Parashat Naso
BaMidbar 4:21 - 7:89
Haftarah Shoftim 13:2 - 25
(Birkat Kohanim [Priestly Blessing] at the Kotel; Art by Alex Levin)
Parashat Summary
A Census and Duties of the Gershonim, Merarim, and Kohatim
Purifying the Camp
Offerings
Sotah - The Suspected Adulteress
The obligations of a Nazir vow are explained
Moshe is instructed by G-d to teach Aharon and his sons the Priestly Blessing
Moshe consecrates the Sanctuary, and the tribal chieftains bring offerings
Moshe speaks with G-d inside the Ohel Mo'ed
4:21 vayedaber HASHEM el-Moshe lemor
And HASHEM spoke to Moshe, saying:
22 nasho et-rosh benei Gershon gam-hem leveit avotam lemishpechotam
Also take a census of sons of Gershon according to the house of their fathers according to their families.
After counting the families of Levi descending from Kehat and instructing them in their tasks, Moshe was commanded to count the Benei Gershon in order to determine who among them was fit for duty in the Tent of Meeting (
Ohel Mo'ed).
Then Aharon's sons assigned each his duties, and Itamar, fourth son of Aharon, was appointed permanent supervisor of the B'nei Gershon.
The Levi'im belonging to Gershon's family were assigned the following tasks:
- Preparing the woven materials, the curtains, coverings, and the screens of the Ohel Moed and the Courtyard for departure, and transporting them.
- Singing during the daily morning and afternoon burnt offerings (olah), as well as during all communal olah-offerings, and the communal peace offerings (shelamim) on Shavuot.
The Levi choir was comprised of at least twelve singers, and more could be added as desired. The choir was usually accompanied by instruments. Even non-Levi'im were permitted to be musicians.
As the people stood in the Azarah, they heard the beautiful choir of the Levi'im and the orchestra.
In the Beit HaMikdash, the choir chanted every day of the week a different chapter from Sefer Tehillim.
- On the first day (Sunday) - "The earth and its fullness is HaShem's, the world and they that dwell in it" (Tehillim 24:1)
This verse was appropriate for the first day because it reminds us of the first day of Creation. HaShem was then clearly recognized as the sole Ruler, since no beings, not even the angels, had yet been created.
- On the second day (Monday) - "Great is HaShem and very much praised in the city of our G-d, in the mountain of His holiness" (Tehillim 48:2)
On the second day of Creation, HaShem established the firmament to divide between the upper and lower waters, and appointed the upper spheres as His residence. Parallel to this, He appointed a place of special
kedushah in the lower world where He would reside: "the city of our G-d, the mountain of His holiness."
- On the third day (Tuesday) - "G-d stands in the congregation of judges" (Tehillim 82:1).
On this day G-d gathered the waters into oceans, thus exposing the continents which would be inhabited. However, mankind would be permitted to live there only if it exercised justice, one of the pillars of human society. Should man pervert justice. HaShem would command the ocean to flood the dry land, as later happened to the generation of the
Mabul (Flood).
- On the fourth day (Wednesday) -"G-d to Whom vengeance belongs, HaShem, G-d, to Whom vengeance belongs, appear" (Tehillim 94:1).
On this day the heavenly bodies were created. In the future HaShem will punish all those who worshiped them.
- On the fifth day (Thursday) - "Sing aloud to G-d our strength, cry out with a joyful shout to the G-d of Yaakov" (Tehillim 81:2).
On this day the Almighty created the millions of species of birds and fish. Whoever sees them proclaims the Creator's praises joyfully.
- On the sixth day (Friday) - "HaShem reigns. He is clothed with majesty; HaShem is robed, He has girded Himself with strength" (Tehillim 93:1).
This verse is appropriate for the sixth day, on which the entire glorious Creation was completed and HaShem's majesty over the universe became apparent.
Mizmor shir leyom haShabbat - A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day" (Tehillim 92:1)
This verse refers not only to the weekly Shabbat, but also to the era after the Redemption, the "great Shabbat of history."
