The very first verse of the Book of Leviticus – Vayikra in Hebrew – begins with God calling out to Moses. It seems straightforward enough. But the Rabbis of the Midrash, those ancient interpreters of our sacred texts, never let anything sit on the surface. They always ask, "Why this? Why now? What's the deeper meaning?"
So, they ask a simple but profound question: "He called to Moses – did He not call to Adam?" Isn't it already stated in Genesis 3:9, "The Lord God called to the man?" (Vayikra Rabbah 1). It seems like a fair point. God spoke to Adam, so what makes the call to Moses so special?
The Midrash provides a beautiful, almost poetic answer: "There is no disgrace in a king speaking to his sharecropper." Adam, in this context, is seen as God's sharecropper because, as Genesis 2:15 tells us, God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden "to cultivate it and to safeguard it." He had a job to do.
The questioning continues. "The Lord spoke to him – did He not speak with Noah?" Again, we find in Genesis 8:15, "God spoke to Noah." So, what’s different this time? The response: "There is no disgrace in a king speaking to his shepherd." Noah, tending to the animals after the flood, is seen as God's shepherd.
And then, "He called to Moses – did He not call to Abraham?" In Genesis 22:15, we read, "The angel of the Lord called to Abraham." The Midrash answers, “There is no disgrace in a king speaking to his innkeeper.” Abraham, renowned for his hospitality, provided lodging and comfort, much like an innkeeper.
But here's where it gets really interesting. The Midrash distinguishes between the call to Abraham and the call to Moses. Regarding Abraham, it says, "The angel of the Lord called to Abraham – the angel called, and the divine speech spoke." (Vayikra Rabbah 1). There was an intermediary, a messenger.
However, when it comes to Moses, Rabbi Avin says something powerful: "The Holy One blessed be He said: It is I who calls, and it is I who speaks." It’s direct, unmediated. As it says in Isaiah 48:15, "I, it is I, who has spoken, I also have called him; I brought him, and his way is successful." (Vayikra Rabbah 1). God Himself is making the call.
So, what's the takeaway here? It's not just about who God calls, but how God calls. With Adam, Noah, and Abraham, there's a sense of God engaging with them in their roles, within the context of their service. But with Moses, there's a directness, an intimacy, a sense of God reaching out personally, without any filters.
This passage from Vayikra Rabbah invites us to consider our own relationship with the Divine. Are we relating to God through our "roles" – our jobs, our responsibilities, our service? Or are we open to hearing God's direct call, a call that transcends our daily lives and speaks to the very core of our being? What does it mean to be called directly? And more importantly, are we listening?