The Bechor Shor connects the concluding pasuk of the Book of Shemos in this week’s Torah portion of Pekudei, with the beginning pasuk of the next book of Vayikra. It concludes, “For the cloud of Hashem would be on the Mishkan by day and fire would be on it by night, before the eyes of all of the House of Israel throughout their journeys” (Shemos 40:38).
The Bechor Shor begins by pointing out that the pasuk says “and the Honor of Hashem filled the Mishkan” to emphasize the fact that Hashem’s honor is greater than the Mishkan that fits into it, rather than stating it the more grammatically correct way, and saying ‘The Mishkan was filled with the Honor of Hashem,’ which sounds like the Mishkan is bigger and holding within it the Honor of Hashem. The Bechor Shor goes on to say that that is why the Torah states the following pasuk, which is the beginning of Vayikra, “And He called onto Moshe and Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting saying” (Vayikra 1:1). As long as the Cloud of Glory was hovering within the Mishkan no one was allowed to enter it without being called upon, which granted them permission to enter. We see similarly by the giving of the Torah it states, “And Har Sinai was inundated with smoke” (Shemos 19:18), and it says in the next pasuk, “And Hashem called to Moshe to the top of the mountain, and Moshe went up.”
The Bechor Shor concludes, which I want to focus on, and says, “Our Rabbis (in the beginning of the Sifra) have explained that in fact for every speech Hashem first called out. This is because it is derech eretz, proper manners, to first call on the person you are speaking to before starting a conversation, so that he will know he is being talked to.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
What kind of derech eretz, proper manners, is needed here? If you are in a big group of people and want to talk to someone specifically, then it has nothing to do with proper manners. A person can get someone’s attention so that he will know that he wants to talk with him. And if there is no one else in the room, or, as in Moshe’s case, Rashi on the first pasuk of Vayikra says that no one else was able to hear G-D and Hashem’s voice went directly and only into Moshe’s ear, then why would it be proper manners to first call him to get his attention; there was no one else He was speaking to?
We must say that even when it is obvious who you are speaking to, either because there is no else around or because you are focusing on the person you want to speak to in a group, it is still proper manners, basic decency, to first call to him in order to focus him, draw him into your conversation, and not rely on the fact that it seems obvious in your mind that he should know that you are speaking to him.
It is basic derech eretz to get the attention of someone before you start a conversation with them to ensure they are ready and focused on listening to your conversation.
Good Shabbos HaChodesh,
Rabbi Dovid Shmuel Milder