The weekly Shabbat was given to us to serve as a model for the future era, which will be totally and eternally good. Just as we labor each week in order to honor the Shabbat with delightful things, so we prepare in this world for the future world, when we will enjoy the fruit of our labor.
With the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the beauty of song ceased. Our present-day songs do not recapture the
kedushah or the harmony of spiritual perfection inherent in the melodies sung in the Beit HaMikdash.
After the first destruction, the emperor Nevuchadnetzar led a group of captive Levi'im to Bavel (Babel). Observing them weep and lament, he exclaimed,
"Why so sad? Come and make merry! Before I have my repast, play your violins before me and my gods, just as you were wont to do for your G-d!"
Looking at each other, the Levi'im whispered,
"Never! We who have played in the Beit HaMikdash for the Almighty shall now play for this midget (Nevuchadnetzar was a small man) and his idols? Had we, instead, exerted ourselves in singing for the Almighty, would have never been exiled!"
But how could they effectively disoby their captor's order?
In an instant a plan was contrived. Each Levi, without hesitating, severed the thumb from his right hand. Raising up the bleeding stumps for Nevuchadnetzar to see, they wailed,
"How can we sing the song of HaShem (Tehillim 137:4)? Don't you see that our hands are maimed and we can no longer play our instruments?"
Enraged, Nevuchadnetzar massacred thousands of captives. Nevertheless, the Levi'im were glad that they had not agreed to play music before idols.
That group of Levi'im eventually returned from the Babylonian exile and witnesses the rebuilding of the second Beit HaMikdash. HaShem promised the Jewish people with an oath, "The Levi'im injured their right hands for My sake; I, therefore, swear by My right hand that I shall ultimately defeat your enemies and restore Yerushalayim to you."
4:29 benei merari lemishpechotam leveit-avotam tifkod otamThe sons of Merari, according to their families and according to the house of their fathers you shall count them.
The family of Merari was the last of the three families of Levi to be counted and assigned their duties.
Its members carried the Mishkan's boards, bolts, and sockets. Itamar, son of Aharon, was their supervisor. He assigned each individual Levi his job.
Once a Levi had received his assignment, he was not allowed to switch with another Levi.
5:1 vayedaber HASHEM el-moshe lemor
HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying:
2 tzav et-benei Yisrael vishalchu min-hamachane kol-tzarua vechol-zav vechol tame lanafesh
Command Benei Yisrael that they must expel from the camp, anyone with tzaraat, and anyone from who flows a seminal discharge and anyone who became defiled by a [departed] soul.
HaShem commands that all temayim (impure people) leave the Camp:
On Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the Mishkan's last Inauguration Day, HaShem told Moshe, "All three Camps of the wilderness are holy. The innermost Camp of the
Shechinah is holy to the highest degree. The Camp of the Leviim that surrounds it, and Benei Yisrael's Camp which surrounds that of the Leviim, are of lesser sanctity.
"An impure person may have to leave one, two, or all three of these Camps, according to the severity of his
tumah."
Hashem explains to Moshe that this mitzvah would appertain to future generations in
Eretz Yisrael (Land of Yisrael) as follows:
- The Camp of the Shechinah in the wilderness would correspond to the area extending from the Ezrat Yisrael (the main court in the Beit HaMikdash) inwards.
- The Camp of the Leviim in the wilderness would correspond to the entire Har HaBayit (Temple Mount) surrounding the Ezrat Yisrael.
- The Camp of Benei Yisrael in the wilderness would correspond to the entire city of Yerushalayim, excluding the Temple Mount.
The severest of all types of tumah was tzara'at (leprosy):
- A leper was expelled from all three Camps
- A zav, zavah, niddah, and a woman who had recently given birth were barred from two Camps, the machaneh shechinah and the machaneh leviyah (where the Leviim camped and later corresponded to the Temple Mount), but were permitted to remain in the Camp of Yisrael.
- The mildest type of tumah was impurity through contact with a dead body, the carcass of an animal, or the carcass of one of the eight sheratzim (reptiles) declared impure by the Torah. Someone defiled by this category of tumah was excluded from only the Camp of the Shechinah, but could remain in the Camps of the Leviim and Yisrael.
