Netvort Naso 5773:     Easing the Load

By Rabbi Joshua (easily known as The Hoffer) Hoffman

The final section of Parshas Naso deals with the offerings brought by the nesi’im, or tribal leaders, at the dedication of the Mishkan. These offerings included gold and silver utensils, spices, and meal and animal sacrifices, as described in great detail by the Torah. In addition, the nesi’im also brought wagons and oxen, which were apportioned by Moshe to the different families of the Levi’im to assist them in carrying their loads. 

The Torah says that in apportioning the wagons and oxen to the families of the Levi’im, Moshe gave two wagons and four oxen to the tribe of Gershon, and four wagons and eight oxen to the tribe of Merari. The tribe of Keshas did not receive any wagons or oxen because, charged with carrying the utensils of the aron, the menorah, the shulchan and the altars, they had to do so on their shoulders. Actually, this is a bit difficult to comprehend, as the Ramban, in one explanation, says that the nesi’im brought the wagons because they thought the Levi’im couldn’t handle such a heavy load on their own, and utensils such as the aron weighed tons, and were carried by only a few people. The Rabbis, however, tell us that the aron actually carried those who ostensibly served as its carrier. Rabbi Ephraim of Sudilkov explains in his Degel Machane Efraim, that physical objects, especially those used in holy works, also have an inner light, or spiritual aspect, and that spiritual aspect, when focused on, makes it possible for them to be carried with ease. This was especially true of the aron, which held the tablets of the Torah. I remember that my teacher, Rav Aharon Soloveitchik, zt”l, used to carry a large number of books under his arm to use when he delivered his shiurim (lectures). Whenever someone asked if he could help, he replied that he never got tired carrying seforim, and then quoted the principle that the aron carried its carriers. Over time, I came to realize that he meant it in a literal sense. This was certainly true of the Levi’im, who carried the aron in the wilderness. 

Rav Ephraim says that this feature of the aron applied to all of the other components of the Mishkan as well. In this way, he explains a verse in the beginning of Parshas Naso in regard to the work of the family of Merari. After enumerating the various parts of the Mishkan that they were to carry – the boards and their sockets, the poles, etc. – the Torah says “You shall appoint by name the utensils they are to carry on their watch” (Bamidbar 4:32). This peculiar language is not used in regard to the other families of Levi. The reason, explains R. Ephraim, is that the Merari family had, in total, the heaviest load to carry. We may add that this is apparent from the fact that they were given double the amount of wagons and oxen as were given to the family of Gershon. How did they manage to carry this load? They did so, says Rav Ephraim, by concentrating on the inner light, the spiritual aspect of the components. The verse alludes to this by saying that the utensils would be appointed by name, meaning by their spiritual essence. The word used for appoint, he adds, can also be used to mean an attachment, so that the verse is saying that by attaching themselves to the inner essence of the various components, they would be easy to carry. 

The explanation of Rav Ephraim can also help us answer a question raised by Rav Amnon Bazak in his Nekudas Pesicha. Why, he asks, is the section on nazir included in Parshas Naso, after the inclusion of the section on the Levi’im? Rav Bazak answers that the institution of nazir gives all Jews, even those not born into the tribe of Levi, a chance to live a life of intense dedication to achieving holiness. Based on Rav Ephraim’s comments regarding the Merarim, we can add that the nazir demonstrates how we can approach the physical world in a way that turns our focus on the spiritual. This is perhaps what Ibn Ezra meant to say when he explained the word that the Torah used to describe the way a person takes on a vow to become a nazir “lehafli” to “to express,” comes from the word “peleh” or “wonder,” pointing to the wonder involved in the nazir’s ability to maintain his spiritual essence in this physical world. Perhaps, on a wider scale, we can suggest that this is one of the reasons that Parshas Naso is usually read on the Shabbos following Shavuot, to help us maintain our focus on the spiritual aspects of life, after celebrating our receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.