Parshat Naso 5784
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week’s parsha that one of the prohibitions of a Nazir, is that he may not become Tameh. If he accidentally becomes Tameh, as the pasuk says (Chapter 6, Pasuk 9), וכי ימות מת עליו בפתע פתאם, he needs to restart his Nezirus. But first, he shaves off all his hair on the seventh day, the last day of his Tumah in the purification process, and then on the eighth day, he brings two sacrifices; an Olah and a Chatas. And the pasuk states that he brings these sacrifices for an atonement (Chapter 6, Pasuk 11), וכפר עליו מאשר חטא על הנפש. He needs an atonement for having sinned.
Rashi is bothered why we consider the Nazir, who was in the same house as someone who died suddenly, as having sinned. He gives two explanations. Firstly, he should have been more careful and not come into contact with someone who died. And secondly, he sinned by refraining from drinking wine.
Both answers seem difficult. Since the dead person died unexpectedly, why do we blame the Nazir. How can we consider him a sinner? And regarding the second answer, Rashi teaches at the beginning of the parsha of Nazir, כל הרואה סוטה בקלקולה יזיר עצמו מן היין. The reason the parsha of Nazir follows the parsha of Sotah, is to teach that all who witness a Sotah in her state of disgrace should make a vow to not drink wine. If it’s suggested by Chazal, it’s clearly a positive step. How come we now consider the Nazir as a sinner himself?
The pasuk states regarding the Nazir (Chapter 6, Pasuk 11), כל ימי נזרו קדש הוא לד'. The entire period of his Nezirus, the Nazir is holy; he is Kadosh. Both the Meshech Chachmah and the Sfas Emes teach that the Nazir has an inherent Kedushah. While any action of refraining from permitted pleasure creates Kedushah, as the Ramban teaches on the words (Vayikra, Chapter 19, Pasuk 2), קדושים תהיו, and by a Kohen (Chapter 21, Pasuk 6), קדושים יהיו, a Nazir is different. The Meshech Chachmah teaches, that by taking a vow of abstinence from wine and becoming a Nazir, he raises himself up to a lofty status similar to that of a Kohen Gadol. The pasuk says by the Nazir (Chapter 6, Pasuk 7), כי נזר אלקיו על ראשו; the crown of Hashem is on his head. And the same phrase is utilized in describing the Kohen Gadol, as we read in parshat Emor (Chapter 21, Pasuk 12), כי נזר שמן משחת אלקיו עליו אני ד'. Both have a crown of uniqueness and Kedushah on their heads.
The Mishnah in Makkos 11A teaches that the mothers of the Kohen Gadol would provide food and clothing to those who were in an Ir Miklat for having killed B’Shogeg, unintentionally. She did this to encourage them to daven for her son that he should live. Even though when the Kohen Gadol dies, all who are in the city of refuge go free, his mother would entice them with food and clothing to daven for her son that he should live. The implication, asks the Gemara, is that without their prayers, the Kohen Gadol would die. Why is that so?
The Gemara answers, that the Kohen Gadol should have prayed for the people of his generation that they should not come to kill unintentionally. Despite the fact that this seems to be clearly beyond his control, his position as Kohen Gadol creates an expectation that he should daven for them and that he is capable of davening for them. And since he didn’t, he is a sinner and needs the prayers of those who killed B’Shogeg.
The Meshech Chachmah teaches that this is also the meaning of Rashi’s first p’shat. The Nazir has a lofty position like the Kohen Gadol. He also has the crown of Hashem on his head. Had he davened properly, he could have prevented his Nezirus from being interrupted by a sudden Tumah. He is considered as having sinned and needs an atonement for not appreciating his status and ability and preventing the Tumah from taking place.
The Sfas Emes agrees that the Nazir has an inherent holiness, as the pasuk states כל ימי נזרו קדש הוא לד'. But this Kedushah is always contained within man because of his holy Neshamah; it’s not dependent on him becoming a Nazir. It’s just that sometimes he needs to be a Nazir to express his Kedushah.
Man was created originally in a state where his holy Neshamah could be expressed, even within his physical body. As the pasuk says in Koheles (Chapter 7, Pasuk 29), אשר עשה האלקים את האדם ישר. But Adam Harishon sinned with his calculations and ate from the עץ הדעת, as the pasuk concludes והמה בקשו חשבנות רבים. And since then, man has to remove himself from the physical in order to allow his holiness and Kedushah to shine through.
Therefore, Chazal teach that if one sees an Ishah Sotah in a state of disgrace and fears for his spiritual well-being, he must take a vow of abstinence from wine and become a Nazir. And then he will be able to experience and exhibit his inherent holiness. But he shouldn’t need to separate from wine! He should be able to drink wine and maintain his holiness. This is the sin of man, this is what the Torah is alluding to when it says מאשר חטא על הנפש. And this is why Rashi teaches in his second p’shat, that his sin is for refraining from wine. For the ideal with which man was created was to allow his holiness to shine forth even in the physical. And it’s only because he sinned, that one must be a Nazir and minimize his physical pleasure in order to allow his inherent Kedushah to be expressed.
Good Shabbos
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