Hashem proclaimed, "My Presence resides in all three Camps. The impure must therefore leave the various Camps so as not to desecrate their
kedushah."
Why didn't Hashem announce the mitzvah of ejecting the
temayim immediately after
Matan Torah?
The answer is that this commandment had been unnecessary then since no lepers or
zavim were to be found. prior to the giving of the Torah, the angels had healed all the physical defects of Benei Yisrael.
Forty days thereafter, when Yisrael constructed the Golden Calf, everyone's former sickness returned. Some became lepers again and others
zavim.
Therefore, when the Mishkan was established, the Almighty instructed Moshe, "Now that I have taken up permanent residence in the midst of Benei Yisrael, send away the
temayim!"
This mitzvah is prefaced with the phrase, "
Tzav et Benei Yisrael - Command the Benei Yisrael"(5:2)
This phrase occurs wherever the person finds it difficult to observe a mitzvah.
It is said in praise of Benei Yisrael, however, that they immediately and joyfully complied. The
temayim themselves did not resist when they were told they were banned from the Camp; they left willingly.
Vidui - the mitzvah to confess one's sins verbally
5:5 vayedaber HASHEM el-Moshe lemor
HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying:
6 daber el-benei Yisrael ish o-ishah ki ya'asu mikol-chatot ha-adam limol ma'al baHASHEM ve'ashmah hanefesh hahiv
When a man or a woman commits any of the sins against man, thus being untrue to HaShem, and that person is guilty.
If a Jew transgressed a negative Torah commandment (
mitzvat lo ta'asai) or failed to fulfill a positive commandment (
mitzvat asai) and he regrets his deed/omission, it is a mitzvah for him to do teshuvah.
Teshuvah is comprised of three main parts:
- Sincere regret for one's past misconduct
- Oral confession thereof
- Firm decision never to repeat it
Parashat Naso discusses the middle stage of the three parts,
vidui - the oral confession.
How does one confess?
The sinner says, "Please HaShem, I sinned and now I am sorry and ashamed of my deed, and I shall never repeat it.
He presents his case to HaShem in his own words and beseeches Him for atonement.
In the time of the Beit HaMikdash, the sinner had to enunciate the
vidui previous to the slaughtering of the animal which he offered as a sin-atoning korban.
Why did the Torah command us to pronounce our wrongdoings?
There are two obvious answers:
- By confessing a sin to the Almighty, we acknowledge our belief that He punishes sinners and rewards those who observe His mitzvot.
- A full oral vidui will greatly strengthen the sinner in his determination to improve his conduct in the future, and will aid him in persisting in his teshuvah.
Hashem says, "As soon as a Jew admits that he did wrong, I am merciful to him."
Whoever says
vidui before he dies has a portion in the World to Come. If he does not know how to recite
vidui, he is told to say, 'Let my death be an atonement for all my sins.'
There is a special mitzvah to say
vidui on Yom Kippur, the day of the year that has the power to cleanse from sin.
The Sotah
5:11 vayedaber HASHEM el-Moshe lemor
HASHEM spoke to Moshe, saying:
12 daber el-benei Yisrael veamarta alehem ish ish ki-tiste ishto uma'ala vo ma'al
Speak to Benei Yisrael and say to them: [This is the law] if any man's wife is suspected of committing adultery and being false toward him,
This chapter treats the laws that apply to a woman who is suspected by her husband of adultery - the laws of
sotah. For this reason it is known as "the
sotah chapter."
According to our Sages, three kinds of sinners descend to hell and never emerge: one who engages in carnal relations with another man's wife; one who shames another in public; one who refers to another by a nickname, even if the person named does not mind and is not embarrassed by it. (Bava Metzia, Chapter 4)
As a result of sexual immorality, indiscriminate death afflicts the world, destroying the righteous and the wicked alike. Thus we saw in
Parashat Noach that one of the reason for the great Flood was depravity.
When a person commits an act of adultery with another man's wife, he is guilty of violating all of the Ten Commandments.
