Vaera: Chapter 7

Voice and speech

Synopsis

Rabbi Shimon begins with: "Behold the children of Yisrael did not listen to me and how will Pharaoh hearken to me and I have impeded lips?" He says that Zeir Anpin is voice and Malchut is speech or words. Moses was voice but, while the people were in exile, he had no speech until he reached Mount Sinai and was given the Torah. Then voice combined with speech and he spoke words. We hear that 'said' in "For Elohim has said lest the people regret" does not mean speaking by mouth but is rather the silent wish of the heart. Rabbi Shimon turns to the verse, "And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob." He tells us that Jacob was a vehicle for Tiferet, the central column, while Abraham and Isaac are the right and left columns, their perfection depending on the central one. Lastly, he says that whoever has earned a covenant has earned the land, because the two are combined.