The Small Alef

In Parashat Vayikra 1:1 says: " וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃ - G-d called to Moshe and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying" The word I want to discuss today is the word Vayikra - And He called, which for some odd reason has a small Alef at the end of the word. Why is there a small letter Alef? Why isn't it the same size as other letters? 

Please allow me to state my opinion of why what is about to follow may be the reason why the small Alef is present in this word. So with your permission, let's begin.

I believe the reason the small Alef is written is that Moshe Rabbenu learned and mimicked it from the moon. 

Please allow me to explain.

In Masechet Chullin 60b:2-4 says: "Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi raises a contradiction between two verses. It is written: "And G-d made the two great lights" (Genesis 1:16), and it is also written in the same verse: "The greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night," indicating that only one was great. Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi explains that "When G-d first created the sun and the moon, they were equally bright. Then, the moon said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to serve with one crown? One of us must be subservient to the other. G-d therefore said to her, to the moon: If so, go and diminish yourself."

And based on this story, Moshe Rabbenu felt he needed to write the Alef in a smaller size, not the same size as the other letters. 

And this is where the mistake was made, I believe.

If you have read the following essay, "The 'Well-Meaning' Inlaws", you will see how Yitro, the father-in-law of Moshe Rabbenu, just by being at the party, has caused Moshe to suddenly act weird - Moshe started serving people at the party, walked around with a tray, and started giving out food to the people. This behavior, as I have explained in that essay, was due to his past and unresolved trauma that he went through while he lived in the house of Yitro. 

To undo the damage, Hashem has worked on Moshe day and night. 

Moshe Rabbenu was the key figure to bring the 10 plagues upon Egypt. He was the one who parted the sea and led the nation through it. He was the one to close the waters on the pursuing Egyptians, thus solidifying Hashem's greatness and might and himself as a holy extension of G-d Almighty. Through him, Hashem has given Torah, and later the teachings, thus establishing him as the only true source of authentic Torah. 

Suddenly, Moshe Rabbenu is carrying a tray.

Did Hashem give up on him after that? No, not at all. 

Later in Parashat Pekudei 34:29-30 says: "וַיְהִ֗י בְּרֶ֤דֶת מֹשֶׁה֙ מֵהַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּשְׁנֵ֨י לֻחֹ֤ת הָֽעֵדֻת֙ בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּרִדְתּ֖וֹ מִן־הָהָ֑ר וּמֹשֶׁ֣ה לֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע כִּ֥י קָרַ֛ן ע֥וֹר פָּנָ֖יו בְּדַבְּר֥וֹ אִתּֽוֹ׃ - So Moshe came down from Mount Sinai. And as Moshe came down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, Moshe was not aware that the skin of his face was radiant, since he had spoken with G-d.

וַיַּ֨רְא אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְכׇל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה קָרַ֖ן ע֣וֹר פָּנָ֑יו וַיִּֽירְא֖וּ מִגֶּ֥שֶׁת אֵלָֽיו׃  - Aaron and all the Israelites saw that the skin of Moshe' face was radiant; and they stayed away from coming near him."

So, there was Moshe Rabbenu with the skin of his face radiant, since he spoke with G-d. And this was another attempt by Hashem to elevate Moshe Rabbenu above the people, thereby solidifying his position as the chosen leader of the nation of Israel by G-d Himself.

The mistake of Moshe Rabbenu, in my opinion, was that he felt that since his face was already radiant, and now Hashem comes to him and calls him by his name. He felt that it was too much honor for one person, so he tried to shrink himself, like the moon. It's just that the moon was forced to shrink; he chose to do so out of humility. So, in the Torah, he writes the word Vayikra - And He called, with a small Alef.

But later, this single act worked against him, enabling Korach and others like him to challenge Moshe's authority.

Come to think of it, just as Moshe Rabbenu, the son of David, will go through plenty of his own hurdles in his life. But who will raise the son of David to undo the damage that was done to him? Will it be the rabbis of his generation or Hashem himself? Or will he also be carrying trays?

