Naso – Page 2 – Peninim on the Torah

כה תברכו את בני ישראל...ושמו את שמי על בני ישראל ואני אברכם

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5782

So shall you bless Bnei Yisrael. (6:23)…Let them place My Name upon Bnei Yisrael, and I will bless them. (6:27)

In the three pesukim of Bircas Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing, the Kohanim serve as the medium through which Hashem’s blessing reaches us. Hashem is the One Who blesses us via the conduit of the Kohen. Prior to offering the blessing, the Kohanim recite a berachah, “Who commands us to bless His People, Yisrael – b’ahavah, with love.” Thus, if the blessings are to achieve efficacy, the tenor of the relationship between kohen and congregation – and vice versa – must be one of love, no animus towards any member of the congregation for any reason. This applies to the flipside….

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ואם לא נטמאה האשה וטהורה היא ונקתה ונזרע זרע

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5782

But if the woman had not become defiled and she is pure, then she shall be proven innocent and she shall bear seed. (5:28)

Unquestionably, the suspected sotah had gone through a harrowing ordeal. At the end, her claims of innocence were miraculously proven correct. She had not committed adultery. As a result, she will be blessed. Chazal (Sotah 26a) teach that she will bear children more easily. If she had heretofore suffered difficult labor, she will now experience an easy birth. If her babies had been dark-skinned, they will now be fair. If she had previously been barren, Hashem will give her a child to compensate for her ordeal. A wonderful reward for what? This woman had acted in a manner that provoked…

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איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל....איש או אשה כי יפלא לנדר נדר נזיר להזיר לד'

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5782

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)….A man or woman who shall dissociate himself by taking a Nazarite vow of abstinence for the sake of Hashem. (6:2)

In the Pri Tzaddik (Naso 13), Horav Tzadok HaKohen, zl, m’Lublin, observes a striking disparity with regard to the laws associated with sotah and nazir in the Torah and their placement in the Mishnah and Talmud. In the Torah, the laws of sotah, the wayward wife, precede those of the nazir; in contrast, in the Talmud, Meseches Nazir, precedes Meseches Sotah. Rav Tzadok posits that an important moral lesson can be derived from the Torah’s sequence of sotah before nazir. The sotah is a woman who is suspected of acting immorally outside of her marriage. A woman whose infidelity plummets…

Home -> 5782 -> Naso

איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל ...איש או אשה כי יפלא לנדר נדר נזיר להזיר לד'

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5782

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)…A man or woman who shall disassociate himself by taking a Nazirite vow of abstinence for the sake of Hashem. (6:2)

The parsha of nazir is juxtaposed upon the laws of the sotah. These two diverse experiences, with the nazir personifying the apex of sanctity and the sotah acting in a manner that reflects the nadir of depravity, are as diverse from one another as could be. Yet, the Torah places them near one another. Chazal (Bereishis 63a) explain that one who observes a sotah in her degradation should separate himself from wine which can, under the wrong circumstances, lead to sinful behavior. Let us attempt to portray a hypothetical scenario rationally. A holy tzaddik, righteous person, walks through the street…

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ויקריבו הנשאים את חנכת המזבח ביום המשח אתו

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5781

And the Nesiim offered up a dedication of the Altar on the day it was consecrated. (7:10)

Chazal (Midrash) teach that even though the offerings of the twelve Nesiim were identical, each individual offering alluded to the singular mission of its tribe; thus, the offering of each Nasi represented a unique spiritual message. Indeed, the Torah could have saved much “ink” by including all the korbanos of the Nesiim under one collective banner: “This is what all of the Nesiim offered.” Actually, why did the Nesiim choose to offer identical korbanos? One would think they each wanted to express the uniqueness and individuality of his own tribe. The Ramban quotes the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:13), which (in…

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כה תברכו את בני ישראל אמור להם

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5781

So, shall you bless Bnei Yisrael, say to them. (6:23)

When we think of blessing, two forms come to mind: Bircas Kohanim, the Priestly blessing; and the brachah of a tzaddik, holy, G-d-fearing Jew. What is the difference in the structure and efficacy of one over the other? One would think – a blessing is a blessing. Does it really matter who is rendering the blessing? Chazal appear to address this question. The Midrash (Tanchuma, Naso 10) notes that the word emor, say (emor lahem) is written malei, full (with a “vov” as opposed to an “O” vowel sound). Chazal derive from here that the blessing rendered by the Kohanim…

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ואם אין לאיש גואל להשיב האשם אליו

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5781

If the man has no kinsman to whom the debt can be returned. (5:8)

When one has sworn falsely against a monetary claim and subsequently confesses, he pays the principal plus a fifth to the one against whom he has sinned. If the one against whom he has sinned has died, he pays his heirs. A male convert who has had no children since his conversion, or a female convert who has not married or given birth to children, has no heirs. If one has sinned against them and they die, since they have no heirs, the money is given to the Kohanim. Chazal (Bava Kamma 109a) asks “Do you have a person in…

