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Parshas Naso

Parsha At-a-Glance

By Ozer Alport

The work of Bnai Gershon and Bnai Merari, two of the three families of Levi, is stated. They carry, respectively, the tapestries and the beams of the Mishkan when Bnai Yisroel travel. The three families of Levi are counted.

Bnai Yisroel are commanded regarding the laws of the boundaries of the three camps. The camp of the Shechina is at the center of the nation. Around it is the camp of the Leviim, and encircling all is the camp of Yisroel. Those who are tamey (ritually impure) at any time are restricted concerning which parts of the national boundaries they may enter.

The mitzvah of teshuva (repentance) is explained. A person who has sinned must confess his sin, offer korbanos (sacrifices), and make restitution to the victim or his heirs. He must also refrain from repeating that misdeed. The parsha continues with the laws of the sotah, the woman suspected of having sinned with a man whom her husband has warned her to avoid. She brings offerings which are different from those normally offered. She also must drink water specially prepared by the kohen. She must take an oath that she has not sinned. If she is innocent the waters will bring a blessing to her. If she is guilty, she and the adulterer will die.

The Torah explains the laws of the nazir, a person who takes on himself additional prohibitions in an effort to achieve greater kedusha. He may not drink wine or other grape preparations. He may not cut his hair during his period of n'zirus, and he may not become tamey by coming into close proximity with a corpse. In fact, he may not even participate in the funerals of his closest relatives. If his n'zirus is interrupted by his becoming tamey accidentally, he must bring korbanos to atone for being careless with his n'zirus (Rashi), and he begins his n'zirus over again. The nazir is instructed in the korbanos brought at the successful conclusion of his n'zirus.

Hashem reveals to Moshe the special brochoh which the kohanim pronounce to bless Bnai Yisroel. When they do so, Hashem will bless the people. The korbanos and gifts offered by the twelve n'siim on the occasion of the dedication of the mishkan are listed individually.

Whenever Hashem communicates with Moshe, His voice comes from between the k'ruvim on the aron (holy ark)  and Moshe hears it as he stands on the ohel moed (tent of meeting) in front of the partition curtain.

Parsha Perspectives

By Ozer Alport

"Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: A man or woman who shall dissociate himself by taking a Nazirite vow for the sake of Hashem." (6:2)

"Manoach prayed to Hashem and said, 'Please, my Lord, may the man of G-d whom You sent come now again to us and teach us what we should do to the lad who will be born The angel of G-d said to Manoach, 'Guard everything that I told to the woman.' "

After an angel appeared to the heretof ore barren wife of Manoach (future father of the Jewish leader Samson, who lived almost three thousand years ago) to inform her that she would give birth to a son and to instruct her to raise the child as a nazir ( a person who accepts upon himself three prohibitions: not to cut his hair, not to consume wine or grape products, and not to come into contact with the dead ) she proceeded to relate the good news to her husband. Manoach requested that Hashem send the angel back to instruct him how to raise his future son. The angel came back and reiterated to Manoach the pertinent laws of a nazir, which seemed to satisfy him.

This episode is difficult to understand. As Manoach's wife had already informed him of the angel's instructions regarding the nazirite status of their future son, what room was there for confusion? The laws governing the conduct of a nazir are clearly outlined in the Torah. Furthermore, upon its return, the angel simply repeated what Manoach had already heard from his wife, without adding any information. In what way was the angel's return helpful?

The following humorous story will help us appreciate the answer to these questions. Rabbi Pesach Krohn tells of a teacher who caught one of his students stealing pencils from the other children. After reprimanding him, the behavior continued. Finally, after the student ignored repeated warnings from the teacher, he had no choice but to call the boy's parents to discuss the issue. Much to the teacher's surprise, after listening to the problem the boy's father revealed the true source of the behavior by exclaiming, "Why in the world would he need to steal pencils!? I 'bring home' more than enough pencils from the office to supply the entire class!"