The act itself indicates that the individual does not recognize G-d's existence, and he thus transgresses the Commandment, "I am HaShem you G-d" (Shemot 20:2). This is conveyed in the Torah text (5:12) through iteration of the word
ish (man). For by committing adultery, a woman is false to G-d to whom the Scripture sometimes refers as
ish - as in, "HaShem is the Master (
ish) of war" (Shemot 15:3) - and she is false to her husband (the
ish of that woman). (BaMidbar Rabbah; Tanchuma)
Although a person who is guilty of theft or withholding funds is also said to have offended against G-d and his fellow man, such offenders cannot be compared to an adulterer. In their case, if the victim forgives the criminal, that is sufficient. But in adultery, even if her husband were to forgive the adulterer for defiling his wife, G-d will not forgive him, and the sin remains unexpurged.
Since the adulterer contravenes G-d's will, he shows that he values his own wishes above His, so the adulterer also transgresses, "Do not have any other gods" (Shemot 20:3).
If he is caught and tried for his offense, he will swear that he is innocent, and thus be guilty of violating the commandment, "Do not take the Name of HaShem your G-d in vain" (Shemot 20:7).
The adulteress may become pregnant and bear a son whom everyone will associate with her husband. When he becomes an adult, this son may in his ignorance hurt or insult his true father and thus violate the commandment, "Honor your father and mother" (Shemot 20:12).
When a person is about to commit adultery, he is prepared to kill the husband in order to gain admission to the house.
The violation of, "Do not commit adultery" is obvious.
Since the adulterer steals the affection that rightly belongs to the husband, he is guilty of violating the commandment, "Do not steal" (Shemot 20:13).
If the woman is suspected of becoming pregnant from an adulterous union, she will testify that the father of the child is her husband. She thus violates the commandment, "Do not testify as a false witness against your neighbor" (Shemot 20:13).
Finally, by desiring another man's wife, the adulterer is guilty of violating, "Do not be envious of your neighbor's wife." Since any son born of this union will unjustly share in the estate of the paramour's husband, he would also be guilty of violating the Commandment, "Do not be envious of your neighbor's house" (Shemot 20:14).
The students asked Rav Huna, "We see how he could transgress all of these commandments. But how does this act violate the commandment, "Remember the day of Shabbat to keep it holy" (Shemot 20:8)?
"I will explain it to you as follows," replied Rav Huna. "Consider the case where a man commits adultery with the wife of a Kohen, and as a result of their union, a son is born. If the adulterer is not a Levi, this son also does not have the status of a Kohen. But since he is accepted as the son of a Kohen, he will come to perform altar duty on a Shabbat." These duties usually involve doing work that is forbidden on the Shabbat, except when done in the Temple by a Kohen. Because this one is not actually a Kohen, he is thus violating the Shabbat." (Akedat Yitzchak; BaMidbar Rabbah; Bachya; Chinuch; Ir Miklat)
From all this, we see what consequences follow in the wake of adultery. Accordingly, King Shlomo has declared, "I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps" (Kohelet 7:26).
More bitter than death is an adulterer's fate, since he, the adulteress and his bastard son can violate all the Ten Commandments.
Therefore, has G-d given us the present commandment to make the suspected adulteress drink the bitter water. In His immense compassion for us, He desired to protect us, to cleanse us of all filth and blemish, and by purging from our midst every strain of immorality and illegitimacy, transform us into a nation apart, more radiant and pure than any other. For we are that people within whom the Divine Presence is to dwell.
The purpose of this commandment, on the personal level of the individuals affected, is to expunge every doubt from a man's heart who suspects his wife of adultery. For if she is innocent, she will emerge vindicated, and if not, she will be destroyed.
Since it is incumbent upon a husband to be felicitous to his wife, to live with her in friendship and love, there must be no doubt in his mind about her chastity. The Torah therefore instructs us that if doubt and suspicion have entered his heart, let her drink the water at once, lest he be overtaken by disgust for her.
