בּ״ה
Parshas Nasso
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‘And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: “Take a count [lit. ‘lift up the head’] of the sons of Gershon. . .’ (Bamidbar 4:21-22)
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Why, it is asked, was the work of the families of Gershon, the firstborn of the sons of Levi, spoken of after that of the families of Kehas, which was discussed at the end of last Parsha? The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 6:1) explains that since the families of Kehas carried the Aron, in which was the Torah, they preceded the families of Gershon.
However, asks the Kli Yakar a very fundamental question: Why was the duty of carrying the Aron not given to the families of Gershon, to honor him, in accordance with his status as firstborn?
And he suggests that HaKadosh Baruch Hu wanted to show that ‘the wise will inherit honor’ (Mishlei 3:35), in order to teach people that they should honor those who study Torah, just like Kehas was discussed first because the Bnei Kehas carried the Aron, which had in it the Word of Hashem. But if He had given the Aron to the families of Gershon to carry, people would say that it was because he was the firstborn that he was counted first, and it was not because of the importance of the job of carrying of the Aron. Therefore, the carrying of the Aron was passed to the families of Kehas, and he was counted first, and through this, everyone would know to give honor/respect to Torah, and to those who learn it.
Adds HaRav Avraham Leib Scheinbaum shlit”a in Peninim on the Torah (sixteenth series): We wonder if this is the proper way. Is it appropriate to arrogate the function of carrying the Aron for the ones who, by virtue of their sequence in birth, should have been accorded this privilege, just to prove a point -- that carrying the Aron was a holy and privileged endeavor, worthy of distinction?
HaRav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi shlit”a derives a powerful lesson from here. For Bnei Gershon to be counted second, so that Bnei Kehas who carried the Aron could precede them, is in itself an honor for Bnei Gershon. They were being distinguished by being counted second, since being second means that they were giving honor to the Aron. In other words, Bnei Gershon did not lose distinction by being counted second. In fact, they benefited because their status was raised as a result of what they had relinquished! This act of abdication elevated them and made them a nesui rosh (lifted head).
This is the meaning of naso, to “elevate/count, Bnei Gershon.” This elevation came as a result of their being counted second, thereby demonstrating that they were giving honor to the Aron HaKodesh. Ironically, being in the background was what brought them to the foreground.
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In a similar vein, HaRav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a wonders why this Parsha begins with the discussion about the Bnei Gershon, and it wasn’t put at the end of last Parsha with the topic of the Bnei Kehas.
And he explains that, as we know, Gershon was the firstborn. But Kehas was zocheh (had the merit) to have Moshe and Aharon come from him, and therefore the Bnei Kehas were the bearers of the Aron, and went before Bnei Gershon in the discussions of their service.
Yet Gershon didn’t sin that he should be taken down from his special position -- therefore, for his honor, he was given the privilege that he begin a Parsha.
(Taama D’Krah)
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Bamidbar 5:11-31: The Sotah:
(For a more in-depth discussion and further details on this topic, see Chumash commentaries to this portion, and Gemara Sotah). The Torah speaks about a woman who was suspected by her husband for certain reasons to have committed adultery, and we don’t know whether she did or didn’t. If she doesn’t confess to having sinned, the Torah prescribes a procedure through which she is tested.
The woman is brought to the Mishkan or Beis HaMikdash, and the Kohen puts together a special potion-like mixture. He takes water from the Kiyor (Rashi from Sifri), and puts in earth from the ground of the Mishkan, or from underneath the stone floor of the Beis HaMikdash (Sotah 15b). He adjures the woman with certain oaths (see v. 19-22), and he writes down the oaths, which include in them the Name of Hashem, on a scroll, and erases the writing -- yes, with the Name -- into the waters! Even though it is virtually always forbidden to erase Hashem’s Name, in this specific case, this is what the Torah mandates. The suspected wife drinks these waters, and if she was guilty, then she dies. But if she was truly innocent, she emerges unscathed, and in fact receives a blessing.