נִבְזֶה֙ וַחֲדַ֣ל אִישִׁ֔ים אִ֥ישׁ מַכְאֹב֖וֹת וִיד֣וּעַ חֹ֑לִי וּכְמַסְתֵּ֤ר פָּנִים֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ נִבְזֶ֖ה וְלֹ֥א חֲשַׁבְנֻֽהוּ - "he is despised, shunned by men, a man of suffering, familiar with illness, as one who hid his face from us, he was despised, we held him of no account" (Isaiah 53:3)

אָכֵ֤ן חֳלָיֵ֙נוּ֙ ה֣וּא נָשָׂ֔א וּמַכְאֹבֵ֖ינוּ סְבָלָ֑ם וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ חֲשַׁבְנֻ֔הוּ נָג֛וּעַ מֻכֵּ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים וּמְעֻנֶּֽה - "Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing, our suffering that he endured. We accounted him plagued, smitten, and afflicted by G-d" (Isaiah 53:4)

וְהוּא֙ מְחֹלָ֣ל מִפְּשָׁעֵ֔נוּ מְדֻכָּ֖א מֵעֲוֺנֹתֵ֑ינוּ מוּסַ֤ר שְׁלוֹמֵ֙נוּ֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבַחֲבֻרָת֖וֹ נִרְפָּא־לָֽנוּ - "But he was wounded because of our sins, crushed because of our iniquities. He bore the chastisement that made us whole, and by his bruises, we were healed" (Isaiah 53:5)

נִגַּ֨שׂ וְה֣וּא נַעֲנֶה֮ וְלֹ֣א יִפְתַּח־פִּיו֒ כַּשֶּׂה֙ לַטֶּ֣בַח יוּבָ֔ל וּכְרָחֵ֕ל לִפְנֵ֥י גֹזְזֶ֖יהָ נֶאֱלָ֑מָה וְלֹ֥א יִפְתַּ֖ח פִּֽיו - "He was oppressed, yet he did not open his mouth to answer back, like sheep being led to slaughter, like a ewe dumb before those who shear her, he did not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7)

The son of David won't be just a teacher; he will be a scholar and a king, thus preventing the likes of Korach from even attempting to challenge his authority.

רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעָשִׂיתִי יַעֲקֹב בְּכוֹר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ד כב) בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּךְ אֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה לְמֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ בְּכוֹר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים פט כח)  אַף־אָ֭נִי בְּכ֣וֹר אֶתְּנֵ֑הוּ עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן לְמַלְכֵי־אָֽרֶץ - Rabbi Natan said, "The Holy One Blessed Is He said to Moshe, 'Just as I made Yaakov a firstborn, so too I will make King Mashiach a firstborn', as it is written, "I too will make him a firstborn, supreme over all the kings of the earth" (Psalms 89:28)(Midrash Rabbah)

חֹפֵ֤ף עָלָיו֙ כׇּל־הַיּ֔וֹם וּבֵ֥ין כְּתֵפָ֖יו שָׁכֵֽן - "The Holy One Blessed Is He hovers over him all day and resides between his shoulders" (Devarim 33:12)

תוֹרָ֖ה יְבַקְשׁ֣וּ מִפִּ֑יהוּ כִּ֛י מַלְאַ֥ךְ יְהֹֽוָה־צְבָא֖וֹת הֽוּא - "seek Torah from his mouth! because he is the Messenger/Angel of The LORD of HOSTS!" (Malachi 2:7)

עִמּֽוֹ־אָנֹכִ֥י בְצָרָ֑ה - "I am with him in his distress" (Psalms 91:15)

מַגְדִּל֮ יְשׁוּע֢וֹת מַ֫לְכּ֥וֹ וְעֹ֤שֶׂה חֶ֨סֶד לִמְשִׁיח֗וֹ לְדָוִ֥ד וּלְזַרְע֗וֹ עַד־עוֹלָֽם - "He will increase salvations to the king Mashiach, He will act kindly to his anointed one, To King David and his descendants forever" (Psalms 18:51)

אִם־יִתְמַהְמָהּ֙ חַכֵּה־ל֔וֹ כִּי־בֹ֥א יָבֹ֖א - "If Mashiach delays, wait for him, for he will surely come!" (Habakkuk 2:3)

Tick Tock, Tick Tock... 

The clock is still ticking, but he is the one we are seeking and waiting for...

ר' יהושע בן לוי אשכח לאליהו אמר ליה ומאי סימניה - Rabbi Yehoshua the son of Levi encountered Eliyahu the Prophet and asked him, how do we know who is the Mashiach?

יתיב ביני עניי סובלי חלאים - Eliyahu the Prophet answered him "The Mashiach sits among the poor and suffers from afflictions" (Sanhedrin 98a)

וְאֶל־זֶ֣ה אַבִּ֔יט אֶל־עָנִי֙ וּנְכֵה־ר֔וּחַ וְחָרֵ֖ד עַל־דְּבָרִֽי - "at this one do I gaze, at the poor and humble one, the repentant, who trembles upon My words" (not to forget them) (Isaiah 66:2)

וּבָ֤א לְצִיּוֹן֙ גּוֹאֵ֔ל - "and a redeemer shall come to Zion!" (Isaiah 59:20)

Shmuel Katanov aka Acher