If, however, the contrary is true, and she has been secretly unfaithful to him, let her be unmasked. It is a source of reverence for the Jewish people, and an eminent virtue, that we had this means of exposing an adulteress.
Should a husband discern in his wife brazenness and unbecoming behavior with another man, he is under obligation to respond resolutely by warning her in the presence of two witnesses. He is to say to her, "Know that I do not find this behavior of yours acceptable and I do not want you to be in the company of that man."
This warning is designated in the Torah as
kinui - jealous reaction; as the verse here declares, "The man expressed feelings of jealousy (
kina) against his wife."
After expressing himself thus before witnesses, he is to warn her against being along with the man.
If, nonetheless, she disobeys and secludes herself with this man for a span of time sufficient for her to be compromised, and the two witnesses saw her do so, the husband is prohibited from living with this woman until she drinks the bitter water to establish whether she has or has not committed adultery.
This test of drinking the bitter water was to be given in the Temple in Yerushalayim, and in no other place. Its administration involved these steps:
The husband would appear before the court in his home town, and make the following declaration: "My masters, I hereby make it known to you that I expressed my displeasure to this woman and gave her warning not to seclude herself with that individual. She has disobeyed me and entered into seclusion with him, according to the witnesses that I have brought with me. She insists that she is pure and has not lain carnally. It is my wish, therefore that this matter be settled by having her drink the water."
The judges proceed to take testimony from the witnesses, which they record. The husband and the wife are then sent to Yerushalayim, chaperoned by two learned men, since it is not permitted for him to have sexual relations with his wife until she has partaken of the bitter water and is no longer a suspect. Indeed, if on their way to Yerushalayim he transgressed the prohibition and has intercourse with her, the test would no longer be conclusive.
In Yerushalayim, the woman is brought before the High Court without her husband, where by dire warnings and threats she is exhorted not to insist on drinking the bitter water, but to confess. They try to prevail upon her by telling her, among other things, that a person's youth can bring one to transgress, and therefore, since it is not entirely her fault, she should admit her deed, if true, rather than cause G-d's great and sanctified Name to be erased by the water.
She is further exhorted in the following manner.
"My child, you are not the first one who has been led astray to commit this sin. It has happened even among the very great, when the evil urge waylaid them and drew them into sin to which they succumbed."
All this is urged upon her so that she might confess and thus make it unnecessary to erase the Name of G-d.
If she does confess, admitting that she has been unchaste, or even if she does not confess but says that she does not want to drink the bitter water, she remains forbidden to her husband, and is divorced without receiving her contractual property settlement (Ketubah).
If, however, she remains adamant in her insistence on taking the test, she is taken to the gate of the Temple, on east side of the Temple. Once there, she is led to many different locations, walked hither and thither, up and down, with the purpose of tiring her so that she will become discouraged and confess.
If, nonetheless, she still proclaims her innocence, she is brought outside the eastern gate, where she remains. If she was wearing white garments, she is dressed black ones; and if she had on pretty black garments, these are covered with unsightly ones. If she has on any ornaments, these are removed.
A great thong of women gathers about her, every woman present in the Temple being obliged to attend. The purpose: by witnessing the terrible humiliation of the suspected adulteress, to draw the porper conclusion for themselves, of not falling into the same predicament through their actions.
Any man who so wished, could also attend, even though she stood among them attired as if she were in her own home - without a kerchief and with veil covering her face.
None of her servants or employees were allowed to be present, since by recognizing them she would be strengthened in her resolve not to confess.
The woman is then reminded that all the indignities heaped upon her stem from her having secluded herself with that man. (Yad, Sotah 1)
Before being given the bitter water to drink, an oath is administered to her by the Kohen Gadol - in these explicit words.
5:19 vehishbya otah hakohen ve'amar el-ha'isha im-lo shachav ish otach ve'im-lo satit tumah tachat ishech hinaki mimei hamarim hame'arerim ha'eleh
The Kohen shall place her under oath and say to the woman: 'If a man has not lain with you [conjugally] and if you have not gone astray to be defiled while you were married to your husband, you shall be unharmed by these bitter, lethal waters.