Explains HaRav Yaakov Kamenetzky zt”l: It appears that the reason the Torah needed to have this whole section about the Sotah is because the nature of a man is that if he begins to suspect his wife’s fidelity, the doubt won’t leave his heart unless HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself assures him that she is innocent.
Even though in most cases in Torah-Law, we rely on the testimony of two witnesses, the husband still likely wouldn’t believe them completely if they told him that his wife didn’t do anything wrong. Their testimony wouldn’t be good enough to quiet his feelings and suspicions.
Therefore, says Rav Yaakov, the Torah commands us to erase the scroll -- with the Name of Hashem -- into the waters and have the woman drink them. This will be the test to know the truth. If the wife comes out unharmed, it is tantamount to the Testimony of Hashem Himself that she is completely innocent of all suspicions. The “bitter” waters were an assurance that a wife who really didn’t do anything wrong would be also innocent in her husband’s eyes, without any doubt.
And this is the intention of the Gemara (Chullin 141a) which tells us that peace between man and wife is so great, for see now that the Torah says that the Name of Hashem would be erased in order to establish it!
(Emes L’Yaakov)
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‘A man or woman who will separate themselves by taking a Nazirite vow to be a Nazir to Hashem.’ (Bamidbar 6:2)
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The following is from a Dvar Torah from my great Rebbe, HaRav Elyakim Rosenblatt zt”l, adapted from a shmuess of HaRav Leib Chasman zt”l: The Torah here speaks about the extraordinary greatness of the Nazir, who refrains from cutting his hair and drinking wine for thirty days. The Torah lauds and exalts him with praise upon praise. ‘He is holy. . .’ (Bamidbar 6:8); he is not permitted to become tamei (ritually impure) even to bury his immediate family (6:7) just as the law states concerning a Kohen Gadol. The Torah even proclaims that the very crown of Hashem lies upon the Nazir’s head (ibid.).
The Baal HaTurim (ibid.), provides us with additional insight into the holiness and purity of the Nazir. He explains why the Nazir is not permitted to become tamei even for his immediate family. For if the Presence of Hashem would rest upon him due to his holy level of Nezirus, it should not be said that he is seeking assistance from the dead. People should not think that a Nazir, upon whom the Shechina (Divine Presence) could possibly rest, is beseeching the dead with prayers.
We see from this Baal HaTurim, a further indication of the hallowed and divine nature of the Nazir. The Nazir is even worthy of attaining the holiest of all levels, the status of having the Shechina itself rest upon him. If this is so, then in essence, he possesses the same qualities as a prophet upon whom the Shechina rests as well. Thus we see clearly from all of the above that the Nazir possesses extraordinary and indescribable greatness.
Which Jew among us is worthy of attaining these holiest of levels? Any Jew, even the simplest among us, can be the recipient of these glowing appellations. Even a young Bar Mitzvah boy of thirteen years of age who would accept upon himself the sacred vow of the Nazir not to imbibe wine nor cut his hair, could attain this greatness. He would be holy, comparable to the Kohen Gadol. He could be worthy of having the Divine Presence rest upon him and thus be likened to a prophet. He may even wear the crown of the King of kings, HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself, on his head.
The big question is; what did the Nazir do to deserve all of this greatness? Doesn’t Hashem usually reward each person according to his efforts? What extensive efforts did the Nazir do by merely refraining from cutting his hair and drinking wine for thirty days? Surely this required little effort, if any at all.
Furthermore, even if we were to say that the Nazir did exert much effort by refraining from cutting his hair and drinking wine, would he then be worthy of such extraordinarily disproportionate rewards? Would he be worthy of being proclaimed by the Torah as holy, of being equated to the Kohen Gadol, and of being possibly on par with a prophet of Hashem? Should he be worthy of wearing the crown of Hashem on his head? Are not these incredible rewards way out of proportion to his efforts?
