The Torah starts the book of Leviticus—Vayikra in Hebrew—with just that kind of a call. "He called to Moses, and the Lord spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying…" (Leviticus 1:1). But what does that call really mean?
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Vayikra Rabbah, dives deep into this seemingly simple phrase. Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai kicks things off with a verse from Psalms: "Bless the Lord, His emissaries [malakhav], mighty in strength, who perform His bidding…" (Psalms 103:20). Now, who exactly is this verse talking about? Angels? Humans?
The Midrash plays with this idea. If it's talking about the supernal beings, the angels, wouldn't it say "Bless the Lord, all His hosts" (Psalms 103:21), as it does in the very next verse? So, it must be talking about earthly beings. But why "emissaries" and not "all His emissaries"?
Here’s where it gets interesting. The Midrash suggests that earthly beings, us humans, don’t always live up to God’s expectations. We aren't always successful in performing God's tasks. Hence, the verse omits the word "all." God doesn't necessarily want the blessings of the wicked, according to the Etz Yosef commentary.
But wait, there's more! The prophets themselves were called malakhim, emissaries. Remember the verse "He sent a malakh and took us out of Egypt…" (Numbers 20:16)? Was that an angel? No, it was Moses! The Midrash points out that prophets are indeed called malakhim. As Rabbi Yoḥanan said, by their very nature, the prophets are called malakhim because their role is to deliver God's word to the people, as Rabbi David Luria explains. Think of Haggai: "Haggai, the malakh of the Lord, on mission from the Lord, said…" (Haggai 1:13).
So, what does it mean to be "mighty in strength, who perform His bidding"? Rabbi Yitzḥak offers a surprising answer: it's about those who observe the Sabbatical Year, the Shmita. : we work hard all year round. But during the Sabbatical Year, observant Jews let their fields lie fallow. They see their vineyard untouched, and they still pay the land tax, all while remaining silent. Is there anyone mightier than that? It takes incredible faith and strength to let go like that. The Midrash reinforces this connection by linking the phrase "Who perform His bidding [devaro]" to the "matter of [devar] the Sabbatical Year" (Deuteronomy 15:2).
And Rabbi Huna, citing Rabbi Aḥa, brings another perspective. He says the verse speaks of Israel standing before Mount Sinai. Remember that moment? They said, "Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will heed" (Exodus 24:7). They committed to doing before even hearing! What an act of trust and spiritual strength!
Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai adds a final, powerful image. Usually, a burden that's hard for one is easier for two, and so on. But at Sinai, all of Israel was overwhelmed by the voice of God, saying, "If we continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God, we will die" (Deuteronomy 5:22). Yet Moses, alone, could hear the divine speech and live. Vayikra Rabbah emphasizes that from all of them, God called only Moses.
So, what's the takeaway? This seemingly simple call to Moses is actually a multifaceted exploration of faith, strength, and divine purpose. It’s about living up to the role of an emissary, whether you're a prophet, a farmer observing Shmita, or simply someone striving to fulfill God's commands. It’s a reminder that even in the face of overwhelming challenges, we are capable of extraordinary things. And maybe, just maybe, it's a call to each of us, in our own way, to answer the call and find our own purpose.
“He called to Moses, and the Lord spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying” (Leviticus 1:1). “He called to Moses” – Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai began: “Bless the Lord, His emissaries [malakhav], mighty in strength, who perform His bidding…” (Psalms 103:20). Regarding whom is the verse speaking?1The term malakhim most commonly refers to angels, God’s supernal emissaries, but can also refer to human beings. If the verse is speaking of the supernal, but is it not already stated: “Bless the Lord, all His hosts” (Psalms 103:21)? It is speaking, rather, of the earthly. Because the supernal are able to successfully perform the tasks of the Holy One blessed be He, it is stated [of them]: “Bless the Lord, all His hosts.” But because the earthly are unable to successfully perform the tasks of the Holy One blessed be He, it is stated [of them]: “Bless the Lord, His emissaries,” but not all his emissaries.2Because most human beings do not live up to God’s expectations, the verse does not state “Bless the Lord, all His emissaries.” It leaves out the word “all,” as God does not want the blessings of the wicked (Etz Yosef). Another matter: The prophets were called malakhim – that is what is written: “He sent a malakh and took us out of Egypt…” (Numbers 20:16). Was it an angel? Was it not Moses? Why does it call him a malakh? It is because the prophets are called malakhim. Similarly, “The malakh of the Lord ascended from Gilgal to Bokhim” (Judges 2:1) – was it an angel? Was it not Pinḥas? Why does it call him a malakh? Rather, Rabbi Simon said: When the Divine Spirit would rest upon Pinḥas, his face would shine like a torch. The Rabbis say: What was Manoaḥ’s wife saying to him? “a man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of an angel of God” (Judges 13:6). She thought that he was a prophet, but he was none other than an angel. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: By their very nature the prophets are called malakhim.3The word malakh literally means emissary, and the role of a prophet is to present God’s word to the people (Rabbi David Luria). That is what is written: “Haggai, the malakh of the Lord, on mission from the Lord, said” (Haggai 1:13). Perforce, you learn that by their very nature, the prophets are called malakhim. “Mighty in strength, who perform His bidding” (Psalms 103:20) – regarding whom is the verse speaking? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The verse is speaking of those who observe the Sabbatical Year. The way of the world is that a person performs a mitzva for one day, for one week, for one month. But does one do so for the rest of the days of the year? Yet this one sees his field fallow, his vineyard fallow, and pays his land tax and remains silent. Is there anyone mightier than that? If you say that it is not speaking of those who observe the Sabbatical Year, it is stated here: “Who perform His bidding [devaro],” and it is stated there: “This is the matter of [devar] the Sabbatical Year” (Deuteronomy 15:2). Just as when davar is stated there the verse is speaking of those who observe the Sabbatical Year, so too, when davar stated here, the verse is speaking of those who observe the Sabbatical Year. “Who perform His bidding” – Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: The verse is speaking of Israel when they stood before Mount Sinai, for having preceded performance to heeding and having said: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7).4They undertook to perform God’s commands before even hearing what they were. This took great spiritual strength. “Hearing His word” (Psalms 103:20) – Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai said: The way of the world is that a burden that is difficult for one is easy for two; [one that is difficult] for two is easy for four. But can a burden that is difficult for six hundred thousand be easy for one? All of Israel was standing before Mount Sinai and saying: “If we continue to hear [the voice of the Lord our God, we will die]” (Deuteronomy 5:22), and Moses was hearing the voice of the divine speech himself, and he lived. Know that it is so, as from all of them, He called only Moses. That is why it is stated: “He called to Moses.”
