Vayikra

I have come across a number of posts this month on Leviticus 1:1. (e.g. the Velveteen Rabbi here.)

A point to note from the music.

Leviticus 1:1 showing the separation of verb (first word) from subject (5th word)

There is a great deal of detail on Rabbinic interpretations here (via Jim Davila). Particularly look at the last one, which shows the tetragram spelled out every 8th letter. It is not totally off the wall. A poet could do this.

וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה

וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר

But I wondered if the music tells us anything. First, the verse starts on the tonic, so I would not automatically imagine that the subject of the first verb is necessarily in the prior chapter. But as one reads through it, and hears the implications of the permanence of the presence of glory, cloud, and fire in the sight of all Israel, it is not beyond grammatical imagination that the call has the indeterminate subject, cloud, glory, fire, of the prior 4 verses.

Exodus 40		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה לָבוֹא֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד כִּֽי־שָׁכַ֥ן עָלָ֖יו הֶעָנָ֑ן וּכְב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן	35		And Moses could not enter into the tent of engagement because the cloud dwelt over it, and the glory of Yahweh filled the dwelling-place.	3e	4B	19 10
וּבְהֵעָל֤וֹת הֶֽעָנָן֙ מֵעַ֣ל הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן יִסְע֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל בְּכֹ֖ל מַסְעֵיהֶֽם	36		And when the cloud ascended above the dwelling-place, the children of Israel began to migrate, in all their migrations.	3e	4C	19 5
וְאִם־לֹ֥א יֵעָלֶ֖ה הֶעָנָ֑ן וְלֹ֣א יִסְע֔וּ עַד־י֖וֹם הֵעָלֹתֽוֹ	37		And if the cloud did not ascend, then they did not migrate until the day of its ascent.	3e	4B	9 10
כִּי֩ עֲנַ֨ן יְהוָ֤ה עַֽל־הַמִּשְׁכָּן֙ יוֹמָ֔ם וְאֵ֕שׁ תִּהְיֶ֥ה לַ֖יְלָה בּ֑וֹ לְעֵינֵ֥י כָל־בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּכָל־מַסְעֵיהֶֽם	38		Because the cloud of Yahweh was over the dwelling-place by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, in all their migrations.	3e	4C	18 13

Moses could not enter the tent of engagement. This tent is described in detail in Exodus with respect to its plan and its construction. Then in Leviticus, it is the place of sacrifice. In Numbers the service in the tent is noted. Joshua is presented there in Deuteronomy. The pair of words אהל מועד appears rarely outside of the three middle books of Torah, Exodus (34), Leviticus (43), Numbers (56), twice in Deuteronomy, twice in Joshua, once in Samuel, once in Kings. 7 times in Chronicles.

The music of Exodus 40 verses 35-38