Calling a Person by Name

 Calling a person by name can connote a number of things. In the words of the Bible, though, it invariably connoted love, relationship, fondness. Moshe famously eschewed any semblance of preferential treatment, or any form of address that would seemingly place him on a pedestal over any other Jew. Not only is this message a vital one, i.e. the humility of our leadership, but perhaps - even more important - the giving of the Torah, its directives, and teachings, must be founded on love, affection, warmth. Thus, Moshe was called by God himself, "Vayikra."

Esther uses the same exact language when she tells Mordechai that she fears to go to the King, to Achashveirosh: "I have not been called (נקראתי) to the King..."

Bila'am, though, receives a different type of address, "Vayiker," a word that reflects the ephemeral, transitory, and random nature of his relationship with Hashem. It is not founded on regularity; rather, the word, vayiker means incidentalness; it is the same word as keri or seminal emission. The Rabbis thus teach that Moshe's relationship was founded on regularity, predictability, whereas, Bila'am himself sought irregularity, defying God's act of giving the Torah to a nation, predictably lined up in their tents, arranged so as to provide the greatest level of modesty. Bila'am knew that we, the Jewish people, are God's precious chosen people and so sought a moment of irregularity, a brief second when he could curse the Jewish people; what won out was the regularity of Hashem's devotion to our people, exemplified by the loving call of God Almighty to his trusted leader. In that lies the continuation of our people. 

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