A Thought On Parshas Naso
"...b'yom m'loas yemei nizro..."
"...and when he fulfills his Nazirite days..." (6:13)
When the abstinent Nazir has completed his term of serving HaShem by adhering to his vows, he brings a trio of sacrifices. A burnt offering, a peace offering, and a sin offering comprise his sacrificial rite (verse 14). Then, says the Torah (verse 20), the Nazir may drink wine again - v'achar yishteh ha'nazir yayin.
Many commentaries puzzle over the selection of sacrifices brought by the erstwhile Nazir. Why must he bring a sin offering? What has he done wrong? After all, he made a personal effort to cleanse and purify himself in mind, soul and deed. Surely this is a sign of virtue, and not a sign of sinfulness!The Ramban explains that after having achieved such spiritual heights by way of abstaining from some of life's comforts and pleasures, the Nazir is, in effect, opting out of his earned level of elevation once he finishes his term of commitment. In fact, Ramban suggests that the close of the parsha (verse 20) which refers to him as a Nazir after he has actually finished his nazirus sheds light on this new reality with a double entendre: originally he was a "Nazir" because he removed himself from the mundane and corporeal. Now, by stopping this process, he is a "nazir" in the sense that he is now removing himself from the ideals and sanctity which he once attained. First he abstained from pleasure, now he is abstaining from purity, which is a reverse form of being a nazir. Hence, he needs to bring a sin offering because he has opted out.
Rabbeinu Bachya offers a different perspective. He marvels at the sacrifices of the Nazir in that we never see a person bringing a sin offering for something he has not yet done. According to the Ramban, the Nazir is still a Nazir (not yet a "nazir") when he brings his sin offering, so it is hard to say he is needing to atone for the anticipated plan of opting out. He has not sinned yet, so why must he bring a sin offering?! Besides, if he is wrong for opting out, he is doing so intentionally. Sin offerings were only brought for accidental errors!
Rabbeinu Bachya explains that a Nazir has crowned himself with superlative qualities by way of his abstinence. He has reached a level of sanctity which even rivals that of a Kohen Gadol. He has chosen to purify his body, his thinking and his spirit, which helps him aim for a state of near perfection. When he has gone through his interval of purification and ascendancy, he is then instructed to return to regular personal functioning, yet to retain his level of awareness of the heights which a person is capable of reaching. The three sacrifices which he offers are to impress upon him that his three achievements must remain vividly in his functioning - selflessness (the burnt offering), composure (the peace offering), forgiveness (the sin offering) are now the virtues which he lives by, even though he will return to "normal" functioning. This is why he is called a Nazir (not a nazir as the Ramban understands) even though he goes back to drinking wine and doing the other non-abstinence behaviors. He has learned to aim for perfection and sanctity while living a regular life.
Many times we think back on those days when we studied in yeshiva or in seminary, and assume that those were times when we could expect ourselves to live by a high standard of observance, piety and morality. When we make the move into the outside world, we often rationalize that no one can maintain those earlier levels of being. Perhaps a lesson from the Nazir is that once we have tasted a higher, better level of observance, we are charged to take that with us, carrying it wherever we go.
The late tzadik Rav Zalman HaLevi Ury zt'l once remarked to me regarding my great rebbe HaGaon Rav Simcha Wasserman zt'l that "wherever he went, he carried... Novardok with him." We can grow from abstinence, we can grow despite indulgence, and the Torah wants us to continue our growth despite our surroundings and our circumstances.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...and when he fulfills his Nazirite days..." (6:13)
When the abstinent Nazir has completed his term of serving HaShem by adhering to his vows, he brings a trio of sacrifices. A burnt offering, a peace offering, and a sin offering comprise his sacrificial rite (verse 14). Then, says the Torah (verse 20), the Nazir may drink wine again - v'achar yishteh ha'nazir yayin.
Many commentaries puzzle over the selection of sacrifices brought by the erstwhile Nazir. Why must he bring a sin offering? What has he done wrong? After all, he made a personal effort to cleanse and purify himself in mind, soul and deed. Surely this is a sign of virtue, and not a sign of sinfulness!The Ramban explains that after having achieved such spiritual heights by way of abstaining from some of life's comforts and pleasures, the Nazir is, in effect, opting out of his earned level of elevation once he finishes his term of commitment. In fact, Ramban suggests that the close of the parsha (verse 20) which refers to him as a Nazir after he has actually finished his nazirus sheds light on this new reality with a double entendre: originally he was a "Nazir" because he removed himself from the mundane and corporeal. Now, by stopping this process, he is a "nazir" in the sense that he is now removing himself from the ideals and sanctity which he once attained. First he abstained from pleasure, now he is abstaining from purity, which is a reverse form of being a nazir. Hence, he needs to bring a sin offering because he has opted out.
Rabbeinu Bachya offers a different perspective. He marvels at the sacrifices of the Nazir in that we never see a person bringing a sin offering for something he has not yet done. According to the Ramban, the Nazir is still a Nazir (not yet a "nazir") when he brings his sin offering, so it is hard to say he is needing to atone for the anticipated plan of opting out. He has not sinned yet, so why must he bring a sin offering?! Besides, if he is wrong for opting out, he is doing so intentionally. Sin offerings were only brought for accidental errors!
Rabbeinu Bachya explains that a Nazir has crowned himself with superlative qualities by way of his abstinence. He has reached a level of sanctity which even rivals that of a Kohen Gadol. He has chosen to purify his body, his thinking and his spirit, which helps him aim for a state of near perfection. When he has gone through his interval of purification and ascendancy, he is then instructed to return to regular personal functioning, yet to retain his level of awareness of the heights which a person is capable of reaching. The three sacrifices which he offers are to impress upon him that his three achievements must remain vividly in his functioning - selflessness (the burnt offering), composure (the peace offering), forgiveness (the sin offering) are now the virtues which he lives by, even though he will return to "normal" functioning. This is why he is called a Nazir (not a nazir as the Ramban understands) even though he goes back to drinking wine and doing the other non-abstinence behaviors. He has learned to aim for perfection and sanctity while living a regular life.
Many times we think back on those days when we studied in yeshiva or in seminary, and assume that those were times when we could expect ourselves to live by a high standard of observance, piety and morality. When we make the move into the outside world, we often rationalize that no one can maintain those earlier levels of being. Perhaps a lesson from the Nazir is that once we have tasted a higher, better level of observance, we are charged to take that with us, carrying it wherever we go.
The late tzadik Rav Zalman HaLevi Ury zt'l once remarked to me regarding my great rebbe HaGaon Rav Simcha Wasserman zt'l that "wherever he went, he carried... Novardok with him." We can grow from abstinence, we can grow despite indulgence, and the Torah wants us to continue our growth despite our surroundings and our circumstances.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 10:12 AM
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