From:          "Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To:            yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject:       INTPARSHA -35: Parashat Naso

                     YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
        ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
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              INTRODUCTION TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
                             
                  Parashat Naso - the Nazir
                    By Rav Michael Hattin


Introduction

      Parashat Naso resumes the tally, of the three  primary
Levitical  families, that was initiated towards the  end  of
last  week's  parasha.   After  the  Torah  enumerates    the
responsibilities of the family of Gershon and the family  of
Merari respectively, it then provides an accounting of their
number.  As Ramban explained in a slightly different context
last  week,  the theme of the Book of BeMidbar  is  that  of
journey  and  passage,  and  this  week's  Levitical   census
closely  relates  to  this  idea.   After  all,   the   three
Levitical  families  of  Kehat,  Gershon,  and  Merari    are
responsible for the dismantling, transport, and assembly  of
the  Mishkan  at each station along the way to the  Promised
Land.  The Torah goes on to detail various laws relating  to
maintaining  the sanctity of the camp, expiation  rites  for
the   transgression  of  theft  and  false  oaths,   and  the
remarkable  ceremony prescribed for the  Sotah.  This  week,
however, we shall focus on the passage that follows  all  of
the above, namely that of the 'Nazir.'

     "God spoke to Moshe saying: 'Speak to Bnei Yisrael  and
     say  to them that a man or a woman who explicitly takes
     an oath to be a Nazir unto God, shall refrain from wine
     and  strong  drink, vinegar, beverages of  grapes,   and
     grapes  whether  fresh  or dried.    During  the  entire
     period  of  being  a  Nazir, he shall   consume  nothing
     processed  from grapes of the vine, neither from  their
     seeds  nor from their skins.  All the days of the   oath
     of being a Nazir, he shall not cut the hair of his head
     with  a razor; until the days of the oath unto God  are
     completed,  they shall be holy, and the hair  of   their
     heads shall be let alone to grow long.  All the days of
     his  oath to God, he shall not come in contact  with   a
     human corpse.  He shall not defile himself even on  the
     occasion of his mother's, father's, brother or sister's
     death, for the 'nezer' of his God is upon him.  All  of
     the  days  of  his  oath, he shall be holy   unto  God'"
     (BeMidbar 6:1-8).

     The Torah thus spells out the three different practices
that the Nazir is expected to observe: 1) a rejection of any
products  of  the  grape  vine, 2) a conscious  practice  of
letting the hair of the head grown long and unkempt, and  3)
a prohibition concerning any contact with death, even in the
case of one's immediate family.  What is the significance of
these  three items, and, for that matter, what is the  exact
meaning of the word 'Nazir'?


The Approach of Ibn Ezra

      Surprisingly, the classical medieval commentaries seem
to  adopt a rather uniform view of the concept of the Nazir.
Rabbi  Avraham Ibn Ezra (12th century, Spain) makes it clear
that the practices prescribed by the Torah for the Nazir are
intended  to  fashion  a  framework of  isolation  for   that
individual,  to  help  him further his initial  decision  to
withdraw   from   all   that  society  foolishly    considers
fashionable.  "A  man  or a woman who  explicitly  ('YaFLi')
takes an oath to be a Nazir unto God." is understood by  Ibn
Ezra   to  be  a  reference  to  a  vow  that   is  not  only
definitively expressed, but also remarkable ('PeLE') for its
sobriety,  "for the majority of the world are led  along  by
their desires" (commentary to 6:2).  Wine, suggests the  Ibn
Ezra,  clouds  one's judgement and can thus  interfere  with
one's service of God.  By taking on a vow of abstinence, the
Nazir  expresses  a  concrete  aspiration  to  overcome   the
temptations of this world.

      In fact, explains the Ibn Ezra, the Nazir is so-called
because he wears a figurative crown ('nezer') upon his head,
for  his  mane of long hair singles him out as one  who  has
broken  the  bonds of passion for the fleeting pleasures  of
this  world.  "Realize that all people are enslaved  to  the
enticements of this world.  The true king, who wears a crown
of  kingship  upon  his head, is the one who  has  liberated
himself from desires."  For Ibn Ezra, letting the hair grown
long  is a means of singling out this individual and marking
him  in  a manner that is exceptional. At first glance,  Ibn
Ezra's approach seems incongruous, for often we trumpet  the
platitude that the Torah does not advocate mortification but
rather  sanctification.   But considering  the  matter  more
carefully, we may in fact come to the conclusion  that  true
sanctification   is  impossible  without   the    perspective
afforded by abstinence.


The Ideal of Restraint

      Significantly,  although the context  of   our  parasha
would  appear to limit the duration of the Nazirite vow  and
to  consequently downplay the desirability of  living  one's
entire  life according to its strictures, Ibn Ezra elsewhere
makes  it  clear  that a life of separation  is  not  to   be
disparaged.   Commenting on the Torah's  list  of  forbidden
sexual  relationships presented in VaYikra Chapter  18,  Ibn
Ezra explains that the emphatic "I am the Lord" stated there
in  verse  6  indicates Divine approval  for  the  ideal   of
restraint.  "God loves the one who is separated to serve Him
and  to listen to His words, as is suggested by the paradigm
of  Mount  Sinai, as well as by the 'First.'   Is  this  not
man's essence?" (Commentary to verse 6).