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מבן שלשים שנה ומעלה ועד בן חמישים שנה כל הבא לעבוד עבודת עבודה

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5781

From thirty years of age and up, until fifty years of age, everyone who comes to perform the work of service. (4:47)

Avodas avodah, work of service, seems to be redundant terminology. Chazal (Arachin 11a) explain that this term refers to the musical accompaniment, which was work that was performed to enhance the service. Music has the power to sweep us up into its mood and rhythm. One can be in no particular mood — or even in a depressed state and filled with negativity – but as soon as he hears a catchy tune, lively music or a song, the beat begins to take over and his mood perks up and changes. Our whole energy is transformed and our morose spirits…

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ביום השני הקריב נתנאל בן צוער נשיא יששכר ביום השלישי נשיא לבני זבולון אליאב בן חלן ביום הרביעי נשיא לבני ראובן אליצור בן שדיאור

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5780

On the second day, Nesanel ben Tzuar offered the leader of Yissachar (7:18). On the third day, the leader of the children of Zevulun, Eliav ben Cheilon (7:24). On the fourth day, the leader of the children of Reuven, Elitzur ben Shedeiur. (7:30)

Noticeably, the tribe/Nasi/Prince of Yissachar preceded the tribe of Reuven, who was Yaakov Avinu’s bechor, firstborn. Furthermore, Zevulun also preceded Reuven. The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh explains that Yissachar preceded Reuven because he was the ben Torah, of the tribe that devoted itself to fulltime commitment to Torah study. Since Zevulun was his honorary partner, supporting him while he was engaged in commerce, he was placed near Yissachar in sequence. We see from the Ohr HaChaim that not only does Torah study take primacy over every other endeavor and achievement, one who supports Torah study, albeit himself not actively engaged in…

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איש או אשה כי יפליא לנדר נדר נזיר

Sruly Schnair In Naso, 5780

A man or woman who shall dissociate himself by taking a Nazarite vow of abstinence. (6:2)

Why does the Torah juxtapose the incident/parshah of the nazir upon the incident/parshah of the sotah, wayward wife? One who sees a sotah in her degradation should prohibit wine to himself by taking a Nazarite vow (Rashi). The sotah had opted to follow her sensual passion, allowing her pursuit of pleasure to take precedence over her commitment to G-d. One who falls under the grasp of wine can, likewise, fall victim to temptation. A nazir is prohibited to drink wine. A well-known story tells about a dedicated Jew who refused to eat the non-kosher food that was standard fare in…

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כה תברכו את בני ישראל...ושמו את שמי על בני ישראל ואני אברכם

So shall you bless Bnei Yisrael. (6:23)…Let them place My Name upon Bnei Yisrael, and I will bless them. (6:27)

ואם לא נטמאה האשה וטהורה היא ונקתה ונזרע זרע

But if the woman had not become defiled and she is pure, then she shall be proven innocent and she shall bear seed. (5:28)

איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל....איש או אשה כי יפלא לנדר נדר נזיר להזיר לד'

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)….A man or woman who shall dissociate himself by taking a Nazarite vow of abstinence for the sake of Hashem. (6:2)

איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל ...איש או אשה כי יפלא לנדר נדר נזיר להזיר לד'

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)…A man or woman who shall disassociate himself by taking a Nazirite vow of abstinence for the sake of Hashem. (6:2)

ויקריבו הנשאים את חנכת המזבח ביום המשח אתו

And the Nesiim offered up a dedication of the Altar on the day it was consecrated. (7:10)

כה תברכו את בני ישראל אמור להם

So, shall you bless Bnei Yisrael, say to them. (6:23)

ואם אין לאיש גואל להשיב האשם אליו

If the man has no kinsman to whom the debt can be returned. (5:8)

מבן שלשים שנה ומעלה ועד בן חמישים שנה כל הבא לעבוד עבודת עבודה

From thirty years of age and up, until fifty years of age, everyone who comes to perform the work of service. (4:47)

ביום השני הקריב נתנאל בן צוער נשיא יששכר ביום השלישי נשיא לבני זבולון אליאב בן חלן ביום הרביעי נשיא לבני ראובן אליצור בן שדיאור

On the second day, Nesanel ben Tzuar offered the leader of Yissachar (7:18). On the third day, the leader of the children of Zevulun, Eliav ben Cheilon (7:24). On the fourth day, the leader of the children of Reuven, Elitzur ben Shedeiur. (7:30)

איש או אשה כי יפליא לנדר נדר נזיר

A man or woman who shall dissociate himself by taking a Nazarite vow of abstinence. (6:2)

YEARS

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