Perhaps, according to the Ibn Ezra zt”l’s understanding of the meaning of Nezirus, these questions can be resolved. The Torah states, ‘איש כי יפלא’ (Bamidbar 6:2), which the Ibn Ezra interprets to mean that the Nazir is doing something פלא, incredible. It is incredible because “most people of the world are in passionate pursuit of obtaining more and more temptations,” while the Nazir, differentiating himself from the bulk of the population, is desperately trying to break free and to disassociate himself from these temptations. He sees his life as being meaningless, without direction. His life consists of nothing more than amassing more and more material gain and experiencing more and more physical pleasures, with little or no deeper thought whatsoever as to why he was created and what his duties are on earth, and what is expected of him. He consequently comes to the realization that he must stop this downward spiral, and infuse himself with spirituality. He thus, accepts upon himself the Nazirite vow to refrain from drinking wine and cutting his hair, in order to detach and break free from his meaningless pursuit of material and physical pleasures.
In light of the Ibn Ezra’s insight, our questions can now be answered. The greatness of the Nazir lies not merely from the fact that he abstains from cutting his hair and drinking wine for thirty days. This surely involves little or no effort and would certainly not warrant such great rewards. Rather, the greatness of the Nazir lies in his purpose and intent in refraining from involvement in these activities. He is embarking upon a bold and courageous mission.
He has taken upon himself to go out to battle against man’s arch-enemy, the Yetzer Hara itself, head-on. What an extremely difficult path he has chosen! Not many people have the strength or the courage to be warriors setting out to “conquer their passions.” The Nazir is the one with that innate greatness who strives to go against the trend of the masses, which is to indulge in all sorts of enticements and temptations. He goes “against his grain” of yearning for physical pleasures, and instead, he aspires to conquer his passions. The magnificent reward that the Torah bestows upon the Nazir is in direct proportion to the monumental effort that the Nazir puts forth in his fierce battle against the Yetzer Hara.
Although we are not suggesting actual Nezirus, concludes Rabbeinu zt”l, nevertheless the concept and ideals of Nezirus are something that we certainly should aspire to achieve. Every Yiddishe Neshama has that inherent potential within himself to attain the lofty spiritual level of the holy Nazir. The way to attain this heightened level of spirituality is to actively and aggressively go out to battle the adversary within us, the Yetzer Hara.
May we be zocheh to break away from our attachment to the materialistic pursuits of life, and thus embark on a new path in our lives -- one that moves us in a direction of spiritual growth and spiritual elevation. Amein.
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‘Holy he shall be’ (Bamidbar 6:5)
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The Gemara derives from this that a regular term of Nezirus is 30 days, because the word “יהיה” (‘he shall be’) has the numerical value of 30.
From this it is possible to see, says the Chofetz Chaim zt”l, how great is the strength of the Torah; for from even one numerical value that is in the Written Torah, the Sages derived many pages in Maseches Nazir.
(Chofetz Chaim Al HaTorah)
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‘And it was on the day that Moshe finished (כּלוֹת) erecting the Mishkan. . .’ (Bamidbar 7:1)
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Says Rashi zt”l from Chazal: The word כּלוֹת, ‘finished’ is written as if it were to be read כּלת. This teaches us that on the day of the erection of the Mishkan, the Jews were like a bride (כלה) going to the chuppah (marriage canopy).
Explains HaRav Elazar Menachem Mann Shach zt”l; it’s true -- on this day Moshe Rabbeinu completed the process of the Mishkan. But for the Jews, it was not an end or completion, rather specifically now it was the beginning of new life. And this is what the comparison to a bride entering to the chuppah means -- because the chuppah for her is more the first opening of new life than it is the end of her days of youth.
This, says Rav Shach, is a great principle in the Torah: There is no ‘finish’, so to speak; everything is a corridor to another level and continuous ascent.
(Ateres HaMikra)
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‘And Hashem said to Moshe; “One prince for a day; one prince for a day, shall they bring their offering for the Dedication of the Altar.’ (Bamidbar 7:11)
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After this introductory phrase, the Torah goes on to list which Prince of the Jewish People brought his offering on which day, and it goes into detail of what they each brought. The Midrash famously notes that, if you look, all of the offerings which the Princes brought were the same! In every detail! So then the question is asked; what was the reason the Torah has to go into detail with the offering for each Prince, when they were all the same? Could it not have just said that they all brought such-and-such?
