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Home -> 5786 -> Naso

ביום השני הקריב נתנאל בן צוער נשיא יששכר

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5786

On the second day, the sacrifice was brought by Nesanel ben Tzuar, the Prince of Yissachar. (7:18)

The sequence of the offerings did not follow the relative ages of the Nesiim; rather, it apparently went according to distinction.  Nachshon ben Aminadov, Nasi of Shevet Yehudah, the tribe that represented malchus, royalty, offered the first korbanos.  Shevet Yehudah deserved this distinction.  Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 72:5) explain that Yissachar was second in line, because he represented the lomeid Torah, the talmid chacham whose nights and days were spent engrossed in Torah.  Zevulun, who supported Yissachar, was up next, indicating how much Hashem values and loves the machzik Torah, supporter of Torah. Veritably, it all boils down to how much…

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Home -> 5786 -> Naso

דבר אל אהרן ואל בניו לאמר – כה תברכו את בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5786

Speak to Aharon and his sons saying, so shall you bless the Bnei Yisrael. (6:23)

Hashem charged Aharon HaKohen and his descendants with conveying Hashem’s blessing to His people.  The concept of the Kohen having koach ha’brachah, power of blessing, appears enigmatic on the surface.  True, the Kohen is biologically holy, born into the Priestly family, but what about the talmid chacham, Torah scholar, who has a distinction of his own?  He has earned his status. Through toil, effort, diligence in Torah study, the talmid chacham has elevated himself.  His sanctity is acquired because it is the product of ameilus and mesiras nefesh.  I am not suggesting in any way that the Kohen is not…

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Home -> 5786 -> Naso

איש או אשה כי יפלא לנדר נדר נזיר להזיר לד'

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5786

A man or woman who shall disassociate himself by taking a Nazirite vow of abstinence for the sake of Hashem. (6:2)

The Torah juxtaposes the laws of Nazir upon the previous laws of the sotah, wayward wife.  Chazal (Sotah 2A) derive that one who sees a sotah in her degradation should take a Nazarite vow, thereby prohibiting himself from drinking wine.  One who witnesses the sotah’s punishment and realizes what led to it understands that he has just been availed a window into how easily people fall prey to temptation. He is able to observe how the yetzer hora, evil inclination, can ensnare a person and pull him down to the nadir of depravity.  Let us look at a before and…

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Home -> 5785 -> Naso

פר אחד בן בקר איל אחד כבש אחד בן שנתו לעולה

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5785

One young bull, one ram, one sheep in its first year for an elevation-offering. (7:21)

Rashi comments concerning the allusion of the individual korbanos to the Avos, Patriarchs. The young bull alludes to Avraham Avinu, who used a young bull as part of his act of chesed, kindness, in welcoming three guests to his tent. The ram refers to Yitzchak Avinu, whom Avraham replaced on the Altar with a ram. This was part of Yitzchak’s unprecedented act of mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice. The sheep alludes to Yaakov Avinu who tended sheep during his stay with Lavan. The Torah underscores Yaakov’s honesty in making certain that he took nothing for himself that did not belong to him….

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Home -> 5785 -> Naso

ביום השני הקריב נתנאל בן צוער נשיא יששכר

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5785

On the second day, Nesanel ben Tzuar offered, the nasi/leader of Yissachar. (7:18)

Noticeably, the tribes of Yissachar and Zevulun – representing the one who studies Torah, and his supporter – precede Reuven, the firstborn. Horav Yaakov Hillel, Shlita, wonders about the placement of the klei, vessels, of the Mishkan. The Aron HaKodesh was placed in the innermost area, the Kodesh HaKodoshim, of the Mishkan. On the other side (external) of the Paroches, Curtain, which separated the Kodesh from the Kodesh HaKodoshim, stood the Menorah on the southern corner. Opposite it, on the northern side, was placed the Shulchan, Table. The Menorah clearly symbolizes the light of Torah (ki ner mitzvah v’Torah ohr),…

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Home -> 5785 -> Naso

ואחר ישתה הנזיר יין

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5785

Afterward the Nazir may drink wine. (6:20)

A fundamental principle of spiritual growth is: Inspiration is fleeting, but what truly matters is how we internalize the experience/inspiration and allow it to shape our actions over time. A person may attend a powerful shiur or shmuess, ethical discourse in which the speaker’s oratory is remarkable. The listener is overcome with emotion and experiences a personal wake-up call that shakes him to his core. How long does it last before his emotion dissipates? We have all been there. If a few days pass and business proceeds as usual, it is an indication that the inspiration was like the passing…

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Home -> 5784 -> Naso

כל ימי נזרו קדש הוא לד'... ועשה הכהן אחד לחטאת

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5784

All the days of his abstinence he is holy to Hashem… The Kohen shall make one as a sin-offering. (6:8,11)

On the surface, the term nezirus begs elucidation. Is the Nazir a tzaddik, a righteous person, or is he, on some level, a sinner? The Torah refers to him as a kadosh, holy, to Hashem. Yet, he must bring a Korban Chatas, sin-offering, at the end of his period of nezirus. Surely, someone who is considered kadosh should not have to bring a sin-offering. What sin did he commit? Various opinions are stated concerning the Nazir’s “breach” in holiness. He should not have achieved this pinnacle through the vehicle of abstinence from wine. A person should override his gravitation toward…

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Home -> 5784 -> Naso

ולא יתן עליו לבונה

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5784

And he shall not put frankincense upon it. (5:15)

Rashi explains that the ingredients which comprised the Minchas Sotah were unlike that of other Menachos. The sotah’s Minchah used barley, which is eaten by animals, as opposed to wheat, which is consumed by humans. Her base actions were indicative of someone who had gravitated more to the animal sphere. There was no oil, since oil is the symbol of light, and the sotah acted in darkness. Last, there is no frankincense because the Hebrew word for frankincense is levonah, which is the term the Torah uses to describe our Imahos, Matriarchs. Implied by the lack of frankincense is that…

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Home -> 5784 -> Naso

איש איש כי תשטה אשתו ומעלה בו מעל

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5784

Any man whose wife shall go astray and commit treachery against him. (5:12)

The Aseres HaDibros, Ten Commandments, mentions adultery as one of the cardinal sins for which one must sacrifice his life rather than transgress it. Yet, surprisingly, throughout the parshah of sotah, the wayward wife, no mention is made of the woman’s transgression against Hashem. Never is the phrase, mo’alah maal b’Hashem, mentioned. It is against the husband. This leads us to suggest that the egregious nature of the sin of adultery is its destruction of the marriage bond. As a result, it is a transgression against Hashem. First and foremost is what the sotah does to the institution of holy…

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Home -> 5784 -> Naso

ואיש את קדשיו לו יהיו

Sruly Schnair
In Naso, 5784

A man’s holies shall be his (5:10)

The maxim of the Chafetz Chaim concerning this pasuk is well-known. Only what someone designates for kedushah, holiness, remains his. One does not take his financial portfolio with him to the next world. Eitz Chaim hee la’machazikim bah; “It is a tree of life to those who hold on to it” (Mishlei 3:18). We must hold onto the Torah and follow it. The Torah does not need our support. On the contrary, we need the Torah to keep us afloat. I came across a poignant story, followed by a comment of Horav Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler, zl, that is powerful and…

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