In Jewish thought the etz ha-daat tov vara (the tree of knowledge of good) was about human awareness that would separate self from others, but not necessarily in a good way. Individuality is not a bad thing by any means, think of Betzalel or Aholiav who used their individual talents to help build the Mishkan, or the likes of Alexander Graham Bell or Mary Anderson the inventor of the Windshield Wipers, not to mention Sister Mary Teresa or Martin Luther King Jr, people who used their humanity in various ways to better the world around them. Human contribution cannot, nor should be over looked.
Here in parasha Naso we encounter the Nazerite Vow (Num. 6:1-21), a vow that is very much tied into the tree of knowledge of good and bad, but how? The tree for Maimonides is about Tikkun haNefesh v’Tikkun haGuf, the mending of the spirit and mending of the body. For Maimonides the body was a corporate body of people, the first such body of people was Adam and Eve. But the result of the fruit of the knowledge gained was about their individualization of what was good and/or bad for each, or as Dr. Shaiya Rothberg puts it, “good is what you want and evil is what you don’t want,” each forgetting to comprehend what was good for one might be avoided by the other, and visa versa. Remember Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed, their collective purpose was to tend to the garden and take care of the animals, they did not think about what they needed or how they looked, they were part of the equal diversity of creation. After they ate the fruit of the tree they indeed gained knowledge, but it was the knowledge of personal want, becoming aware of what was good for self to embrace and the bad to be avoided; Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake, both separating themselves from God and each other, a total breakdown of the corporate body, a broken individual spirit, hence the need for Tikkun haNefesh v’Tikkun haGuf.
Moses understood that this sense of individualization would hurt the community of Israel. Thus after all the religious and governing ordinances were established for the entirety of Israel’s communal life while camped at Mt. Sinai for just over 2 years, their journey toward the land was about to begin with all its shared life and results, both good and bad. Moses was surely concerned that distinction could create unhealthy division and difference would become the ultimate arbitrator of right and wrong, misplacing the redemptive nature of human love and kindness for each other, not to mention tolerance. For Moses the answer was to elevate oneself to the better way of good rooted in the divine image within. Now we circle back to the Nazerite Vow, something that was not for everyone, but made a statement to all. Inherent to the Vow a person was to abstain from alcohol. The avoidance of alcohol had to do with its psychological” impact, according to The Torah - a Modern Commentary, as alcohol was to “contain or spawn supernatural powers that were in competition with the gods,” which is why alcohol is called “spirits,” allowing for a battle between self-interest and the ways of God. This is the reason why the kohenim were told to avoid alcohol when they represent the people before God in the Mishkan (Lev. 10:8-10).
Things are not simple right now. There is so much going on that has the ripple of implications in our country, let alone the world, which has also affected the diversity of the Jewish community not to mention each and every one of us in this way or that. In part, like it was with Adam and Eve, what was good and true for one might me not be for another, and visa versa, thus in light of the teachings of Torah we ask ourselves how to deal with the broken diversity that surrounds us as well. Nothing is easy, every issue is like pulling teeth to find middle ground, the word bipartisan seemingly operates as a thing of the past, not only in our own personal relationships with who we encounter daily but with our government for sure; however we just witnessed a rare case in our time of mutual agreement regarding the debt ceiling negotiated by a Democratic President and a Republican the House Speaker. But here is our challenge. We recognize the breakdown of the corporate body and the need to elevate oneself, the lesson of the Nazerite Vow, to help mend the whole, hence Maimonides Tikkun haNefesh v’Tikkun haGuf.
Yet, we are people of conviction and cannot stand idly by as we watch injustices upon our own family, friends or anyone, causing us to be angry and seeking separation from those who are viewed as wrong. Yes, Moses dealt with different issues, but the same problems, the diversity of people and opinion. The Torah admonishes us to come together, yet our humanity fights that battle, the Nazerite Vow reminds us to rise above what is normal and lead with the holy spark within, helping to mend what has been separated by the etz ha-daat tov vara (the tree of knowledge of good and bad), hence the Nazerite Vow and the Tree.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Adam
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