But we see a huge lesson from the fact that it is listed this way: It is easy to think, during Minyan, for example, when so many other people are Davening, does Hashem really care about my individual prayer? Does it really matter? I’m doing the same prayers as everyone else! And similar things in other circumstances.
Comes along the Torah, though, and it teaches us that Hashem never gets “tired” of our Mitzvos: The entire Jewish Nation could be doing the same Mitzvah at the same time and in the same way, and Hashem would love your Mitzvah just as much as if you were the only person in the world doing it.
And this doesn’t just go for our Mitzvos; it also goes for us in general. There are so many people out there, but Hashem cares about and loves each one of us.*
(Tal U’Matar)
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* See Darkei Mussar on this for a very similar comment.
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‘This was the dedication of the Altar on the day it was anointed’ (Bamidbar 7:84)
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‘This was the dedication of the Altar after it was anointed’ (Bamidbar 7:88)
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Says Rebbe Avraham Mordechai Alter zt”l, the fourth Gerrer Rebbe: We must try to make sure that the hischadshus, the feeling of excitement and fervor when something is new, that awakens on the ‘day of the dedication’ should stay with us afterwards and not become old. The dedication ‘on the day it was anointed’ should stay also ‘after it was anointed’.
(Quoted in Maayanah Shel Torah)
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Parshas Nasso is the longest of all the Parshiyos in the Torah, and it has 176 verses. It is noted that Chapter 119, the longest in Tehillim, also has 176 verses. And not only this, but the longest Masechta, Bava Basra, has 176 dappim (pages)! What is the significance of the number 176?
Perhaps we can suggest that if we look, 176 is the Gematria of the word לעולם, ‘forever.’ This alludes to us that the Torah we learn, the Tehillim we say, and the like -- those things last forever. It is not the material things we amass, but rather the good things that we perform.
(Tal U’Matar)
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|~Maaseh~| The following story was related by HaRav Nosson Meir Wachtfogel zt”l, who heard it directly from the attendant of the Chofetz Chaim zt”l:
On a fundraising trip to Bialystok, the Chofetz Chaim zt”l and his attendant paid a visit to a simple resident of the city. The woman who answered the door drew back in surprise when seeing her illustrious guests.
On a fundraising trip to Bialystok, the Chofetz Chaim zt”l and his attendant paid a visit to a simple resident of the city. The woman who answered the door drew back in surprise when seeing her illustrious guests.
“May I speak with your husband?” Rav Yisroel Meir asked gently.
“I… I wish the Rebbe could speak with him,” the flustered woman replied, “but he isn’t well.” Her voice dropped to a whisper: “My husband has been paralyzed for several years now.”
The Chofetz Chaim was unfazed: “Then it’s even more important that I visit him! This is the Mitzvah of bikur cholim (visiting the sick)!”
The woman led her guests up the stairs and to her husband’s room. The thin, gaunt man lay motionless in his bed, appearing almost lifeless. But his eyes opened wide at the sight of his unexpected guests, and a sudden light illuminated his features.
“Good evening, Rebbe,” he managed to whisper. “It is kind of the Chofetz Chaim to take his precious time to visit me. I wish I could stand up for the Rebbe.” The man dropped his eyes. “Please forgive me.”
“It is my privilege to see you this evening,” the Chofetz Chaim said warmly. “Please allow me to shake your hand.” The man looked down, embarrassed at not being able to fulfill the Chofetz Chaim’s request. “It has been several years since I’ve even held a glass in my hand. How I wish I could lift my hand!”
“Try,” Rav Yisroel Meir urged “Give me your hand.”
The man reluctantly made the seemingly useless effort. As he had expected, nothing happened. “Try again.” Encouraged the Chofetz Chaim.
