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ובבא משה AND WHEN MOSES CAME [INTO THE TENT OF MEETING … THEN HE HEARD THE VOICE SPEAKING UNTO HIM FROM OFF THE COVERING THAT WAS UPON THE ARK OF THE TESTIMONY] — When two Scriptural verses apparently contradict each other there comes a third and reconciles them. We have got such a case here: one verse says, (Leviticus 1:1) “[And the Lord called unto Moses] and spoke unto him out of the appointed tent”, which was outside the Vail, and another verse says, (Exodus 25:22). “And I shall speak unto thee from off the Ark-lid”, thus within the Vail — then this (our verse) comes and reconciles them: Moses entered the appointed tent, and there he heard the Voice which came from above the Ark-lid, from between the two Cherubim — the Voice issued from Heaven unto the space between the two Cherubim, and from there it issued into the appointed tent where it was heard by Moses. (Sifrei Bamidbar 58 1; cf. Rashi on Exodus 25:22.)

ובבא משה אל אהל מועד לדבר אתו וישמע את הקול, even though in physical terms the Tabernacle was insignificant compared to the magnificent structure Solomon had built, in terms of spiritual achievement the Tabernacle far outranked Solomon’s Temple, which in turn outranked the second Temple. During the entire period of the second Temple (420 years) not a single prophet had been able to enter the Temple and there to hear the voice of G’d at any given moment. If at this point Moses was able to do this it proved that G’d had approved the consecration and had drawn near Moses as the shepherd of the Jewish people. In spite of all this spiritual grandeur of the Tabernacle in the desert and the clear manifestation of G’d’s presence over it or in it, even this was a far cry from the presence of G’d in the Israelite camp during the period of the revelation at Mount Sinai, and the 40 days before the sin of the golden calf. Once Moses entered the Tabernacle he was able to hear the voice of G’d, something he had been able to hear all the time before the sin of the golden calf, and without the benefit of the Tabernacle and the hallowed ground it stood on.

הקול מדבר אליו, the Voice speaking to him, etc. We have already explained on Exodus 20,1 that when G'd speaks an angel is created as a result of such speech and it is the voice of that angel which man (prophet) hears. I have explained all the instances in which the word לאמור appears as unnecessary such as when G'd's message to Moses or Aaron is introduced. This is what is meant here when the Torah speaks of "the Voice" speaking to Moses. The Torah underlines that in this instance G'd's voice spoke to Moses directly, not the voice of an angel. Although there is a dagesh in the letter ד to tell us that the meaning is מתדבר, i.e. the voice itself was doing the talking, it was not the projection of someone else "behind" the voice. This form is grammatically admissible; the intelligent reader will understand what I mean.

וישמע את הקול, “he would hear the voice speaking with Him(self);” the letter ה at the beginning of the word הקול, makes it plain that this was the same voice that had spoken to Moses at Mount Sinai; he recognised it as such. The principal reason for this verse is to inform us that this voice emanated from between the cherubs on top of the kapporet, the lid over the Holy Ark. From that location the voice filled the Tent of Meeting; this is the meaning of the additional words אל אהל מועד לדבר אתו, “to the Tent of Meeting in order to speak with him (Moses).” Anyone standing outside the walls of the Tabernacle would not hear this voice at all. According to Rashi the reason that the Torah concludes this chapter with the words וידבר אליו, “He spoke directly to him (Moses),” is to make sure that we understand that Aaron was not included. It is possible to explain these apparently redundant words to mean that Moses was the subject. These words would demonstrate the enormous spiritual stature of Moses compared to all other subsequent prophets. He was not taken aback by being addressed by G’d; on the contrary, he engaged in conversation with G’d as attested to by G’d Himself in Exodus 33,11: “Hashem would speak to Moses face to face, as a man would speak with his fellow.” How does a man speak with his fellow? The former initiates the conversation whereas the latter responds. Our verse here would report a similar message to that in Exodus, i.e. that Moses engaged freely in conversation with Hashem. Proof that Moses was on this level is supplied in Numbers 9,8 where Moses had not known the answer to the question how the people who had not purified themselves in time for the Passover should conduct themselves. Instead of telling the people who had raised the point to come back on the following day so that he would have a chance to get a ruling from G’d, Moses simply said עמדו ואשמעה, “stand still and I will hear (G’d’s reply) immediately.” This stature of Moses is mentioned here just as it had been mentioned at the time the people stood at Mount Sinai where the Torah wrote Exodus 19,19 משה ידבר והאלו-הים יעננו בקול, "Moses would speak and G'd would respond in an audible voice." The meaning of those words is that "Moses would respond after G'd had addressed him audibly.” Basically, the Torah reveals here that Moses had attained the ultimate level of spirituality that it is possible for man to attain while alive on earth. His knowledge of G'd was similar to that of a trusted butler long in the service of the same master who is thoroughly familiar with the way of life of his employer. This is what G’d had in mind when He said of Moses in Numbers 12,7: “not so My servant Moses; he is trusted in My entire household.”

ובבא משה, “and when Moses entered;” seeing that the subject here is the consecration of the altar, we are told here that the Presence of the Lord was manifest over the Tabernacle, and that G-d’s voice emanated from within it. Some commentators feel that the beginning of the Book of Leviticus completes the report about the consecration of the altar. (Ibn Ezra)

וישמע את הקול AND HE HEARD THE VOICE — One might think it was a very low voice! Scripture, however, states “the Voice” (with the definite article — the well-known Voice) — it was that thunderous Voice with which He spoke to him on Sinai, and yet when it reached the door of the appointed tent it broke off and did not issue beyond the appointed tent (and therefore it states Leviticus 1:1 מאהל מועד from the appointed tent, and not באהל מועד, because the Voice confined itself to the Interior of the אהל מועד; see Rashi on Leviticus 1:1) (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 58:2).

מדבר, read “mi-dabber,” talking to Himself. [According to Moreh Nevuchim 1,68 and in accordance with Aristotele’s concept of G’d, there is no division between subject and predicate in the sphere of understanding something, defining it, actively or passively when we speak of G’d, as is the case when we speak of His creatures. A creature, by definition is subjective vis-à-vis itself, G’d is never subjective, always objective. Having said this you will understand that the translation of G’d “speaking to Himself,” i.e. being both at the receiving end and at the initiating end at the same time is not a contradiction in terms.” Ed.] Proverbs 16,4 כל פעל ה' למענהו, reveals that in the final analysis, all that G’d does has an intelligent purpose known to Him and approved by Him, so much so that the fact that He has seen fit to do it automatically means that it is beneficial for His universe and those in it. We need to keep this in mind whenever we read a line such as וידבר ה'. It is as if the Torah reminded us that the One described as מדבר

מדבר is the same as מתדבר (it is the Hitphael form with assimiliated ת) — “He heard the Voice uttering itself”. It is out of reverence for the Most High God that Scripture speaks thus: “The Voice was speaking to itself”, and Moses would listen in (i. e., he could not help hearing it).

וידבר אליו AND HE SPOKE UNTO HIM — unto him: thus excluding Aaron from the Divine communications (cf. Rashi on Leviticus 1:1, s. v. אליו).