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torah

Torah

Torah Portion of the Week

Torah Portion: Shabbat: Na’so

In Naso, we encounter the curious law of the Nazir, the Nazirite. In Numbers 6:2: God tells Moses to speak unto the Children of Israel and say unto them: אִישׁ אוֹ אִשָּׁה, כִּי יַפְלִא לִנְדֹּר נֶדֶר נָזִיר לְהַזִּיר לַהשׁם , Any man or woman who shall separate him or herself by taking a Nazirite vow for the sake of God.

What is a Nazirite vow? Subsequent verses explain that the Nazirite is a person who takes upon him or herself a vow requiring three personal restrictions:

1) not to eat anything that is a derivative of grapes: no wine, grape juice or even raisins, 2) not to cut one’s hair, 3) not to defile oneself by coming in contact with a dead body. As long as the Nazirite is under the authority of the vow, the Nazirite may not even attend the funeral of his or her own parents. According to tradition, the minimum length of the vow period is thirty days.

The Bible, in the books of Judges and Samuel, actually relates the personal history of two well-known Nazirites, Samson and Samuel, both of whom were designated as Nazirites before birth. It is interesting to note that the example of Samson is not very favorable, whereas the example of Samuel is extremely positive. That, in itself, should serve as an indication of the Torah’s ambivalence to the Nazirite.

Is the Nazirite a sinner or saint, evil or extraordinarily righteous?

The laws of the Nazirite appear in Naso on the heels of the “Sotah” episode, that is, the woman who is suspected of being unfaithful to her husband. The commentators explain that the Nazirite is so taken aback by the loose behavior that led to the suspicion of the Sotah, that he decides to separate himself from the temptations of life. Presumably, in order to appear unattractive to women, he does not cut his hair, he does not drink wine to avoid any compromising positions, and like a priest, he sanctifies himself to keep holy and not defile himself by coming in contact with the dead.

It is the oft-misunderstood rituals such as the Nazirite that make the Torah challenging for contemporary Jews who are not well-versed in rabbinic literature. It is not uncommon to hear people speak of traditional Judaism as “fundamentalist” or “separatist,” sometimes “primitive and medieval.”

The surprising truth is that Jewish tradition is neither fundamentalist nor separatist. In fact, to the contrary, traditional Jews rarely take the Bible literally, because they believe in the Oral Code.

While, of course, every verse has a literal meaning, according to tradition, the accepted meaning is the interpretation obtained by the exegesis of the Oral Code. Furthermore, as is clearly demonstrated in the case of the Nazir, while occasionally embracing of separatism, traditional Judaism certainly does not view separatism as a preferred way of life.

The Nazir’s behavior is reflected in the actual laws governing the Nazirite. When the Nazir completes the designated time of his vows to be a Nazir, he brings a sin offering as part of the ceremony. This is indeed perplexing. After all, why should a Nazirite, who seeks to elevate himself by being extra holy, be required to bring a sin offering?

Some commentators, such as Chatam Sofer, consider the Nazirite sinful, because, by depriving himself, he actually subjects himself continually to temptation, possibly provoking himself to sin.

One who wishes to guard oneself from lust, doesn’t really need super human means such as Nazirite vows to protect oneself. On the other hand, one who does not wish to guard himself from lust, no amount of rituals and practices will protect such a person from succumbing.

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