1:1 This piece by Rav Gedalya Schorr
is in the Yeshurun second volume. He is coming to explain the first Rashi on
the Parsha which is very difficult. Rashi says ויקרא אל משה: לכל דברות ולכל אמירות ולכל צוויים קדמה קריאה,
לשון חבה, לשון שמלאכי השרת משתמשים בו, שנאמר (ישעיה ו ג) וקרא זה אל זה, אבל
לנביאי אומות העולם נגלה עליהן בלשון עראי וטומאה, שנאמר (במדבר כג ד) ויקר א-להים
אל בלעם
before every commandment it says a Lashon of Vayikra. This is a
language used by the Angels because it says V’kara Zeh El Zeh V’amar. This needs explanation because what is so
special about Vayikra as an introduction to Nevua. Rashi discusses the gentile
prophets and how they are spoken to because they have Tumah and he comes to
explain why Nevua is so special with Vayikra.
We are accustomed to use interchangeably words like
Vayidabeir and he spoke, Vayoimer and he said, and Vayikra and he called. Rav
Schorr explains that Vayikra is calling someone to come to you. When you call
someone you are typically calling that person towards you.
An example of this is found in Maseches Pesachim where the
Posuk of Vayikra Elokim L’or Yoim is brought which means and Hashem called
light day. The Gemara explains that Hashem called light and commanded it to be
light by day. This sort of means to say that Hakadoish Baruch asked the light to
come close.
The same thing with V’kara Zeh El Zeh V’amar which it says
by the Malachim. It is a Posuk that we are used to saying in Kedusha, and
Targum translates it as Ul’kadmin Dain Mi’dain. What are they being Mekabail?
They are being Mekabail that they are preparing each other by calling to each
other in order to say Kadoish Kadoish.
Vayikra, Rav Schorr explains is, that Hashem calls the Navi
and says come close to me. This is with a Lashoin of love because when you love
someone you call them to come close to you. So anytime a beloved Navi is called
it is with the Lashoin of Vayikra.
Regarding the prophets of the other nations, since there is
an Inyan of Tumah involved with them, there is no reason to call them to come
close. Rav Schorr goes on to explain
that this is the reason why this whole Chumash is called Vayikra. Korban is the
Lashoin of Karoiv of coming close to the Ribboinoi Shel Oilam. The idea of
bringing a Korban of spending a significant amount of money on the animal and traveling
to the Bais Hamikdash is a Lashoin of coming close to Hashem. It says Adam Ki Yakriv Mikem, when a person
brings a Korban, Mikem, it is from the person. It brings a person closer to the
Ribboinoi Shel Oilam. That is the
significance of Vayikra, calling and coming close to the Ribboinoi Shel Oilam.
There are 2 practical applications of this Rav Schorr
explains, davening today is in the place of Korbanois. When we start Davening we
take 3 steps forward. We are walking physically closer to the Ribboinoi Shel
Oilam. This is a feeling of love and an answer to the Vayikra even if we might
not hear it. This is a feeling that we should try to have, a feeling of
speaking one on one with the Ribboinoi Shel Oilam when we are Davening.
The second application is the Aufruf when we get called up
to the Torah for a special occasion whether a Bar Mitzvah or a Yahrtzeit. Someone
who is called up to the Torah is Aufruf, he is called to go up. As it says when
Moshe Rabbeinu went up to Har Sinai, that Hakadoish Baruch Hu Vayikra El Moshe
Vaya’al Moshe. Moshe went up which means to come closer to Hakadoish Baruch Hu.
That is the idea behind the concept of Vayikra.
