“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: I have hereby taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn, first issue of the womb from the children of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. For every firstborn is Mine; on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified to Me every firstborn in Israel, from man to animal; they shall be Mine; I am the Lord” (Numbers 3:11–13).
“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: I have hereby taken…”: “I [vaani]” – joyfully, “hereby [hineh]” – willingly; the statement of Rabbi Yishmael. His students said to him: Our teacher, because it says: “I [vaani] am hereby [hineni] bringing the flood, water” (Genesis 6:17), do I hear that there is joy before the Omnipresent? He said to them: There is joy before the Omnipresent when those who anger Him are eradicated.
Likewise it says: “With the good of the righteous the city exults…” (Proverbs 11:10); and it says: “You have broken the teeth of the wicked…” (Psalms 3:8); and it says: “Salvation belongs to the Lord…” (Psalms 3:9); and it says: “The Lord is King forever and ever; [nations have] perished [from His land]” (Psalms 10:16); and it says: “May sinners be eliminated [from the earth, and may the wicked be no more]” (Psalms 104:35); and it says: “And with the eradication of the wicked there is singing” (Proverbs 11:10).
Rabbi Natan says: “I [vaani]” – I add to their love.15That is, God’s love for them. Hineh – joyfully; likewise it says: “Behold [hineh], he too is going out to meet you, and he will see you and rejoice in his heart” (Exodus 4:14). The Rabbis say: Everywhere that vaani is stated, it is, as it were, the Holy One blessed be He and His court. The paradigm of them all: “And the Lord [vadonai] spoke evil of you” (I Kings 22:23).16I Kings 22:19–22 contains a description of the heavenly court.