The man bit his lip in concentration, coordinating all his strength to lift his immobile hand. Beads of sweat formed and rolled down his temples. His wife gasped from her place in the corner when her husband’s long-paralyzed hand began to move! The Chofetz Chaim’s face beamed, reflecting the happiness of the Bialystok man and his wife. He took the man’s hand warmly in his own and shook it heartily. The Chofetz Chaim’s attendant looked on in amazement.
“How can I thank you, Rebbe?” the man asked. The tears flowed freely from his eyes. “You healed my hand. . .”
Rav Yisroel Meir turned to his attendant and said: “Take his other arm. Let’s sit him up.” Now the man began to protest: “But Rebbe, I haven’t moved a single limb for years. It’s a miracle that I moved my hand! How can I possibly sit up?”
But the Chofetz Chaim and his attendant went ahead and slowly propped the man into an upright position. The man looked around, amazed at the view he had not seen in so long. Tears coursed down his wife’s cheeks as she witnessed her husband’s transformation.
“Thank you, Rebbe,” he whispered. “You’re a miracle worker!”
But the Chofetz Chaim was not finished: He proceeded to instruct his attendant to stand the man up. Slowly, slowly, the man stood up on two feet, released from the bed that had been his prison for so long.
The Chofetz Chaim zt”l humbly took his leave from the man’s house, as he was showered with thanks and praise. It was just a few days later that the man learned to walk normally again, completely unaided -- except by Hashem in Heaven.
“I… I wish the Rebbe could speak with him,” the flustered woman replied, “but he isn’t well.” Her voice dropped to a whisper: “My husband has been paralyzed for several years now.”
The Chofetz Chaim was unfazed: “Then it’s even more important that I visit him! This is the Mitzvah of bikur cholim (visiting the sick)!”
The woman led her guests up the stairs and to her husband’s room. The thin, gaunt man lay motionless in his bed, appearing almost lifeless. But his eyes opened wide at the sight of his unexpected guests, and a sudden light illuminated his features.
“Good evening, Rebbe,” he managed to whisper. “It is kind of the Chofetz Chaim to take his precious time to visit me. I wish I could stand up for the Rebbe.” The man dropped his eyes. “Please forgive me.”
“It is my privilege to see you this evening,” the Chofetz Chaim said warmly. “Please allow me to shake your hand.” The man looked down, embarrassed at not being able to fulfill the Chofetz Chaim’s request. “It has been several years since I’ve even held a glass in my hand. How I wish I could lift my hand!”
“Try,” Rav Yisroel Meir urged “Give me your hand.”
The man reluctantly made the seemingly useless effort. As he had expected, nothing happened. “Try again.” Encouraged the Chofetz Chaim.
The man bit his lip in concentration, coordinating all his strength to lift his immobile hand. Beads of sweat formed and rolled down his temples. His wife gasped from her place in the corner when her husband’s long-paralyzed hand began to move! The Chofetz Chaim’s face beamed, reflecting the happiness of the Bialystok man and his wife. He took the man’s hand warmly in his own and shook it heartily. The Chofetz Chaim’s attendant looked on in amazement.
“How can I thank you, Rebbe?” the man asked. The tears flowed freely from his eyes. “You healed my hand. . .”
Rav Yisroel Meir turned to his attendant and said: “Take his other arm. Let’s sit him up.” Now the man began to protest: “But Rebbe, I haven’t moved a single limb for years. It’s a miracle that I moved my hand! How can I possibly sit up?”
But the Chofetz Chaim and his attendant went ahead and slowly propped the man into an upright position. The man looked around, amazed at the view he had not seen in so long. Tears coursed down his wife’s cheeks as she witnessed her husband’s transformation.
“Thank you, Rebbe,” he whispered. “You’re a miracle worker!”
But the Chofetz Chaim was not finished: He proceeded to instruct his attendant to stand the man up. Slowly, slowly, the man stood up on two feet, released from the bed that had been his prison for so long.
The Chofetz Chaim zt”l humbly took his leave from the man’s house, as he was showered with thanks and praise. It was just a few days later that the man learned to walk normally again, completely unaided -- except by Hashem in Heaven.
(Visions of Greatness, Vol. VII)
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Gut and meaningful Shabbos to all!
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