Hamaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Naso Volume VII/Number 31 (318) 9 Sivan 5753/May 29, 1993 In today's Haftara we read that an angel appeared to the future mother of Shimshon and instructed her not to drink wine or eat grapes because she would bear a child who was supposed to be a Nazir. The woman's husband Manoach asked Hashem to send the angel once more so that he could teach them "what we shall do for the child who is born." How, Manoach wanted to know, would they raise him as a Nazir? The angel told Manoach, "From all that I have told the woman, you shall beware." Manoach, too, should eat no grapes nor drink wine. Why? Manoach was not meant to be a Nazir! Manoach's question, says R' Shimon Schwab, shlita, was: How can I rear my son as a Nazir if he sees his father drinking wine? How can I tell my son, "Don't do as I do but as I say"? Whereupon the angel answered: You can't! Although there is nothing wrong with drinking wine and a person is not required to be a Nazir, Manoach had to refrain from drinking wine in order to set an example for his son of the higher standard that was expected of him. Otherwise, "Chinuch" is impossible. (Selected Speeches p.98) ************************************ Chazal say: Why is the law of Nazir placed near the law of Sotah (a woman who is suspected of adultery)? To teach that one who sees the downfall of a Sotah should refrain from wine (because wine leads to sin). Why, asks R' Avigdor Miller, shlita, should one wait until he sees the harm wreaked by wine? It should be sufficient that he knows from the Torah that wine is able to do harm. The answer is that one becomes truly obligated in abstinence only when he has witnessed the actual results of indulgence. This sight confers upon him what R' Miller calls "True Knowledge." The Gemara says that Hillel will convict the poor, Rabbi Elazar ben Charsum, the rich, and Yosef, the wicked. Hillel toiled in Torah despite his poverty; Rabbi Elazar ben Charsum did so despite his wealth. Men who were exposed to temptations should learn from Yosef, who was victorious despite his great beauty, which subjected him to the worst temptation. Note again that it is not the principle, but the example, which gets a person in trouble. Every good example is a chance to gain True Knowledge." ************************************ "....For the crown ("Nezer") of his G-d is on his head." (6:7) A Nazir is said to be wearing a crown. Indeed, the word "Nazir" is related to one of the Hebrew words for crown. What does this mean? R' Chaim Friedlander, zatzal (died 1986) quotes Ibn Ezra who explains that man is a slave to his temptations and desires. The person who truly wears a crown of royalty is the one who is master of his desires and rules over them. Those who believe that they are free of Mitzvot, says R' Friedlander, are not free at all; they are completely imprisoned by temptation. Chazal say that Hashem ties a crown on the head of a "Ba'al Teshuva" - one who repents and returns. He is a true king, for he rules over himself. (Siftei Chaim p.33) ************************************ "And it came to pass on the day when Moshe completed ("Kallot") raising the Mishkan..." (7:1) Rashi comments that the Torah used the word "Kallot" rather than another grammatical form that could have been used, in order to remind us of the word "Kallah" - bride. This teaches us that on the day of the Mishkan's dedication the Jewish people were like a bride entering the wedding canopy. R' Eliezer M. Shach, shlita, explains: Once the Mishkan was standing, the Jewish people could have felt that they had completed a glorious period in their history -- building the Mishkan -- and that they could now sit back. However, they did not. A bride, on her wedding day, does not think of the life which is ending, but of the life which is beginning; so, too, did the Jews feel as they dedicated the Mishkan. (Michtavim u'Ma'amarim p.38) ************************************ "This is the dedication ("Chanukat") of the altar...." (7:84) The word "Chanukah" connotes "dedication" whether the dedication of the altar or of a private house ("Chanukat haBayit"). From the same root we get "Chinuch" - education - which is the dedication of children to intellectual pursuits. In America today, this word usually is taken to refer to Torah education. R' Yitzchak Hutner, zatzal (1904-1980), used to object to that usage, R' Moshe Eisemann, shlita, relates. That word, R' Eisemann explains, refers to taking something neutral and dedicating it to a certain end. The altar, for example, was an amalgamation of wood and metal, none of which was necessarily designed for the purpose of becoming an altar. The mind of a Jewish child is not neutral, however -- it is born holy, waiting to be filled with Torah and holy thoughts. (heard from R' Eisemann) ************************************ "And they shall confess the sin which they have done..." (5:7) R' Shimon Schwab, shlita, tells the following story from the early years of his rabbinate: "I remember waiting for a street car once in Baltimore, in front of a Catholic church. A lady emerged from the building and said to me, 'Rabbi Schwab, you're probably surprised to see me coming out of a church.' "I had no idea who the woman was or how she knew my name; I supposed she lived in my neighborhood. I simply replied, 'Well, nothing really surprises me anymore.' "'Actually, I'm Jewish,' she continued. 'But there's one thing that Catholics have over us Jews. They have Confession; it's such a wonderful thing. I can go to the priest and unburden myself. I don't see him, he doesn't see me, and he asks no questions. We Jews should have something like that.' "I didn't tell her that if she wanted to unburden herself she could also have gone to a psychoanalyst. I did say, 'But we Jews do have confession. We say it every day. It's called "Vidui". On Yom Kippur we say Vidui nine times.' "She said, 'Yes, but nobody is listening'." (Selected Speeches p.46) ************************************ The learning schedule for this Shabbat is: Pe'ah 4:8-9 O.C. 617:2-4 Nazir 13 Yerushalmi - Kilaim 39 Rambam Chapter/Day: Hilchot Esurei Biah - Ch. 8 3 Chapters/Day: Hilchot Mechirah - Chapters 13-15 Sefer Hamitzvot Sh:N251; Su:N251; M:N253; Tu:N253; W:N252; Th:N252; F:P245 ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax deductible