From: JoshHoff@aol.com
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2008 4:25 AM
To: JoshHoff@aol.com
Subject: Netvort:parshas Naso,5768
A
Bad Hair
Day
By Rabbi Joshua ( observingly known as The Hoffer) Hoffman
In honor of Michal
Heifetz, who was born in Yerushalayim last week, and her parents,my niece
Yoninah and her husband Nissan Heifetz, of Ma'aleh Adumim. May she grow to be a
source of nachas to her parents,her wider family and all of klal Yisroel.
In parshas Naso we read of the suspected sotah, the woman who is warned by her
husband not to isolate herself with a particular man, and , in violation of his
instructions, does so, and is suspected of having had relations with that man.
Her husband then brings her to the kohein in the mishkan, who puts her through
a test to determine whether or not she did, in fact, have forbidden relations.
The next section in the parsha deals with the nazir, who takes a vow to abstain
from wine, from cutting his hair and from becoming impure by contacting a
corpse. The Talmud (Sotah,2a), as cited by Rashi, asks, why does the section of
nazir follow that of sotah? The answer given is that if someone sees a sotah in
her disgraced state (of having her hair exposed by the kohein as part of
her test) , he should abstain form wine by taking a vow to become a
nazir.. What is the connection between seeing the sotah and abstaining from
wine? A simple answer is that indulgence in wine can lead one to sexual
immorality, and, therefore, a person who sees the sotah in her disgrace should
take a lesson and abstain from wine, to avoid the same fate. However, why
should the observer need to worry that he will succumb? Isn't the very
scene of the fate of the sotah enough to keep him from sin? Rav Amnon Bazak,in
his Nekudas Pesicha to parshas Naso,offers an explanation that I would like to
present and expand upon.
Rav Bazak's explanation is grounded in his observation of the placement
of the sections of sotah and nazir in the midst of the sections
pertaining to the Levi'im, Chapters three and four of the book of Bamidbar
describe the choice of the Levi'im from among the rest ofthenation and
the assignment of their tasks,while chapters seven and eight describe the
dedication of the mishkan and the iniation of the work of the Levi'im in
connection with it.The sections of sotah and nazir,covering chapters four
and five,come in between these two sections dealing with the Levi'im..Why is
this so? Rav Bazak explains that while the Levi'im as a whole were given an
elevated position among the people,there was still room for each person
in the nation to raise his own level,as well,through becoming a nazir.Rav Bazak
points to similarities between the kohein and the nazir .For example,in regard
to the kohanim, the Torah says," They shall be holy to their God" (
Vayikra,21:6),and in regard to the nazir,the Torah says,"he is holy to the
Lord"( Bamidbar,6:8).The kohein gadol is not permitted to defile himself
even to bury his father or mother,nor is the nazir permitted to do so.The
kohein cannot drink wine or other intoxicating drinks before or during his
Temple service,and the nazir,as well,is not permitted to indulge in these
drinks during his term of nezirus. In regard to growing their
hair,however,there is a difference. Whereas the kohein is told not to let his
hair grow wild,the nazir is not allowed by the Torah,while the kedusha of the
nazir is something he accepts upon himself.from his own freewill.It is in
this context that Rav Bazak understands the connection between the section of
sotah and that of nazir.
Rav Bazak notes thae the sections of sotah and nazir both begin with similar
verses.The section of sotah begins, "God spoke to Moshe saying, Speak to
the children of Yisroel and say to them:Any man ifhis wife go
astray,etc.(Bamidbar,5:11-12),and the section of nazir begins, in a similar
way,"God spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the children of Yisroel and say
to them:A man or a woman who shall set (himself) apart by taking a nazirite
vow"( Bamidbar,6:1-2).The two sections end similarly as well, with verses
which say "this is the torah of...." However, in regard to the
treatment of their hair,there is a difference between the sotah and the nazir.
Although the expression of 'peruah rosh,'or undoing the hair,is used in both
cases,in regard to the sotah, it is the kohein who undoes the hair o fthe woman
(Bamidbar,5:18-"uparah ha-kohein es rosh ha-isha"-and the kohein
shall uncover the woman's head), in regard to the nazir,it is the nazir himself
who allows his hair to grow (Bamidbar,6:5-'gadeil perah se'arr osho'- the
growth of the hair on his head shall grow).The difference between the sotah and
the nazir,then,is that the suspected sotah has her hair undone by the
kohein while he administers the test to her,while the nazir is the one who
tends to his own hair,letting it grow,apart of the elevated position he has
taken upon himslef.Thus,while the kedusha of the kohein comes to him in a
natural way,as imposed by the Torah,for the rest of the nation,their own
actions determine what level of kedusha they attain. A person can either let
his hair grow long in holiness,as the nazir does,or have it exposed in a
disgraceful way,as is done to the sotah.Thus,when a person sees the sotah in
her disgraced state,the Talmud tells us,he,or she,should take this lesson to
heart,and chose the other option of elevating himself,and join,in a broader
sense, the ranks of the Levi'im as a person who dedicates himself to the
service of God.
Based on Rav Bazak's explanation of the relation between the sections of sotah
and nazir,on the one hand,and their relation to the sections regarding
the Levi'im,on the other hand,we can understand why parshas Naso is always read
either on the week after or the week before Shavuos.On Shavuos,we
commemorate the giving of the Torah on Mt.Sinai.At Mt.Sinai,the nation
gathered around the mountain,and each section of the nation was assigned
a certain place.The encampment around the mishkan constituted a continuation of
this experience,as the Ramban teaches.The presence of God, or the
shechinah, hovering over the mishkan says the Ramban, constituted a
continuation of the experience of God's revelation at Mt.Sinai. While each
division of the nation was assigned a certain role, still,it was possible for
each person to elevate himself and reach a higher level in his
relationship with God.In this way,the entire nation was able to strive to
attain the level of holiness that is reflected in the charge of being a'
kingdom pf priests and a holy nation," as given to them at Mt.Sinai. Each
person was given the choice of elevating himself to the level of the nazir,or
descending to the level of the sotah.
A joyous Shavuos to all
from the entire Netvort staff.
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