Hashem called ("Vayikra") Moshe. Hashem spoke to him from the Ohel Moed [= the Mishkan, or Tabernacle], and asked him to tell the Jewish people [the details of the various sacrifices].

(Vayikra 1:1)

Traditionally, just as the words -- and even the letters -- of the Torah are meant to teach us the Divine Will, so too, we can learn from the physical appearance of the letters in the Torah. Every aspect of the Torah is Divinely inspired. What understanding can we glean from the miniaturization of the Aleph of Vayikra? Numerous answers to this question have been suggested throughout the ages. Let us examine some of the answers that have been recorded.

Why is the "Aleph" of the word "Vayikra" traditionally written smaller than the other letters of the Sefer Torah? In order to show that although Hashem Himself called to Moshe, and although He showed Moshe tremendous respect by constantly speaking to him, even so, Moshe constantly "lessened" himself before Hashem and before the Bnai Yisrael.

(The Tosafists, in Pane'ach Raza to Vayikra 1:1 -- see also Tosafot HaRosh ibid.)

Raza D'Meir (a commentary on the Pane'ach Raza) offers a suggestion based on a Midrash. The Midrash tells us:

Lower yourself until you are requested to rise to your proper status, rather than rising before you are called, lest you be told to lower yourself.... We find that Moshe..., at the Ohel Moed, stood at the side until Hashem said to him, "Why do you continue to lower yourself? It is your turn to rise now!"

(Vayikra Rabba 1:5)

We may add to this that, as we have shown on other occasions (Parasha-Page Chayei Sarah 5756), when tradition dictates a variant spelling of a word in the Torah, both the *word* and the *letter* that is changed have lessons to teach us. In the example of Vayikra, we have explained why a part of the *word* Vayikra was written in miniature. It remains to be explained, however, why specifically the Aleph of Vayikra was minimized. Perhaps Aleph, the letter in the Hebrew alphabet with the lowest numerical value, connotes humility. Minimizing it therefore symbolizes the epitome of humility, and as the verse states, "Moshe was more humble than any man who ever lived." (Bemidbar 12:3)

Moshe wanted to write "Vayikar" in the Torah (which is spelled the same as "Vayikra," but lacks the concluding Aleph). "Vayikar" is the word used to describe the manner in which Hashem appeared to the gentile prophet Bilaam (Bemidbar 23:4). Moshe meant to say that Hashem appeared to him only by happenstance ("Kara Mikreh" -- see Rashi, Vayikra 1:1). However, Hashem insisted that he write the "Aleph" (making it "Vayikra"). Moshe wrote it, but made it smaller than usual [-that was his compromise].

(Ba'al HaTurim loc. cit. -- see also the words of his father, the Rosh, ibid., which apparently serve as a source for the words of the Ba'al HaTurim.)

The words of the Ba'al HaTurim would seem difficult to accept. How could Moshe have planned to write "Vayikar?" Didn't Moshe know that Hashem did *not* appear to him just "by chance," the way he appeared to Bilaam!

Before answering this question, let us examine an enigmatic Midrash. The Sifri (end of Parashat VeZot HaBerachah), explains the verse, "No other prophet who arose among the Jews was comparable to Moshe." The Sifri tells us, "Among the Jews, no similar prophet arose -- but among the gentiles, there arose such a prophet. Who was that prophet? Bilaam son of Be'or!" The words of the Sifri are truly perplexing. In what way could the wicked Bilaam's prophecy possibly be compared to that of Moshe? (See the continuation of the Sifri loc. cit., which makes it appear that Bilaam sustained an even *greater* level of prophecy than Moshe did!) Perhaps the intention of the Sifri is to compare one particular aspect of the prophecy of Bilaam to that of Moshe.

We find that Moshe, due to his unique level of prophesy, separated from his wife. This, of course, was not required of every Jewish prophet. Moshe himself chose to act in this manner, and Hashem supported his decision (Shabbat 88a). The reason behind Moshe's unusual behavior is explained by Rashi. While other prophets had to prepare themselves in advance in order to receive the Divine Word (cf. I Shmuel 10:5, and Metzudot David), Moshe did not. He had to be ready to suddenly receive the word of G-d at any given moment, without prior warning. For this reason, he did not want to remain in a state of ritual impurity for any amount of time (Rashi Bemidbar 12:4 -- see also Rambam Yesodei HaTorah 7:6). This may be the quality that Bilaam shared with Moshe. Bilaam, too, received the word of Hashem even though he did not prepare himself for it previously. He did not need to elevate himself to the proper level of spirituality in order to prophesy, rather, Hashem granted him the ability to prophesy although he *never* would be on the spiritual level required of a prophet. Prophecy was granted to Bilaam solely as a means of proving to the nations of the world that no other nation could match the Jewish People (Rashi, Bemidbar 22:5).

