The translation of yafli, “shall disassociate,” follows Rashi, who views the Nazir as someone who breaks with society’s norms, seeking to separate himself from the temptations of his environment. It is a noble position to take, one to which not all of us can aspire. Ibn Ezra takes it a step further. He defines yafli as wonderment. The nazir is doing something astonishing. It is truly out of the ordinary to undertake a vow that will sever oneself from the taavos, physical desires, which others find so “life-sustaining.” Ibn Ezra is teaching us a powerful lesson. To overcome one’s habits; to deny oneself a deferment to his yetzer hora, evil inclination; to withstand the pressures of one’s taavos, physical desires, takes a very strong person. Such a person commits an astounding act. To change requires greatness. It is a pele, wondrous act of heroism, to break away from one’s taavos, desires.
In his Daas Torah, Horav Yeruchem Levovitz, zl, elaborates upon this theme, deriving from Ibn Ezra that one who follows his cravings is a true slave to his desires. He is not in control of his life. His desires are in control of him. The mindset of a slave is one in which he wholly subjugates himself to his master. A person who is intrinsically a free man does not sell himself. His self-esteem just does not allow for that. One who sells himself is by nature already a slave. His self-esteem has long been gone. As a slave, he has no self-image. He is a component of his master.
Likewise, the baal taavah, one who is a slave to his physical desires, has no natural ability to break the strangle-hold that his desires have on him. The taavah beckons, and he immediately responds: “Hineni. I am here.” He has no choice, no ability to say no. His “master’s” choice is his choice. He is always thinking of ways to satisfy his lusts, because that is what a slave must do: always think of ways to earn the master’s praise.
Thus, when a person is able to extricate himself from the vice grip of his yetzer hora, evil inclination, he is a pele, an astounding person. He was able to go against his natural proclivity. He said no! The Yerushalmi teaches that Rabbi Akiva was once teaching his students when a man who passed by the bais ha’medrash caused the entire bais ha’medrash to light up. Rabbi Akiva asked the man to enter the bais ha’medrash and asked, “What have you done that creates such an aura about you?”
The man explained, “I lusted for a certain woman. It had become so over-powering that I almost lost myself and sinned. At one point, the woman had acquiesced, but she first rebuked me for what I was about to do. I listened to her and overcame my desire.” We see a clear indication from Chazal that breaking a desire is a compelling deed. It shows strength of character that only an “astounding” person possesses. This is what Ibn Ezra is teaching us. The average person falls prey to his physical passions. The one who is a pele, an astounding person, an awesome person, is able to overcome his natural gravitation to sin.
There are those who, albeit ensconced in the grips of desire, comment, “I can stop whenever I want.” Rav Yeruchem emphatically states that this is untrue. This person is ashamed to admit that he is too weak to break the hold the yetzer hora has on him. He is just a “regular” person. He is not a pele.