     Ibn Ezra's mention of Mount Sinai is a reference to the
preparations  enjoined  upon  the  people  as  the  day    of
Revelation  drew  near:  "God said to  Moshe:  approach   the
people  and  sanctify them today and tomorrow and  let  them
wash  their clothing (and immerse).  They shall be  prepared
for the third day, for on the third day God will descend  on
Mount  Sinai in the sight of all the people" (Shemot  19:10-
11).   Conveying God's words to the people, Moshe  explains:
"be  ready for three days and do not come close to a  woman"
(verse 15).  Thus, the ideal state of being suggested by the
moment  of  Revelation, a brief interval  during  which  the
experience  of God's closeness and immediacy was unrivalled,
is  introduced  (made  possible?) by a  recess  from  sexual
contact.   The  cryptic  'First'  mentioned  in  Ibn   Ezra's
comments  above, is a reference to the First  Human  Beings.
In  his  commentary  to Bereishit, he  suggests  that  their
consumption  of the 'desirous' but forbidden  fruit  of  the
Tree  of  Knowledge awakened in humanity a  sexual  appetite
that  would henceforth constitute a constant source  of  not
only frustration, but also a potential cause of estrangement
from  God.   Man's  'essence' is  to  strive  for   spiritual
progress,  but when his physicality is given the opportunity
for  unbridled expression, this most important of objectives
is subverted.


Ramban's Emphatic Endorsement and Seforno's Qualification

      Although  Ibn  Ezra  may fail to  make   a  categorical
argument   for   the   merits  of  a   permanent   state   of
Naziritehood,  the Ramban's (13th century,  Spain)  comments
are  unequivocal.  The sin-offering brought by the Nazir  at
the  conclusion  of his vows was understood  by  some  early
Mishnaic opinions as a clear polemic against the self-denial
of  life's  permitted pleasures (such as wine).  The  Ramban
emphatically  disagrees: "the reason  for  the  sin-offering
brought  by the Nazir at the conclusion of his vows  is  not
stated in the text.  The rational explanation appears to  be
that  this  man  is  actually committing a transgression  by
concluding his vows, for up until now he has been  separated
in  his  holiness and in his service to God.  It would  have
been  more  fitting for this man to remain a Nazir  forever,
sanctified unto his God.he therefore requires atonement  for
deciding  to  return to the defilement associated  with  the
desires of this world" (Chapter 6, verse 11).

      In  this connection, it is worthwhile to consider   the
words  of  the  Seforno  (15th century,  Italy).   Like   his
earlier counterparts, Seforno understands that the ideal  of
the  Nazir  is  "to  be  separated ('nazur')  from   habitual
pleasures.in order to be dedicated completely to God, to  be
occupied  in the Torah, to follow His ways and to cleave  to
Him."  Nevertheless, Seforno proffers that the Torah is very
selective in its choice of abstentions for the Nazir.  He is
to  be  separated  only  from  wine,  but  this   in  no  way
constitutes a license to "abuse himself through fasting, for
such   conducwould  lessen  one's  strength  and    cause   a
proportional  reduction in his ability to  serve  God.   The
purpose  is  not for the Nazir to become an ascetic  and  to
punish  his body through self-flagellation after the  manner
of  the monastic priests.  Rather, let him abstain from wine
only,   for   this  will  lessen  levity  and    subdue   his
inclinations,   without  weakening  the   body's    strength"
(commentary to verse 3).  In a similar vein, the emphasis on
allowing the hair of the head to grow long is not arbitrary,
for by so doing the Nazir "casts behind himself all concerns
of beautification and attention to his hair."  Thus, here as
well,  "separation  from material desires"  is  accomplished
without  recourse  to general self-abasement  and  extensive
neglect of the body.

       The   essential   life-affirming   nature   of   these
restrictions  is  of course suggested by the  third  of  the
Nazir's  strictures,  namely the prohibition  of  coming  in
contact with a corpse.  Like his counterpart the Cohen Gadol
(High  Priest), who alone shares a similar ban on  being  in
attendance  at the death or burial of even immediate  family
members,  the Nazir's mission is bound up with life.   Being
in God's presence is connecting with the Source of all life;
therefore during the period of his vows, the Nazir renounces
death.   However,  what  the Cohen  Gadol  acquires   through
lineage and appointment, the Nazir accomplishes through  the
exercise of his own free choice.  He therefore merits to  be
holy unto God, to "be illuminated by the Light of life,  and
to  be  a  teacher  and guide to the generation"  (Seforno's
commentary to verse 6).

      The  Seforno's contribution is significant, for he   is
suggesting  that the Torah's purpose in presenting  us  with
the  challenge of the Nazir is not to denigrate  physicality
or  to deprecate materiality, as if there is an unbridgeable
chasm  between the world of the body and the  ideal  of  the
soul.   Quite the contrary, for the ultimate success of  the
spirit  is  predicated upon the healthy functioning  of  the
body.   Rather,  the restrictions of the  Nazir  are  gentle
reminders that one's goals in life must transcend the desire
to  have  a  good time and to look beautiful, for these  are
paradigms for pursuits that, left unchecked, tend to consume
us.

      At  the same time, the lesson of the Nazir is not   the
straightforward  observation  that  a  life   of    unbridled
physicality  and  uncurbed  desire  cannot,  in  the    final
analysis,  lead  to  Godliness.  That is  obvious,  and   the
message  of  the Nazir is much subtler.  Ibn  Ezra  and  the
others  are suggesting that we often commit the more elusive
error of indulging our base material and physical drives  in
the name of 'hidur mitzva' (beautification and adornment  of
mitzva  performance), when in fact it is  really  desire  in
disguise.  We may be living Torah observant lives but  still
be  very far from the ideal of living in God's presence.  We
are  acculturated to social norms that venerate the body and
idolize  wealth;  often, we justify  our  over-attention  to
material  pursuits by misinterpreting the Torah's  ideal  of
sanctification  of  the  physical  as  a  license  for    its
unmitigated embrace.  The Nazir points the way to  a  higher
dialectic,  in which the body and its passions are,  on  the
one  hand,  not  to be rejected, but on the other,  must  be
tempered   in   the  interests  of  spiritual    growth   and
development.

Shabbat Shalom

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