A Thought On Parshas Nasso
A Thought On Parshas Naso
"...kadosh yi'heyeh...me'asher chatah al ha'nefesh..."
"...sanctified shall he be...atoning for his sin..." (6:8,11)
The puzzle of the Nazir, a person seeking to sanctify his life through temporary abstinence, is that one verse lauds him for his holy decision and one verse finds fault with him. Many efforts have been made, even dating back to Talmudic debates, to rectify the apparent polarity of the Nazir's status. Is he viewed as a holy person or as a deficient one?
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel offers a profound interpretation which seems astounding to the modern reader, steeped as we are in contemporary views of the mind and its mechanisms. He notes that throughout the Talmud, we have examples of great people who were praised for their giving up certain pleasures, and others who are praised for partaking in the delights granted us by HaShem. He then points out that we have people who are genetically predisposed to be calm, and others who are chronically restless.
Now, a person who is prone to passionate stirrings yet exerts some self-control in the pursuit of greater stability, is a person of worth and merit. In contrast, a person who is prone to composure and tranquility who suppresses his urges to the degree of self-deprivation is doing something we might consider unhealthy or pathological.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel then asserts that the Torah too is addressing all people, all kinds of people. Our passage is not limited to an ideal type or a specific sort of individual. Hence, in introducing the parsha of Nazir with its prescriptive protocol for adopting restrictions upon the self, the Torah means to cover both of the individual types depicted above.
For one who is prone to be self-indulgent or passionately driven, the adopting of lifestyle restrictions can be a badge of holy honor. Such a Nazir has achieved something wondrous as the verse says, ki yafli - he distinguishes himself (6:2). One who is prone to a settled demeanor, however, yet sets behavioral restrictions upon himself which are not necessary for his personal growth and refinement, may be following the Nazir-mitzvos precisely yet he is still referred to as "associated with sin." His sin is the unnecessary deprivation which might propel a more conflicted person to attain spiritual heights but for him, perhaps those heights might have been reached through assiduous efforts rather than through passive avoidance.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel closes with a tantalizing verse (Yirmiahu 22:15) - ha'lo avicha achal v'shosa v'asa mishpat v'tzedek v'tov lo - the prophet said, "just look at your father: he ate and drank yet lived by the law and did righteous acts and he turned out well!"
All of us are meant to grow in mind, heart and spirit. Each of must be honest in knowing our strengths so that we can accurately identify our actual challenges. Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...kadosh yi'heyeh...me'asher chatah al ha'nefesh..."
"...sanctified shall he be...atoning for his sin..." (6:8,11)
The puzzle of the Nazir, a person seeking to sanctify his life through temporary abstinence, is that one verse lauds him for his holy decision and one verse finds fault with him. Many efforts have been made, even dating back to Talmudic debates, to rectify the apparent polarity of the Nazir's status. Is he viewed as a holy person or as a deficient one?
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel offers a profound interpretation which seems astounding to the modern reader, steeped as we are in contemporary views of the mind and its mechanisms. He notes that throughout the Talmud, we have examples of great people who were praised for their giving up certain pleasures, and others who are praised for partaking in the delights granted us by HaShem. He then points out that we have people who are genetically predisposed to be calm, and others who are chronically restless.
Now, a person who is prone to passionate stirrings yet exerts some self-control in the pursuit of greater stability, is a person of worth and merit. In contrast, a person who is prone to composure and tranquility who suppresses his urges to the degree of self-deprivation is doing something we might consider unhealthy or pathological.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel then asserts that the Torah too is addressing all people, all kinds of people. Our passage is not limited to an ideal type or a specific sort of individual. Hence, in introducing the parsha of Nazir with its prescriptive protocol for adopting restrictions upon the self, the Torah means to cover both of the individual types depicted above.
For one who is prone to be self-indulgent or passionately driven, the adopting of lifestyle restrictions can be a badge of holy honor. Such a Nazir has achieved something wondrous as the verse says, ki yafli - he distinguishes himself (6:2). One who is prone to a settled demeanor, however, yet sets behavioral restrictions upon himself which are not necessary for his personal growth and refinement, may be following the Nazir-mitzvos precisely yet he is still referred to as "associated with sin." His sin is the unnecessary deprivation which might propel a more conflicted person to attain spiritual heights but for him, perhaps those heights might have been reached through assiduous efforts rather than through passive avoidance.
Rabbeinu Chaim Paltiel closes with a tantalizing verse (Yirmiahu 22:15) - ha'lo avicha achal v'shosa v'asa mishpat v'tzedek v'tov lo - the prophet said, "just look at your father: he ate and drank yet lived by the law and did righteous acts and he turned out well!"
All of us are meant to grow in mind, heart and spirit. Each of must be honest in knowing our strengths so that we can accurately identify our actual challenges. Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 7:38 AM
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