In light of this amusing lesson on the power of parents teaching by example, we can appreciate the answer given by Rav Shimon Schwab to our original questions. He explains that Manoach's confusion wasn't related to the laws pertaining to his future son, which he could learn himself. His dilemma was of an educational nature. After hearing that his son would be a nazir, unique and different from his peers, Manoach was unsure how to properly raise him. His son would have no role model from whom he could learn the behavior expected of him.

In response to Manoach's query, the angel came back to give him the requested guidance. The angel acknowledged that his question was quite valid, and instructed him that the proper way to raise such a son was to give him an adult nazir as a role model by Manoach becoming a nazir himself! The angel's instructions to Manoach can be read, "Everything which I instructed your wife (regarding your future son), you should observe" by becoming a nazir! The powerful lesson to be derived from this beautiful explanation is that the only way to educate children is for the parents to serve as living role models of the lessons they wish to impart to them.

Talking Points

Rabbi Elazar Meisels

1. The Care and Transport of the Mishkan

"Raise up the head of the children of Kehoss from among the children of Levi..." 4:2

• The tribe of Levi was split into the three distinct families; Gershon, Kehoss, and Merari. Each was assigned a different position related to the care and transport of the Mishkan.
  1. Gershon Transported the curtains and cloth coverings of the Mishkan. Erect the Mishkan, bake the showbreads, slaughter, and guard the Mishkan.
  2. Kehoss Carried the sacred vessels of the Tabernacle such as the Ark and the Altar.
  3. Merari Transported the wall beams, center poles, and their supports.

Although Gershon was the oldest of the three sons of Levi, his family was not honored with the most esteemed position of carrying the Ark and sacred vessels. That was reserved for the second son, Kehoss, from whom emerged Moshe and Aharon who taught the Torah to the Jewish people. Since they shouldered this awesome responsibility it was only fitting that they be privileged to bear the Holy Ark which represented the Torah itself.

2.Pollution Controls

Partners Talk

Sacred Cheesecake?

Dear Rabbi,
My wife and I were arguing over the reason behind the custom to eat cheesecake on Shavuot. I'll spare you the entire dialogue, but honestly, I don't think either of us knows what we're talking about. Would you mind elaborating on this point a bit so our Shalom Bayit can be restored asap!
Thank you, Gerald D.

Gerald,
I've been meaning to hang out my shingle for some time now and your question makes me even more anxious to do so. Please let me know whether my answer is of any help for your situation, and I'll know what I need to do next.

In this case, I'd venture to say that you're both right. This is because there are numerous explanations offered by the authorities in support of the custom to eat dairy on Shavuot, so it's difficult to be wrong on this point. Some are obviously more compelling than others, but each offers valuable insight into this hallowed custom and must be appreciated in its own right. Here are a few to ponder:

• Rem"a [O"CH 409:3] compares Shavuot to the night of Pesach, during which we partake of two cooked foods as a commemoration of the two unique Pesach offerings that can no longer be offered. The first is the Paschal Lamb, and the second, the Chagigah offering. Partaking of dairy at the beginning of the Shavuot meal and then transitioning to meat forces us to use two separate Challah breads, since it is forbidden to eat dairy and then meat while partaking of one Challah. The use of the two Challahs serves as a commemoration of the special Shavuos offering known as "Shtei HaLechem" [The Two Breads.] To ensure that a second challah would be used for the meat portion of the meal some have a custom to make a special dairy Challah to use for the first segment of the meal. Hence, cheesecake!
• Mishnah Brurah adds that since Torah is compared to honey in one verse and to milk in another verse, it is appropriate to eat a pastry made of honey and cheese on Shavuos, the day upon which the Torah was given. 
• The Sefer Ziv Haminhagim suggests that since milk cannot be stored in precious metal vessels like gold and silver, and must be stored instead in simple jars, it is analogous to Torah that can only be contained in humble minds. Haughtiness is a barrier to proper acceptance of Torah. Dairy foods help us remember this important point.
• The commentary Nezir Shimshon [on Shulchan Aruch] adds that the numerical equivalent of the word "Chalav" [milk] is forty. Thus it is an appropriate symbol of the Torah that was taught to Moshe Rabbeinu during the forty days that he spent in heaven. The message of the dairy foods is that although Torah was given to us as a gift, it requires much toil in order to truly acquire it.