20 ve'at ki satit tachat ishech vechi nitmet vayiten ish bach et-shechavto mibaladei ishech
[But] you, if you have gone astray while you were married to your husband, and if you have been defiled, and if a man has had intercourse with you, [a man] other than your husband.'
21 vehishbi'a hakohen et-ha'isha bishvuat ha'ala ve'amar hakohen la'isha yiten HASHEM otach le'ala velishvua betoch amech betet HASHEM et-yerechech nofelet ve'et-bitnech tzavah
[At this point] the Kohen shall place the woman under oath containing the curse. The Kohen shall say to the woman, '[In such a case] HaShem shall make you a curse and an oath among your people, when HaShem causes your sexual organs to rupture and your abdomen to swell up.
22 uva'u hamayim hame'arrim ha'ele beme'ayich latzbot beten velanpil yarech ve'amra ha'isha amen amen
This bitter, lethal water will enter your abdomen to swell the abdomen, and your sexual organs to rupture. The woman shall respond, "Amein, Amein.'"
If the woman did not know Hebrew, she answered in any language that she understood.
When writing this oath on parchment, the Kohen Gadol would write out the Name of G-d in its entirely - in the form YKVK.
5:23 vechatav et-ha'alot ha'ele hakohen basefer umacha el-mei hamarim
The Kohen shall write all these curses, on the scroll and dissolve them [the writing] in the bitter waters.
24 vehishka et-ha'isha et-mei hamarim hame'arrim uva'u va hamayim hame'arerim lemarim
He shall have the woman drink the bitter, lethal waters and the lethal waters, shall enter her to become bitter.
Then, into a clay bowl that had never been used, he would draw 1/2 log (6.8 ounces or 200 cc.) of water from the washstand and carry it into the Temple Hall.
Near the entrance of the Hall, on the right side, there was a one-cubit by one-cubit floor-board that could be raised by a special rink. From under it, the Kohen Gadol would scoop up a bit of soil, which he would cast into the water, and add some bitter grasses, such as wormwood, in accordance with the instructions of the Torah that the water be "bitter water."
Into this water he put the scroll upon which the curse and G-d's Name had been written, leaving it there until every letter was totally erased.
One of the Kohanim of the Temple court would then approach her, take hold of the front of her garment and rip it until her heart area was exposed. He also removed her head covering and disheveled her hair in order to render her odious.
A rope of Egyptian straw would then be placed above the breasts, to keep her garments from slipping down and leaving her naked.
Use of this kind of rope served as a reminder that she had committed an act associated with Egypt, where adultery was commonplace.
If no Egyptian rope was at hand, some other rope was used instead.
5:25 velakach hakohen miyad ha'isha et minchat hakena'ot vehenif et-hamincha lifnei HASHEM vehikriv otah el-hamizbe'ach
The Kohen shall take from the woman's hand meal-offering of jealousy and he shall wave the meal-offering before HaShem, and bring it close to the Altar.
26 vekamatz hakohen min-hamincha et-azkarata vehiktir hamizbecha ve'achar yash.ke et-ha'isha et-hamayim
The Kohen shall scoop out from the meal-offering its commemoration and burn it on the Altar, and after that he shall cause the woman to drink the water.
The barley meal supplied by the husband (1/10 of an
efah) was then deposited in an Egyptian basket, which the Kohen placed in her hand in order to tire her. The meal would subsequently be transferred to one of the sacred vessels of the Temple.
Neither oil nor frankincense would be added to the offering. Although these were standard ingredients of any meal offering, here the Torah has specifically written, "He shall not pour oil on it, nor place frankincense on it" (5:15).
After again placing the vessel in her hands, the Kohen would push her hands up in a waving motion, which he did by putting his hands under hers. As explained in Parashat Tzav, this waving motion was characteristic of every meal-offering.
Her offering would then be sacrificed as the south-western corner of the Altar, as with any meal offering brought by a private individual. A handful of it would be burned on the Altar and the rest was eaten by the Kohanim.
