If you look carefully at the printed Hebrew text, you will notice that the aleph of Vayikra, the last letter of the word, is diminutive in size. That tiny aleph, which appears in all Torah scrolls as well, prompted the midrash to reflect on the fine line between authentic and inauthentic revelation. What separates vayikra from vayikar orthographically is only the letter aleph, and a minuscule one at that, and yet that silent letter is the difference between design and happenstance, or, as the midrash puts it, between a divine communication in fully formed words and one that comes in disjointed syllables. Again we confront the paradox of a distinction without much difference. In responding to God's voice, we cannot escape the need to interpret what we hear.
Human beings are the filter through which revelation passes.
It is for this reason that education, civility, and character are so vital in the formation of religious leadership for they determine how the experience of God will be mediated to a community less than perfect. God's word withers in a spirit of intolerance and fanaticism. Talk Shop Sign Up Search Courses Receive the JTS Torah commentary and Shabbat candlelighting times sent to you weekly by e-mail. Click here to sign up for free membership. If you're already a member, Log In .