רפואה מן התורה
Healing from the Torah
Parashat Nasso
Numbers 5:1-7:89
By Rabbi Adam Ruditsky
The Solution is the Great Equalizer
With Shavuot behind us, going forward however we must always stand upon the importance of Torah. The Torah is many things, but one of them is the great equalizer, recalling that upon it the world endures in justice, truth, and peace (Perkei Avot 1:18). Justice means the equality of all people, all people who are created B’tzem Elohim, in the image of God. America was established as a “Christian” country, and the fact that the subjection of people still exists, even if not like before, must be revisited. Jonathan Haidt, it his book “The Righteous Mind, why good people are divided by politics,” writes that while some believe in social equality others believe in group liberty, thus my need for liberty is greater than your need for equality. Torah would disagree with that statement; all are equal even though they may have different stations in life – that is what Torah teaches and that is what we are seeing here in Parashat Nasso.
This sense of equality is embedded in the book of Numbers, revealing how the attributes of equality and distinction must coexist among the people. Again, we want to remember it is not until Numbers 10:33 that Israel actually left their encampment at Mt. Sinai to begin their journey through the wilderness. Parashat B’midbar and the end of Parashat Nasso can also be read like a chiastic structure assisting us to see why a later departure was required. In B’midbar, the families of the tribes of Israel were counted identically although their family numbers differed, whereas in Nasso the individual tribes were instructed collectively to bring identical sacrifices and offerings. In the case of B’midbar and Nasso there was an individual voice and a collective voice that acted simultaneously. Israel could not successfully commence with their travels until they aligned themselves that way. We as a people will always do battle and struggle for reform as long as well forget that our liberty is tied into our equality.
We do see this in Nasso, well kind of. Here, the individual liberty of each tribe allowed them to act independently even though their offerings were collectively the same. We also see this with the families of Gershon, Merari and Kohath, the three sons of Levi who were separated from the whole of the nation to care of the Mishkan. The Gershonites cared for the panels of the tabernacle, the covers, the curtains of the courtyard, the screen for the entrance gate, the ropes and the utensils, safekeeping all they were responsible for. The Merarites cared for the planks, bars, pillars, sockets, pegs and ropes of the tabernacle and its courtyard, safekeeping all they were responsible for. The Kohathites cared for the Partition Screen, the cover for the Ark itself, the table of the showbread, the Menorah, and its holy utensils, also taking care of issues related to the Alter, safekeeping all they were responsible for. For all their work Moses would give the Gershonites two wagons and four oxen to help them carry their load whereas for the Merarites Moses gave four wagons and eight oxen for their load, yet for Kohathites Moses gave nothing, telling them that they must bear their loadבכתך ישאו (Bac’catayf yis’saoo), “carry on the shoulder.” Rashi address this disparity of equal assistance by saying that the Kohathite load was “the burden of the holy items,” and therefore should be carried directly. The Talmud reads that verse very differently since the Levites were singers, thus we read in a Gemara, “The term “yisa’u” (ישאו) is not stated here in its meaning of “they bore them,” but rather as an expression of song. And similarly, the verse states: “Take up the melody, and sound the timbral,” and another verse states: “They lift up [yisu] their voice, they sing for joy” (cf. BT Arachin 11a). Maimonides rejected the view that given the small number of Cohanim that the Levites from the family of Kohath ostensibly did work of the Priesthood, instead arguing that work for the Levites was holy itself and should be treated as such. Bearing upon the shoulder, בכתך ישאו, meant that like the songs of praise in the Temple courtyard, the work of the Kohathites represented another level of sacredness. That should not be read as if their work was better than the Gershonites or the Merarites, just like the work of a Doctor and Police Officer are not the same yet each has their own value and purpose.
We can say the same for the Nazerite and all of Israel. All of Israel was told in Leviticus 19:2, קדושים תהיו, “you all are to be Holy,” so what is so special about being a Nazerite? We read further read in Nasso about a man or woman who takes on this vow, a vow of abstinence from alcohol, certain fruits, cutting hair, avoiding contact with a dead person and general impurities, a rite that is held for 30 days. The Nazerite was in the end instructed to bring a sacrifice upon completion. The reason for the sacrifice has drawn differing opinions, from looking to a new day after the rite (Rambam), to absolving oneself for the hard restrictions they undertook (Sefer HaChinuch) to transgressing the mitzvot such as wine for kiddush (Meshech Chokhmah). Yet it is worth noting that for the Rambam this rite is about obtaining a level of holiness that is consistent with Leviticus 19:2 that “you all are to be Holy.” Rabbi Philip Berg in the Kabbalistic Bible makes the point that this is not a ritual of restriction from life but a connection to God, something the Mussar teachers call z’rizut, or the enthusiasm of inward growth. Does this mean that those who were not Nazerite’s failed to reach their potential? Great men and women such as Moses or Kind David, Deborah, or Esther, were not Nazerite’s! Being a Nazerite for some seemed to fulfill a need to go “deeper” with their faith for a period of time, but it no way did that make them better than those who did not. Yet the Nazerite also served a pursue to remind Israel that as they journeyed they were to aspire for a higher community standard reflecting that they had become a free people.
