other names that were, presumably, given to him by his parents?
The Meaning of the Name Moses
To answer these questions we should reflect on the reason the daughter of Pharaoh gave Moses this name in particular. The Torah writes that she named him Moses because “from the water she drew him.” The word for drawing is related to the word Moshe.
When one reflects on Moses’ other names, they all relate to qualities he possessed. The name Moses, on the other hand, sounds rather pedestrian—to “draw something out of…”
In truth this name implies something truly remarkable. The water is what covers up whatever is contained in it. We don’t see what is in the water unless we dive into it. So, as far as land-based creatures are concerned, water symbolizes that which is hidden from their view, elusive and the beyond.
A little true and cute anecdote comes to mind. A little three-year old child accompanied his mother to a store named “Bed, Bath and Beyond.” Upon surveying the contents of the store the puzzled child asked his mother: “I see the beds and the baths, but where is the beyond?”
This is the question that so many of us ask, to which Moses was the answer. Indeed, arguably the most common question we ask is where are you, o G-d? Why are You hiding? Where is the “beyond?”
Moses: The Answer
This question was certainly one on the lips of the Jews in Egypt. They were suffering in Egypt and no help was in sight. Things were getting progressively worse, especially with the advent of the new decree to have all the male children thrown into the Nile. Why? Where was G-d? When will that Power from the beyond make Himself visible to us and take us out of this misery?
We were baffled. It was a Divine mystery that baffled everyone. No one understood why there was so much suffering and when would the promised salvation come.
And it was the daughter of Pharaoh, who—as our Sages tell us—was going to the Nile river to cleanse herself from her father’s pagan ways, who noticed the basket of Moses floating in the waters of the Nile. Filled with the inspiration of prophecy, she realized that this little baby in the basket floating in the Nile was the key to unraveling the mystery of the Egyptian bondage. This little child was G-d’s way of reaching out to the Children of Israel from the beyond. Through him, the hidden G-d will become revealed.
So when she named him Moses because she pulled him out of the water, it was much more than just a name based on a secondary physical action. This was her way of predicting that this boy will some day reveal the mystery of the bondage and other Divine mysteries as well.
Calling from Beyond
Where does one find the theme of Divine mystery pronounced in connection with Moses? It is at the beginning of the third Book of the Torah, where it states: “And He called to Moses.” It does not say who called, although it is obvious that it is referring to G-d. The fact that it doesn’t use G-d’s name implies that the Torah is referring to an aspect of G-d that is “beyond,” unknowable and unfathomable.
And this is who called Moses by his name by which we are told something of Moses’ own character and level. Moses personified revealing the mysteries of the creation and its Creator.
And thus the Midrash stresses that although Moses had multiple names, the one name that expresses his ability to reveal the otherness and “beyond-ness” of G-d, was the name Moses, the name that denotes drawing something hidden out into the open that is highlighted at the beginning of this book.
This serves as introduction to all that will follow. This book is about the holiest aspects of Judaism, the Hebrew word (kedushah), which really means apart or beyond. And while the name Leviticus or the Hebrew equivalent Toras Kohanim (the laws governing priests) might be more descriptive of the content of this book, the name “Vayikra-And He called” is more expressive of the soul its soul—the revealing of the hidden aspects of Judaism and of G-d through Moses.
Mastering the Ultimate Mystery
If the Egyptian bondage was a mystery that confounded the Jews at that time, we are certainly witness to an even greater mystery today.
When the Jews were in Egypt they barely spent two centuries, less than half of the four hundred years that were predicted. According to some Midrashic opinions, G-d actually cut short their stay and suffering in Egypt. They were originally intended to stay four hundred years in bondage and they were actually liberated after 210 years. Yet, the people were confused and mystified by their plight.
How much more so should the delay of the Messianic Age, we’ve been waiting for thousand of years, be considered a mystery. Any attempt at explaining why we are still in exile is futile.
“All the deadlines have passed,” the Talmud asserts. This means that all the milestones for Redemption have been achieved, and yet we are still in exile. If that was said in the talmudic era, it certainly applies today. There is no rhyme or reason for this Galus/exile to endure. Where is Moshiach? Where is Geulah? Ad Mosai/How much longer?
The answer to this enigma once more is Moses. The same Moses who mastered the mystery and revealed the hidden forces of G-d that brought an end to the Egyptian exile will be the Moses who will liberate us from the present exile. As the Kabbalists have taught us, Moshiach will possess the soul of Moses and utilize his power to unravel the mystery. Thus the saying: “Moses was the first redeemer and Moses will be the final redeemer.” This does not mean that Moses himself will be the redeemer, but that Moshiach will redeem us with the power that he has from Moses.
The parsha of Vayikra is usually read at the beginning of the month of Nissan, the month when the original Redemption occurred. This is no coincidence. It is this unknowable and unpredictable G-dly energy that is alluded to in the words “And He called” that is responsible for the Exodus.
Thus, in a week that highlights the mastering of the mystery, in the first week of the month of liberation, is certainly an opportune time to have this enigma resolved and the mystery mastered, with the immediate revelation of Moshiach and the true and complete Redemption.
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayikra by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