This, then, may be the implication of both the "Vayikar" of Bilaam, and the "Vayikra" of Moshe. "Vayikar" means that Hashem abruptly appeared to him, as if by *chance* ("Kara Mikreh"), i.e. without prior warning. "Vayikra" also means that *Hashem* called, and instigated the contact, as opposed to having Moshe first ready himself to "invite" prophecy (as the simple "Vayedaber" would have denoted).

The difference between the two terms, however, is that "Vayikar" ("Hashem chanced upon him"), has the connotation of a one sided affair. This denotes that the recipient of the prophesy was caught unawares, and wasn't yet fully prepared to welcome the Divine Presence. "Vayikra" ("Hashem called him"), with its implication of give and take (someone was being *called* to respond), carries the opposite connotation. The prophet was fully able and prepared to receive Hashem's word. It was only necessary for Hashem to call him and the prophet would respond.

Now we can understand Moshe's attempt to describe his encounter with Hashem as "Vayikar." Due to his extreme modesty, Moshe didn't consider himself fully prepared to receive the word of Hashem. Therefore, he felt that his meeting with Hashem should truthfully be described as "Vayikar," as was Bilaam's. Hashem, however, insisted that Moshe write "Vayikra." He was as prepared for prophesy at any given moment as was humanly possible. Moshe consented to write "Vayikra," but with a small "Aleph" -- as if to say that in his opinion, it wasn't entirely appropriate to add that "Aleph."

The Aleph of Vayikra is small... to denote the difference between the way Hashem calls the angels and the way Hashem called Moshe.

(Midrash Otiot Ketanot, -- which is attributed to the sage Rebbi Akiva)

In a similar vein, the Midrash HaZohar learns from the small Aleph that Hashem didn't reveal Himself to Moshe in His full glory. Why was that? Because He appeared to Moshe only in the Mishkan (as opposed to the Holy Temple) and in a foreign land (as opposed to in Eretz Yisrael). (Zohar 1:239a)

Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai, in "Chomat Anach," quotes a similar explanation from the school of the great Kabbalist of Safed (~1500), Rav Yitzchak Luria, the Arizal. The Arizal cites a Gemara (Rosh Hashana 21a) that tells us there are 50 "gates to understanding" [= levels of appreciating G-d's truth] in the world -- and Moshe attained all but one of them. This is the meaning of the small Aleph. Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, has a numerical value of one. One, -- that is, one gate to understanding -- was still lacking in Moshe.

These Kabbalistic approaches would seem to clearly contrast the first two approaches (Pane'ach Raza; Ba'al HaTurim). While the first two explanations used the small Aleph to underline Moshe's humility, the approaches of the Kabbalists seem to learn from the small Aleph Moshe's shortcomings as a prophet. A friend of mine, however, Harav Arye Leib Reich of Jerusalem, suggested another understanding of the Kabbalistic approach which actually complements the words of the Pane'ach Raza and Ba'al HaTurim.

The Divrei Yechezkel (Rav Yechezkel of Shinov) suggests a novel explanation for the Gemara in Rosh Hashana that discusses the 50 gates to understanding, which may be used to answer this question. An oft-quoted phrase of the ancients goes, "Who is a wise man? One who knows that he really knows nothing!" This is certainly true of the 50th gate to understanding Hashem. It is inconceivable for a man of flesh and blood to conceptualize the being of his Creator. Man acquires the greatest appreciation he can have for his Creator, when he fully understands why His ways are unimaginably distant from our comprehension. *This* is the 50th gate to understanding. And this, too, was "revealed -- in its full enigma -- to Moshe. The Gemara should be read, says Rav Yechezkel of Shinov, "There are 50 gates to understanding in the world, and *all* of them -- without exception -- were revealed to Moshe. Even the 50th gate, which represents the lack of understanding, or the realization that one really *cannot* understand the Creator, was attained by Moshe. Because Moshe lacked it -- he truly attained it." In short, not understanding Hashem *is* the ultimate level of understanding.

We may apply the same thought, said Rav Reich, to the small Aleph of Vayikra. As we saw in the first two explanations, the small Aleph demonstrates Moshe's humility. It shows that Moshe did not consider himself properly prepared to receive the Divine Word. Moshe understood that he really did *not* fully appreciate how man can relate to the Divine Presence. He felt that he completely lacked the 50th level of understanding. And that, actually, is the greatest proof that he *did* acquire the highest level of understanding humanly possible. This is the reason that the Aleph -- representing Hashem, or the 50th gate to understanding, as Chomat Anach pointed out -- *is* written in the word Vayikra. It was specifically *because* Moshe felt that the Aleph should be left out, that the Aleph was indeed written. The minimized Aleph thus speaks for itself, testifying to the fact that Moshe had reached the ultimate in spiritual heights!