In Torah this was to happen when their collective whole was balanced with their tribal, and personal (such as the Nazerite) individuality. The success of the Jewish community in all of our ventures, from spiritual to social justice and beyond, can only be strengthened when we are unified, collectively or as individuals. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught “if mankind is not more than human, then mankind is less than human.” Torah is asking us to be better than taking away another person’s equality, and if we do then are we less than human? Being held accountable for one’s action must be a given, but taking away a person’s liberty because they are denied equality is not the solution of Torah; that is slavery in Egypt all over again.
This sense of equality is embedded in the book of Numbers, revealing how the attributes of equality and distinction must coexist among the people. Again, we want to remember it is not until Numbers 10:33 that Israel actually left their encampment at Mt. Sinai to begin their journey through the wilderness. Parashat B’midbar and the end of Parashat Nasso can also be read like a chiastic structure assisting us to see why a later departure was required. In B’midbar, the families of the tribes of Israel were counted identically although their family numbers differed, whereas in Nasso the individual tribes were instructed collectively to bring identical sacrifices and offerings. In the case of B’midbar and Nasso there was an individual voice and a collective voice that acted simultaneously. Israel could not successfully commence with their travels until they aligned themselves that way. We as a people will always do battle and struggle for reform as long as well forget that our liberty is tied into our equality.
We do see this in Nasso, well kind of. Here, the individual liberty of each tribe allowed them to act independently even though their offerings were collectively the same. We also see this with the families of Gershon, Merari and Kohath, the three sons of Levi who were separated from the whole of the nation to care of the Mishkan. The Gershonites cared for the panels of the tabernacle, the covers, the curtains of the courtyard, the screen for the entrance gate, the ropes and the utensils, safekeeping all they were responsible for. The Merarites cared for the planks, bars, pillars, sockets, pegs and ropes of the tabernacle and its courtyard, safekeeping all they were responsible for. The Kohathites cared for the Partition Screen, the cover for the Ark itself, the table of the showbread, the Menorah, and its holy utensils, also taking care of issues related to the Alter, safekeeping all they were responsible for. For all their work Moses would give the Gershonites two wagons and four oxen to help them carry their load whereas for the Merarites Moses gave four wagons and eight oxen for their load, yet for Kohathites Moses gave nothing, telling them that they must bear their loadבכתך ישאו (Bac’catayf yis’saoo), “carry on the shoulder.” Rashi address this disparity of equal assistance by saying that the Kohathite load was “the burden of the holy items,” and therefore should be carried directly. The Talmud reads that verse very differently since the Levites were singers, thus we read in a Gemara, “The term “yisa’u” (ישאו) is not stated here in its meaning of “they bore them,” but rather as an expression of song. And similarly, the verse states: “Take up the melody, and sound the timbral,” and another verse states: “They lift up [yisu] their voice, they sing for joy” (cf. BT Arachin 11a). Maimonides rejected the view that given the small number of Cohanim that the Levites from the family of Kohath ostensibly did work of the Priesthood, instead arguing that work for the Levites was holy itself and should be treated as such. Bearing upon the shoulder, בכתך ישאו, meant that like the songs of praise in the Temple courtyard, the work of the Kohathites represented another level of sacredness. That should not be read as if their work was better than the Gershonites or the Merarites, just like the work of a Doctor and Police Officer are not the same yet each has their own value and purpose.
We can say the same for the Nazerite and all of Israel. All of Israel was told in Leviticus 19:2, קדושים תהיו, “you all are to be Holy,” so what is so special about being a Nazerite? We read further read in Nasso about a man or woman who takes on this vow, a vow of abstinence from alcohol, certain fruits, cutting hair, avoiding contact with a dead person and general impurities, a rite that is held for 30 days. The Nazerite was in the end instructed to bring a sacrifice upon completion. The reason for the sacrifice has drawn differing opinions, from looking to a new day after the rite (Rambam), to absolving oneself for the hard restrictions they undertook (Sefer HaChinuch) to transgressing the mitzvot such as wine for kiddush (Meshech Chokhmah). Yet it is worth noting that for the Rambam this rite is about obtaining a level of holiness that is consistent with Leviticus 19:2 that “you all are to be Holy.” Rabbi Philip Berg in the Kabbalistic Bible makes the point that this is not a ritual of restriction from life but a connection to God, something the Mussar teachers call z’rizut, or the enthusiasm of inward growth. Does this mean that those who were not Nazerite’s failed to reach their potential? Great men and women such as Moses or Kind David, Deborah, or Esther, were not Nazerite’s! Being a Nazerite for some seemed to fulfill a need to go “deeper” with their faith for a period of time, but it no way did that make them better than those who did not. Yet the Nazerite also served a pursue to remind Israel that as they journeyed they were to aspire for a higher community standard reflecting that they had become a free people.
In Torah this was to happen when their collective whole was balanced with their tribal, and personal (such as the Nazerite) individuality. The success of the Jewish community in all of our ventures, from spiritual to social justice and beyond, can only be strengthened when we are unified, collectively or as individuals. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught “if mankind is not more than human, then mankind is less than human.” Torah is asking us to be better than taking away another person’s equality, and if we do then are we less than human? Being held accountable for one’s action must be a given, but taking away a person’s liberty because they are denied equality is not the solution of Torah; that is slavery in Egypt all over again.
Shabbat Shalom!
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