Vayikra parsha: The small aleph | Commentary
Why is the letter aleph in the word va’yikra, the very first word of the Book of Leviticus, written smaller than the others? It is smaller, suggests the Ba’al Haturim, because it reveals Moses’s humility, teaching an ethical lesson. Moses preferred the text to read va’yikar, without a final aleph, as va’yikar means “by chance.” Rather than state that God called Moses (va’yikra), implying a constant close...