Practically speaking, there are a number of ways to fulfill this custom. Some have a tradition to begin at least one Yom Tov meal with dairy foods and then transition into meat after clearing the table entirely, rinsing their mouths, and waiting the appropriate time to begin the next portion of the meal. Others devote an entire meal to the consumption of dairy foods exclusively. Yet others serve only meat meals throughout Yom Tov, and consume dairy foods during a pre-meal snack that follows the all-night learning session. Each of these customs has advantages and disadvantages and everyone should follow his/her own custom in this regard. Wishing you and your family a peaceful and spiritual Shavuos!

Respectfully,
Rabbi Elazar Meisels

Hey, I never knew that!

Amazing Insights About the Weekly Parsha
By Ozer Alport

Q: A nazir is a person who accepts upon himself three prohibitions: not to cut his hair, not to consume wine or grape products, and not to come into contact with the dead. The word itself is derived from the root which means crown. What is the connection between one who takes a Nazirite vow and a crown?

A: Rav Yehuda Zev Segal, widely known as the Manchester Rosh Yeshiva, offers the following explanation. The Ibn Ezra suggests that the word connoting (6:2) the nazir's separation from these three activities is rooted in the word which means wonder. He explains that the actions of the nazir are indeed considered wondrous in societies' eyes. Most people are accustomed to following their earthly desires without a thought as to keeping them in check. The idea of a person voluntarily and willfully relinquishing physical pleasures is indeed a wonder. Through the nazir's willingness to do what is right and take action to curb his desires, even though it runs counter to societal pressures, he becomes king over himself and merits a spiritual crown!

Q: The Gemora is replete with laws and teachings derived from seemingly superfluous words and even letters used in the Torah, based on the concept that the Torah doesn't write even a single letter unnecessarily. It is therefore difficult to understand why the Torah repeats at excruciating length the offerings brought by each of the 12 tribal leaders, when they were all identical to one another.. Wouldn't it would have been much more concise to list the offering brought on the first day and to add that all the other leaders brought the same offering on the succeeding days?

A: The Ramban and Rabbeinu Bechaye explain that although on a superficial level, it appears that the tribal leaders brought identical offerings, Hashem knows the inner thoughts and objectives behind every action and recognized that every leader had a unique intention behind his selection of the items brought in his offering. By writing each offering separately, the Torah highlights the fact that the different inner motivations made each offering completely unique. Rav Reuven Leuchter notes that because the Torah is the blueprint of the universe, the expression of any true concept can be located in the Torah. He suggests that the source for the idea of creativity may be found where one would least expect it in this parsha of the offerings of the leaders! The explanation of the Ramban teaches us that although the Torah may require us to do certain concrete actions, we are still able to imbue them with our own unique perspectives and intentions, and to find in them an expression of our own unique personalities and experiences.

Table Talk: For discussion around the Shabbos Table
 
1) The Torah requires (5:6-7) a person who has stolen not only to return the stolen item but also to confess his sin to Hashem. The Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 1:1) derives from here that confession is an integral part of the repentance process for any sin which one has committed. Why would the Torah choose to teach this obligation in the context of the laws of a thief?

2) Rashi explains (5:12) the juxtaposition of the section dealing with the laws of the sotah (woman suspected of commiting adultery) to the requirement to give the requisite gifts to the Kohen as coming to teach that one who refuses to give the Kohanim the gifts to which he is entitled will ultimately be required to bring his wife to the Kohanim to carry out the sotah procedure. How can this be reconciled with the principle that all people, including his wife, have free-will?

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