“And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.”
At the end of this week’s Torah portion, Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto explained, the Torah tells us about the exalted event, which is part of the giving of the Torah – a moment of spiritual elevation and sanctification, in which an eternal covenant is made between the Creator and His chosen people. In this event, Moses, the man of God, performs a profound and significant act. As the Holy Torah recounts:
“And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people, and they said, ‘All that the Lord has spoken, we will do and we will hear.’ And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, ‘Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words.’”
Here, Rashi enlightens us with his wonderful and surprising commentary on the words, “And Moses took half of the blood.” Rashi writes in his golden language: “Who divided it? An angel came and divided it.” These words arouse great astonishment in the heart of the contemplative reader: After all, the Torah itself attributes the act of division to Moses, yet Rashi reveals that an angel from Heaven performed this wondrous division.
The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 6:5) deepens this mystery: It explains that this angel bore the likeness of Moses himself. Some of our holy sages identify this angel as Metatron, the Prince of the Divine Presence.
To delve deeper into this secret, let us examine another fascinating episode – the story of Enoch, about whom the Torah testifies: “And Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him.” According to an ancient tradition from the Sages, Enoch is the Prince of the World, the Prince of the Divine Presence of the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory.
At a deeper level, the commentators reveal a remarkable insight into the verse, “I was young and now I am old” (Psalms 37:25), referring to Enoch: While he was in the physical world, he was considered “young”, born only in the year 622 of creation. Yet, in the heavenly realms, he was already considered “old”, for he existed from the beginning of creation.
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto adds a profound depth to this understanding: “The human soul, in its essence, is divided between two worlds – half resides in the heavens, and half dwells in the physical world. In the unique case of Enoch, the heavenly half manifested as the angel Metatron, while the earthly half was Enoch, the son of Jared, as his contemporaries knew him. When he was taken up in a heavenly whirlwind, the two halves merged and became one – Metatron, in his wondrous perfection.”
These words illuminate the character of Moses, about whom the Torah says in Parashat V’Zot HaBerachah, “Moses, the man of God”, and the Sages in the Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 11:4) explain that he was “half from above – a man of God”, and “half from below – flesh and blood.”
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto further explains: “When Moses divided the blood, he acted from the higher part of his soul, being ‘the man of God’ in the likeness of the angel Metatron. The angel who appeared in his likeness was none other than the divine, heavenly part of Moses himself.”
Rabbi Pinto emphasizes: “We are thus revealed to a great secret about human greatness: the wondrous ability to elevate oneself and connect with the higher, spiritual part of the soul, and to reach sublime spiritual heights. One must never stop on his spiritual path, but always strive higher and higher.”
Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto concludes: “Through complete devotion to the Holy Torah and the attribute of holiness, a person can achieve lofty insights and fulfill the divine potential hidden within his soul. This is the path of life for the man of God, and it is also the way for every Jew who aspires to ascend in spirituality and holiness.”
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel