Prophets Are Called Angels and Only Moses Was Summoned

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 427:2

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"And He called to Moses" (Leviticus 1:1). Rabbi Tanchum bar Chanilai opened: "Bless the LORD, you His angels" (Psalms 103:20). These are the prophets, as it is said, "And He sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt," and likewise, "They were mocking the messengers of God" (2 Chronicles 36:16), and similarly, "And an angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim" (Judges 2:1). Was it an angel? It was Phinehas. Why does he call him an angel? Because when the holy spirit rested upon him, his face burned like torches. And the rabbis said: what did the wife of Manoah say to him? "A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of an angel of God, very awesome"; she thought he was a prophet, but he was only an angel. Rabbi Yochanan said: from their very lineage the prophets were called angels, as it is written, "And Haggai, the messenger of the LORD, in the LORD's message" (Haggai 1:13). You learn that prophets are called angels. "Bless the LORD, you His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word, hearkening to the voice of His word." In the way of the world, a load too heavy for one is easy for two, and for two easy for four; but is a load too heavy for six hundred thousand easy for one? All Israel stood before Mount Sinai and said, "If we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, we shall die" (Deuteronomy 5:22), yet Moses heard the voice of the Speech by himself and lived. Know that this is so, for of all of them the Speech called only to Moses; therefore it says, "And He called to Moses." This teaches that the righteous are greater than the ministering angels, for the ministering angels cannot hear His voice but stand trembling and terrified, while the righteous can hear His voice, as it is said, "And the LORD gives forth His voice before His army" (Joel 2:11), these being the angels; and who is mightier than they? The righteous, as it is said, "for mighty is he who does His word" (Joel 2:11), this is Moses. Therefore it says, "And He called to Moses." This is what Scripture says, "It is better to be told, Come up here, than to be put lower before a noble" (Proverbs 25:7). Rabbi Tanchum said: keep two or three seats away from your place, so that they say to you, Come up, and do not go up lest they say to you, Go down. This is what Scripture says, "A man's pride shall bring him low, but the lowly in spirit shall obtain honor" (Proverbs 29:23). Whoever flees from authority, authority pursues him. Saul fled from authority when he came to reign (1 Samuel 10:22), and Scripture says, "See whom the LORD has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people." But Abimelech son of Jerubbaal pursued authority, and it fled from him (Judges 9:23). Moses fled from authority when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Now go, and I will send you to Pharaoh" (Exodus 3:10), and he answered, "Please, O LORD, send by the hand of him You will send" (Exodus 4:13). In the end he brought them out of Egypt, split the sea, brought down the manna, raised up the well, brought the quail, surrounded them with clouds of glory, and made the Tabernacle. He said: from here on, what is left for me to do? and he sat down. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: you have a work greater than all you have done, to teach My children impurity and purity and how they shall offer sacrifice before Me. Thus, "the lowly in spirit shall obtain honor," this is Moses; therefore it says, "And He called to Moses."

Themes

ProphecyMosesHumility

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