The Father's Voice

THE FATHER'S VOICE

R. Joshua, the Cohen, * son of Nehemiah, says: At the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Moses, it was only by the tyrannic compulsion of the spirit of prophecy that Moses became a prophet. †

The Holy One said: "If I reveal Myself to him in a great and mighty voice, I shall cause him to tremble; if with a soft voice, he will doubt whether he has heard anything, and treat the prophecy with contempt." Therefore God revealed Himself to Moses in his father's voice. And Moses said: "Here I am, father, what does my father want?" Then said the Holy One: "I am not thy father, but the God of thy father."