This is what the Torah says about a Nazir: "All the days of his separation, he is kodesh, holy, to Hashem." 6:8
In other words, his abstinence makes him a holy vessel. A Nazir is a person who yearns to be close with God. Their vow-taking is a symbol of a deep desire to rid themselves of earthly pleasures so they can be more intent on God’s Will, not theirs. They want to be mentally focused, undistracted from ungodly desires.
The exact wording of the Torah states, "when a person wants to separate themselves…" Ibn Ezra reveals the inner meaning of the word separate, yaflee. He tells us that it indicates he, the Nazir, is about to do something wonderful.
Two of the three things that a Nazir vows to not touch are earthly pleasures. Who does not want to get a haircut? It makes us feel good, look good and is a bit like a mini-spa. On the other side, remember when Judaism demands that we refrain from a hair cut? We do not trim hair when in mourning. That is the clearest indication that a haircut is viewed as a pleasurable activity that distracts us from the more immediate pain.
What about alcohol? With the exception of addiction, alcohol is associated with goodness and celebration. In our faith we bless Shabbat with alcohol. Think of it: the Kiddush ends with the words mikadesh HaShabbat, "Who makes holy the Shabbat." We say this berakha over wine. Purim is also a celebration with spirits. A Nazir is someone who wants to deny themselves the pleasure of drinking.
What about contact with impurity? How is this related? Torah says that if a Nazir becomes impure he must bring two sacrifices, an asham and a hatat. The first sacrifice is because he broke his vow. The reason for the second sacrifice is less clear. We are told the Nazir brings this animal for his "soul." His soul has become somehow tainted. How?
Rashi suggests the Nazir brings this sacrifice because once he has touched the dead body he needs to begin the process of his vow from the beginning. In other words, if the Nazir took a vow to not cut his hair, drink wine, and remain pure for say, one year, and then comes into contact with the dead, the year starts from day one. Rashi declares that this is reason he brings a second sacrifice….there is another span of time when he will have to deny himself pleasure. Yet, why does the Torah consider the Nazir to be tainted?
The brilliant Rambam writes that the reason the Nazir must bring two offerings is because God does not want us to deny ourselves His gifts, our pleasures. The Holy One surely wants us to deny things which are forbidden but not things that are allowed! In fact, we are directed to use pleasures like alcohol for the sake of God---which is exactly what we do each Friday night! The taint of the Nazir is that the time he needs to refrain from enjoying the bounty of God for a longer stretch of time.
What does this all mean to us?
1. The Holy One, blessed be He, created a universe for our pleasure. Each gift has a use a vehicle back to our Maker.
2. There may be times when we desire to place personal restrictions on our self in order to rid ourselves of spiritual toxins. Torah allows for this…for a limited period.
3. Vows taken are holy. They must not be broken or made on a whim.
4. Someone who makes a personal vow for the sake of God becomes a holy vessel. Desire for devekute, proximity to the Lord, is a holy endeavor.
Haftarah Insight:
The power of words is paramount in Judaism. Manoah refuses to believe his wife. Why does he not trust her? Later when convinced that the vision really happened and the angel actually appeared, Manoah and his wife swear that their child-to-be-born will be a Nazirite. He will become the warrior feared by the Philistines, Samson. Yet, because the young Samson abandoned the vows his parents took for him he is shorn of his strength.
A Matter of Law:
Several important ideas emerge from this parasha. One of them is the word, "Amen". Meaning -faith - when a person utters the word "Amen" it is so powerful that it is equivalent to saying the intial statement. For example, said after a blessing, "Amen" is the same as having said the blessing. Since Judaism places great importance on words we must be circumspect before responding "Amen" to any statement.
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D'var Aher
We need a hero.
We are always looking for them.
How many movies have you seen lately that are about superheroes with great powers that come to save the earth or galaxy or some small subset of either? They are plentiful from the Avengers, to Wonder Woman to the Hulk and that does not even include the various series on television!
We are looking for a hero to take away of our fears. Having fear is nothing new In our age as we are barraged daily about war, economic devastation or global destruction. In past years our concerns revolved mainly about war and natural disasters. But even then we were seeking heroes to deliver us. You have probably read how the early Superman comics and the like were attempts by Jewish boys to invent heroes who would deliver us. At that time the enemy was growing anti-Semitism and the rise of Nazism.
Before that we had Samson, the hero of our haftarah.
Samson was destined to be a Nazir, an ascetic. Samson was powerful, endowed with superhuman strength. He fought off the dreadful and evil Philistines and gave his people hope as he was a one-man army.
The concept of a Nazir comes from our Torah portion today.
A Nazir was one who took a personal vow that he would drink no liquor or anything made from grapes; he would refrain from cutting his hair; he would keep far from contact with the dead to maintain his ritual purity and refrain from intimate relations. All this was supposed to elevate the person spiritually from a state doubt to feeling connected to God in a deeply spiritual way. The Nazir ‘s vows usually lasted a specific span of time. Afterward, he would return back to his normal routine.
During the time of being a Nazir this was to be a time of reflection and devotion. It would be when he refined his character and felt better about his life and self.
Samson’s exploits are recorded in the Tanakh where he defeats legions of Philistine, battles a lion and unfortunately succumbs to the wiles of Delilah. I guess being a Nazir with all the rules and regulations was a bit too ambitious for this hero. In the end he lost his prodigious strength and was captured and killed by the Philistines.
The Talmud sadly records,” Samson rebelled against God through his eyes, therefore the Philistines put out his eyes.”
We are in need of heroes; people who will shine and rise as defenders of the weak and needy. There is so much pain in the world that we sometimes feel like weeping out of futility. Yet, God did send a hero - one who can deliver us from the machinations of the worst despots and evil-doers. He sent you.
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Nasso, the name of this week’s parasha, means “lift up.” Yet it usually is translated as “ to take a count.” Now that we are immersed in the Book of Numbers it should come as no surprise that translators look to taking an account of the numbers of Jews in the desert when determining the translation of the text.
In our faith we shy away from counting people. People are not commodities to be tallied and evaluated. Each person is a self-contained universe of infinite potential value. Therefore the actual Torah text tells us to “lift up” each Jew.
Our task is to help one another realize our gift. G-d forbid, we should inhibit another person’s growth and potential by ridiculing them, dismissing them as marginal or invisible or engaging in gossip. Such things can reduce a person to a fraction of what they might become.
We all have been wounded by thoughtless comments or abuse. We know the price of that pain. It diminishes us.
That is why the Torah portion this week includes a blessing. It begins with elevating our brothers and sisters and in the midst of mentioning the names of the tribal leaders inserts this stirring blessing:
May G-d bless you and protect you.
May G-d show His countenance to you and be gracious.
May G-d lift up His face to you and grant you peace.
And the best part is that we say this blessing to each other.
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