At the end of Exodus (40:34-38) we read that once the Mishkan was set up, the cloud that shrouded the Divine Glory came upon the Mishkan and filled the tent. And we learn in verse 35: "Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it and the Presence of the Lord filled the Tabernacle." The passage then concludes with a statement that when the cloud lifted off the tent the Israelites traveled, and when it stayed put they did not move. Leviticus 1:1 then picks up where Exodus 40:35 left off: Va-yikra el moshe va-yidabber adonai eilav mei-ohel mo’ed leimor; "He (Adonai) called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying…." Moses is clearly outside the Tent, God is within and Moses cannot go in to talk to God, but he has to remain outside while the Divine Voice talks to him from inside. This begs the question: Why couldn’t Moses go inside the Tent to have a private meeting with Adonai, the same way he met with the Almighty on Mount Sinai?
This question is grounded in the report of God’s and Moses’ activities we find in Exodus 24:15-18: "When Moses had ascended the mountain, the cloud covered the mountain. The Presence of the Lord abode on Mount Sinai, and the cloud hid it for six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud….Moses went inside the cloud and ascended the mountain; and Moses remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights." The Hebrew terms used here are identical to the ones used in the Exodus 40 passage above, and the call to Moses is identical: Va-yikra el Moshe; "He (Adonai) called to Moses," with an explicit reference to God absent from the phrase, as it is in Leviticus 1:1. In this instance, at the top of Mount Sinai, Moses goes into the cloud, with no protection and nothing blocking him from the power of God’s Glory. So, why did he not go into the Mishkan when God called him?
The question is further reinforced by Prof. Nahum Sarna’s correct observation that the Mishkan was, in fact, a portable Mount Sinai (see his Exploring Exodus, pp. 203-4; Etz Hayim humash, 571-2, note to v. 34). If Moses could ascend Mount Sinai and go into the cloud, why couldn’t he enter the "portable Mount Sinai" and do the same?
In his comment to Exodus 40:35, Rashi attempts to answer the question by suggesting that Moses could enter the tent, but only when the cloud disappeared. As a proof text he cites Numbers 7:89, where we read: "And when Moses came into the Tent of Meeting" [to speak with God], from which we can conclude that Moses could enter the Tent. This, however, contradicts the Exodus 40 statement. The contradiction is resolved by the statement in Exodus 40:35, "because the cloud had settled upon it." Thus, Rashi concludes that when the cloud was on the Tent, Moses could not come in; when it left, Moses could enter. This suggestion, however, leaves two matters unanswered: 1) Why did the cloud’s presence matter with regard to Moses’ entering the Tabernacle, when Moses entered the cloud, itself, on Mount Sinai? 2) We learned above that when the cloud lifted off from the Mishkan, the Israelites traveled. This would be an inopportune time for Moses to enter the Mishkan, especially since God has signaled the people that it is time to move on, and the Levites would be anxious to quickly dismantle the Tent to prepare for the journey.
Rabbi Jacob Milgrom, in his masterful Anchor Bible commentary on Leviticus (vol. 1, 137-8), offers an answer to our questions that I find quite satisfying. Milgrom suggests: "…the Sinaitic theophany was unique in the history of the world; even a Moses was not vouchsafed this experience again. Thus, when Moses hereafter will be permitted to enter the tent it is to hear the voice of God, not to see Him. Moses is barred from the Holy of Holies where the firecloud presence has condescended upon the Cherub-flanked Ark-throne. Moses must stand in the outer shrine, his view of the Ark blocked by the veil. And once the divine firecloud has in its first visitation to the newly erected Tabernacle spilled over to fill the entire Tent, Moses has no choice but to remain in the forecourt and await God’s instructions." Milgrom goes on to note that in one regard Aaron has been granted a privilege once given to Moses alone, albeit in a limited way: Aaron, with proper protection, can enter the firecloud in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur; Moses cannot do the same. Milgrom suggests that to ensure that a Moses cult did not develop among the Israelites the Priestly legislators of Leviticus downplayed the super-human status that could have been granted to Moses by the populace.
Thus, Moses, the Sinaitic lawgiver, undergoes a change in status once the laws he has brought to the people are being implemented. And, once Aaron has been granted his authority as High Priest, the prerogatives of that position are his and his alone. The same can be said for his sons, the Priests, and the Levites. Moses, who beforehand had functioned as a priest by offering sacrifices (see Exodus 24:6-8, 40:28), and who had acted as a Levite (which of course he was) by assembling the Mishkan (see Exodus 40:17-33) will no longer function in these ways. His role will remain that of prophet, lawgiver and supreme judge. Over time other of his responsibilities will change, as well. Through the appointment of the seventy elders He will have more help in leading the people (see Numbers11:16-30). Others, like Joshua, Caleb and Phineas, will also step forward to assert leadership.
Moses evolves from a hands-on entrepreneur into a corporate executive who learns how to delegate authority. He also operates like a good parent, who gradually gives his child more responsibility and his/her own space. A parent of a teenager will not read the child’s personal diary or go into the child’s room with the same freedom with which he/she would enter the room of a five year old. And, to Moses’ credit, he appears to take it all in stride. Like a good parent, he takes pride in his people when they succeed. So, when Eldad and Medad prophesy in the camp, and Joshua suggests that they be stopped, Moses responds: "Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets (Numbers 11:28-9)." In how Moses handles these changes in his role he serves as a wonderful model for us to emulate.