Vayikra

Vaykira is both the Hebrew name of the Book of Leviticus AND the name of the first portion in the Book of Leviticus.  (As an aside, Torah portions are generally named for the first word or one of the first words in the portion.)

In my previous d'vrei Torah, I examined the commentaries of the Baal HaTurim, whose primary method of biblical exegesis was to reveal the hidden meaning of the Torah portion.  As we begin Leviticus, I though we should move 'back' to the most well-known and influential Biblical commentator, Rashi.  Please follow the link to the entry in the Jewish Encyclopedia to find out more about him.  Know this:  he is the single most important and influential Biblical commentator in the Jewish world to this very day (and he lived about 900 years ago!) and his influence is felt heavily in the Christian world as well.

Rashi's method of Biblical exegesis is to explicate the 'simple' meaning of the portion.  It's not always quite so simple, but let's see...

This portion opens with the phrase, "And God called to Moses and said to him from the Tent of Meeting.'   The key to understanding Rashi (or one of the keys) is to understanding the problem that piques his interest.  In this case, Rashi wants to know why the text reads 'called to Moses' and then 'said to him.'  Isn't that the same thing?  Isn't that repetitive?  In Rashi's world, nothing in the Torah is superflous.  

Rashi explains that 'called' tells us the God first 'said' Moses' actual name as a sign of affection and then, after that term of endearment, God goes on to speak with Moses about various 'business.'

Rashi offers another possibility (this doesn't exclude the first explanation; they're just different):  the voice went to Moses' ears but no one else among the Children of Israel heard the voice.

Finally, for this week, Rashi offers an explanation for the seemingly superfluous word, 'to him.'  Isn't it obvious that God spoke to him?  The text says 'God called to Moses...' The 'to him' is not needed...WRONG!  In this instance, the 'to him' means 'God spoke to Moses and not Aaron.'    Rashi provides some examples from other texts that proves his point, but what we need to know is that in this instance, God was speaking to Moses and not Aaron.