Humility and Relationship: Lessons from the End of Exodus Parshat Pikudei -- Parshat Hachodesh March 29th, 2025/29 of Adar, 5785

(9) O gates, lift up your heads!
Lift them up, you everlasting doors,
so the King of glory may come in! (10) Who is the King of glory?—
the LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory! Selah.

(33) And he set up the enclosure around the Tabernacle and the altar, and put up the screen for the gate of the enclosure. When Moses had finished the work, (34) the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of יהוה filled the Tabernacle. (35) Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it and the Presence of יהוה filled the Tabernacle. (36) When the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the Israelites would set out, on their various journeys; (37) but if the cloud did not lift, they would not set out until such time as it did lift.

(18) Let the Egyptians know that I am יהוה, when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his riders.”

(23) The Egyptians came in pursuit after them into the sea, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and riders. (24) At the morning watch, יהוה looked down upon the Egyptian army from a pillar of fire and cloud, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. (25) [God] locked*locked From root ’-s-r, with several ancient versions. Others “took off.” the wheels of their chariots so that they moved forward with difficulty. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for יהוה is fighting for them against Egypt.”

(6) So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “By evening you shall know it was יהוה who brought you out from the land of Egypt; (7) and in the morning you shall behold the Presence*Presence Others “glory.” of יהוה, because [God] has heard your grumblings against יהוה. For who are we that you should grumble against us? (8) Since it is יהוה,” Moses continued, “who will give you flesh to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full—because יהוה has heard the grumblings you utter—what is our part? Your grumbling is against יהוה, not against us!” (9) Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole Israelite community: Advance toward יהוה, who has heard your grumbling.” (10) And as Aaron spoke to the whole Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there, in a cloud, appeared the Presence of יהוה.

(16) On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn; and all the people who were in the camp trembled. (17) Moses led the people out of the camp toward God, and they took their places at the foot of the mountain. (18) Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for יהוה had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain*the whole mountain Some Hebrew manuscripts and the Greek read “all the people”; cf. v. 16. trembled violently. (19) The blare of the horn grew louder and louder. As Moses spoke, God answered him in thunder. (20) יהוה came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain, and יהוה called Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went up. (21) יהוה said to Moses, “Go down, warn the people not to break through to יהוה to gaze, lest many of them perish. (22) The priests also, who come near יהוה, must stay pure, lest יהוה break out against them.” (23) But Moses said to יהוה, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for You warned us saying, ‘Set bounds about the mountain and sanctify it.’” (24) So יהוה said to him, “Go down, and come back together with Aaron; but let not the priests or the people break through to come up to יהוה, lest [God] break out against them.” (25) And Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.

(15) When Moses had ascended the mountain, the cloud covered the mountain. (16) The Presence of יהוה abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud hid it for six days. On the seventh day [God] called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. (17) Now the Presence of יהוה appeared in the sight of the Israelites as a consuming fire on the top of the mountain. (18) Moses went inside the cloud and ascended the mountain; and Moses remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Rabbi Zerika raised a contradiction between verses before Rabbi Elazar, and some say that Rabbi Zerika said that Rabbi Elazar raised a contradiction: It is written “And Moses was not able to enter into the Tent of Meeting because the cloud dwelt on it” (Exodus 40:35), And it is written elsewhere: “And Moses came into the cloud” (Exodus 24:18). This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, grabbed Moses and brought him into the cloud .

(1) יהוה called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying:

(1) (Lev. 1:1:) “Then [the Lord] called unto Moses [and spoke unto him].”.....And thus have our masters taught (in Avot 4:1): And who is mighty? One who subdues his drive. R. Tanhum ben Hanila'i says (Ps. 103:20), “’Mighty in strength.’ This is Moses because no one is as mighty in strength as Moses. When Israel stood before Mount Sinai, they were not capable of hearing the divinely spoken word, as stated (in Deut. 5:22), ‘if we continue hearing the voice of the Lord our God any longer, we shall die.’ But Moses was not harmed.” [This is ] in order to teach you that the righteous ones are greater than the ministering angels, since the ministering angels are not able to hear His voice. Rather they stand with excitement and dismay, while the righteous are able to hear His voice. It is so stated (in Joel 2:11), “The Lord shouts aloud before His army, for His host is very great, for mighty is the one who fulfills His word.” “His host” denotes angels, since it is stated (regarding angels in Gen. 32:3), “This is God's host.” And so it says (in Dan. 7:10), “thousands upon thousands ministered to Him.” And who is stronger than them? The righteous, of whom it is stated (in Joel 2:11), “for mighty is the one who fulfills His word,” i.e., a righteous person who does His bidding. And who is this? This is Moses, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Make a tabernacle.” So he was hurried and made it. Then he stood alone outside, because he was afraid to enter the tent of meeting, as stated (in Exod. 40:35), “Now Moses could not enter the tent of meeting.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “It is not right for Moses, since he made the tabernacle, to stand outside while I stand inside; so look, I am calling upon him to enter.” It is therefore written (in Lev. 1:1), “Then [the Lord] called unto Moses.” Ergo, greater is the strength of the righteous, in that they are able to hear His voice!

(1) ויקרא אל משה AND [THE LORD] CALLED UNTO MOSES — All oral communications of the Lord to Moses whether they are introduced by דבר or by אמר or by צו were preceded by a call (to prepare him for the forthcoming address) (cf Sifra, Vayikra Dibbura d'Nedavah, Chapter 1 1-2). It is a way of expressing affection, the mode used by the ministering angels when addressing each other, as it is said (Isaiah 6:3) “And one called unto another [and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts]”. To the prophets of the nations of the world, however, God revealed himself in a manner which Scripture describes by an expression ordinarily used for denoting events of a casual character and of uncleanness, as it is said, (Numbers 23:4) “and God happened to meet (ויקר) Balaam” (the term ויקר, from the root ,קרה, is connected with מִקְרֶה which denotes “chance”, “occurrence”, and has also the meaning of “uncleanness”, by analogy with Deuteronomy 23:11: ‎לא יהיה טהור מקרה לילה) (cf. Bereishit Rabbah 52:5).