The students sat attentively and Ms. Alufson, the history teacher, began the oral test. “Who can tell me the date and source of this quote?” she said, “Do not ask what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” No one answered. The teacher began to rant, “You lazy brats, spoiled kids. All you care about is your cell phones and your PSPs. You haven’t learned a thing.” Finally a little Japanese girl raised her hand and said, “John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jan 20, 1961.” “That’s right!” Then the teacher began raving, “You see, you Japanese are great. You care about education. You have values, unlike these American kids. You’re more talented, gifted, better behaved…” A cry rang out from the back of the room, “To hell with the Japanese!” “Who said that?” retorted the teacher, angrily. Another voice rang out, “Harry Truman, 1945!”[1]

* * *

Vayikra: A Call of Love

When a three-year-old child first begins to study Torah, he doesn’t start from the beginning, parshas Bereishis, rather from parshas Vayikra. Why?

Also, the first word of the third book of the Torah is “Vayikra“, ‘And He (G-d) called to Moses.’ The Alef at the end of the word ‘vayikra‘ is unusually small:. However, in the Book of Chronicles, the Alef at the beginning of the name Adam is unusually large:.[2] Why these incongruities?

The phrase, “Vayikra el Mosheh” doesn’t say that ‘G-d called Moses.’ Why is the logical reference to G-d omitted?

TO BE HUMBLE
The reason the Alef in the word vayikra is small is because Moses was humble. By definition, a truly humble person realizes two things: (a) he realizes that every talent and gift he has was given to him by G-d, and (b) he realizes that if others had been given the exact same talents and gifts as he, they may have accomplished more.

This explains the passage, “Moses was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth.”[3] “Exceedingly humble” means he realized that all his success was from G-d. “More than any person” means he acknowledged that if others had been given the same gifts and conditions, they could have accomplished more.

Furthermore, the realization that all of our good qualities are G-d-given has two levels: (a) ‘I don’t have any greatness of my own, and neither does anyone else,’ and (b) ‘I don’t have any greatness of my own, but others do have greatness.’ Moses personified the latter. Not only was he humble, he was “exceedingly humble”–he saw greatness in other people.

SMALL ALEF
The above sheds some light on why it’s specifically the Alef, and not the Vav or Kuf, which is small in the word vayikra. The word ‘Alef’ means aluf, ‘chief’ or ‘master’. The letter Alef is also like an ‘A’ on a report card–it represents perfection or mastery in a specific field or subject.

A great but tone-deaf mathematician may be humbled by an opera singer. But a deeper level of humility is when the mathematician is humbled by another mathematician. He acknowledges mastery in the other, even within his own field of expertise, and even though he may be an accomplished teacher in that field.[4] This is true for Moses: he knew of his own greatness, yet he was humble and looked up to others in his own arena.

BIG ALEF
In contrast, Adam knew he was G-d’s perfect masterpiece. He had a big Alef; he knew his intellect was greater than that of the ministering angels, or Moses or Solomon. Yet, he was arrogant, and he descended into sin.

BEYOND NAME
Moses’s humility made him an open vessel to receive G-d’s calling from a level of Divinity transcending name; he became a receptacle for G-d’s unnameable Essence. This is why G-d’s name doesn’t appear in the phrase, ‘Vayikra el Mosheh.’[5] Furthermore, Rashi says the word vayikra implies that Hashem called to Moses with love. How did Moses elicit this Divine love? Through his humility.

HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM
When a child is three years old and begins to learn Torah, we shower him with affection and instill in him a healthy self-esteem. At the same time, he is taught about the small Alef in vayikra, and about how Moses–the teacher of all teachers–approached Torah-study through humility.

REVEALING ESSENCE
The word vayikra is found in a section dealing with sacrifices. This shows that sacrifice, transforming physical flesh into spirituality, is the way to manifest G-d’s Essence in this world. Today we don’t have a Temple or animal sacrifices, yet we can manifest G-d’s Essence in the world through Torah study.

Through the study of Torah we will merit to see the Alufei Shel Olam, the Master of the Universe, as it is written, “And the glory of G-d shall be revealed; and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of G-d has spoken.”[6]

A STORY [7]
In 1792, when the Tzemach Tzedek was three years old, his grandfather, the Alter Rebbe, wrapped him in a tallis and carried him to the study hall, as is customary. The Rebbe told the teacher, Avraham the Melamid, to teach his grandson the first paragraph of parshas Vayikra. After the lesson, the boy asked his grandfather, “Why does vayikra have a small Alef?” The Alter Rebbe answered, “Adam was molded in G-d’s hands.”[8] He knew of his great qualities and became arrogant. He therefore sinned. Moses, on the other hand, was humble, with a broken and crushed heart. He thought to himself, ‘If another man, not the son of Amram or a seventh generation descendent of Abraham, was given the privilege of such a special soul as mine, and such exalted ancestors, surely he would have done a better job than I.’ This is why there’s a small Alef.”

“In the Torah,” the Alter Rebbe continued, “There are three sizes of letters–large, medium, and small. (In general), the Torah scroll is written with medium sized letters. The reason for this is that every person is capable of and obligated to reach the level of the beinoni, the spiritual ‘intermediate’.[9]

ACTION:Realize that all your talents, gifts and good qualities are G-d-given. Verbally acknowledge the greatness in your spouse, child or neighbor.

FOOTNOTES
[1] Heard from Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson.
[2] Divrei HaYamim, 1:1
[3] Numbers, 12:3
[4] Sichos Kodesh, Vayikra 5741
[5] Sefer Hamaamarim M’luket, “Vayikra el Mosheh, 5732″
[6] Isaiah, 40:5
[7] See Bereshis Rabba, Ch. 24:5; and Avos D’Rab Nosson, end of Ch. 1.
[8] Sefer HaSichos 5700, p. 68. See also Lekutei Sichos, Vol. 17, p. 1
[9] A beinoni is one who experiences temptations, but overcomes and refrains from sinning. See Tanya, Chapters 1, 12, etc.