Animal sacrifice or as we like to refer to it as korbanot is how the third book of the Torah opens in Parshat Vayikra. This book is commonly known as Mishnah Torah, where the crux of some of the foundational elements of our service of Hashem in the temple is laid out. As we do not have the Beit HaMikdash, the temple, in Yerushalayim, our shuls and our daily tefillot, prayers, act as temporary replacements for the daily services in the temple. There is so much meat in this parsha and the subsequent ones to follow. All we have to do is look at the first word.
וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃
Hashem called out to Moshe and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting saying…
- Vayikra 1:1
Why do I single out this one word וַיִּקְרָ֖א? If you look across the Torah at the conversations that take place between Hashem and Moshe you will not see this word used in most spaces. We often find the word וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר used to introduce a conversation. Here, Moshe had to be called, for Hashem to grab his focus and attention. Feels like a moment where we try to get our child’s attention to ensure that they are fully engaged in the conversation we are about to conduct. Seems off from what we have come to expect from the relationship between Hashem and Moshe.
Rashi explains that the additional term is meant to express and show the cherished relationship that exists between Hashem and Moshe. Hashem doesn’t speak at or to Moshe. He speaks with Moshe. He prioritizes the discussion of the temple service with the connection between Him and Moshe. As one of my favorite educational leaders, Rita Pierson, is apt to say, “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” Relationships matter.
The Seforno explains that this was the first time that Moshe was speaking to Hashem since the construction of the Mishkan, temple. As such, he felt, appropriately so, that he needed to show reverence to Hashem to wait until he was called before coming to the Tent of Meeting to engage in a discussion. This comment is shared in the commentaries of the Ramban and others as well.
When we look at the two commentaries, it seems that we get two opposing views of the interaction between Moshe and Hashem. One highlights connection, comfortability and safety versus a sense of awe, reverence and perhaps fear. There seems to be mixed messages regarding what that relationship looked like and how we are to model our relationship with Hashem after it.
As I sat in the State Capital, I held this question while listening to testimonies about the state of teaching and administration in 2023. I heard the voices of dedicated, committed, and caring teachers. I heard the State Senators on the Education Committee share their personal and professional perspectives on the state of education today. What I heard in all those sentiments was the almost eloquent and acrobatic approach of love and expectations along with a caring and firm approach that represents the complex dance that our teachers walk each day. It reminded me of the approach that Hashem took with his close relationship with Moshe.
Our children and students require both a וַיִּקְרָ֖א and וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר approach to their relationships with teachers, leaders, and their parents. On the one hand, the firm boundaries and clear, concise expectations that they hold all children to along with the unwavering commitment as a champion for all students. This is not simple and it is vital in creating a space where our children can connect to the larger goal of a life dedicated to Torah, mitzvot, and developing young Jewish leaders that will carry that torch after us.
What message are we getting from Hashem’s interaction with Moshe and how can we put that into practice in our relationships? Thomas C. Murray, the author of Personal & Authentic, is often quoted as saying, “Make every moment a meaningful moment.” Imagine what it would look like if a child felt cared for and loved when adults interact with them on any issue even when reprimand and redirection is needed? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt”l reminds us that Hashem tasks us with building the world that ought to be from where the world is. I think it is time for us to take the steps that are necessary to begin that journey.