5:27 vehishka et-hamayim vehaita im-nitme'a vatimol ma'al be'isha uva'u va hamayim hame'arerim lemarim vetzavta vitna venafla yerecha vehaita ha'isha le'ala bekerev amah
He shall make her drink the water, and it shall be that if she had been defiled and had deceived her husband, the lethal waters shall enter her to become bitter, and her abdomen will swell and her sexual organs will rupture, and the woman will be a curse among her people.
28 veim-lo nitme'a ha'isha uteho'ra hiv venikta venizre'a zara
But if the woman was not defiled and [she] is pure, she will be cleansed and shall bear seed.
29 zot torat hakena'ot asher tiste isha tachat isha venitma'a
This is the law of jealousies, when a woman goes astray during her marriage to her husband and is defiled.
30 o ish asher ta'avor alav ru'ach kina vekine et-ishto vehe'emid et-ha'isha lifnei HASHEM ve'asa la hakohen et kol-hatora hazot
If a man is overcome with a spirit of jealousy and he is jealous of his wife, then he shall have the woman stand before HaShem, and the Kohen shall do unto her all these laws.
31 venika ha'ish me'avon veha'isha hahiv tisa et-avona
The man is cleansed of sin and that woman shall bear [the burden of] her inquity.
Following the burning of the jealousy offering, the woman would drink the water. If she was chaste, nothing happened, and she was free to resume living with her husband. If she was defiled, the water would begin to take effect. Her face turned green, her eyes bulged and her organs became inflated.
When those around her beheld these symptoms, they cry out for her to be taken outside. For the pain would cause her to menstruate, and this would prohibit her presence in the Temple court.
Then her belly distended, the sexual organs ruptured, and death followed.
At that precise moment, miraculously, her paramour, too, would die a similar death, wherever he happend to be at the time. His stomach burst and his genitals ruptured.
Significant in this connection is that the word 'cursed' (waters) (
m'arerim) - has the numerical value of twice 248
רמ״ח (
resh mem chet), corresponding to twice the number of organs in the human body. That is, he, too, would die. (Yalkut Reuveni)
This test of the bitter water was effective, however, only if the husband was free of sin, in particular, if he had never sinned carnally. When the contrary was true, the water caused no reaction.
Therefore, if the husband knew that he was not free of sin, he was not compel his wife to take the test, lest he incur an awful punishment for having caused G-d's great Name to be erased needlessly. Furthermore, he was then subverting the disciplinary function of the test as such. For the woman would boast to her friends that, just as she had committed adultery, had then partaken of the water, and had nothing happen to her, nothing will anything happen to them.
For this reason, during the time of the Second Temple when sexual license became widespread and husbands were openly promiscuous, the Sanhedrin abolished the test of the bitter water.
The law of the suspected adulteress also stipulated that should a woman refuse to drink the water, she is not forced to do so. Her husband divorces her and she does not receive her statutory marriage contract (
ketubah) endowment. (Yad, Sotah 4)
If, however, her refusal comes after G-d's Name has been erased, she is forced to drink the water.
Measure for Measure
The general teaching imparted by the fate of the adulteress, is that a man's punishment accords with his transgressions, measure for measure, in every detail.
She had posed herself in the doorway of her house to be visible to her lover, and the Kohen places her, disrobed, at the entrance to the Temple Court. She put beautiful flowers in her hair for adornment, so the Kohen dishevels her hair and removes the covering from her head. She adorned her face, so her face turns green. She shaded her eyes, so her eyes bulge. She plaited her locks, so her hair is tangled. She placed charming belts about her, so the Kohen girds her with an Egyptian rope. She extended her thigh, so her thigh is ruptured. She allowed him on her belly, so her belly swells. She fed him delicacies, so her offering is of barley, a food of cattle.
This barley also symbolizes her brazenness. For unlike wheat which comes out of the ground modestly attired in many layers of husk, barley emerges relatively uncovered, just as she displayed herself in order to entice men to approach her carnally.
Wheat is hot, while barley is cold. Those who sin carnally are aroused into heat by the evil inclination, and the offering of barley is symbolic warning which says, "Men, do not allow yourselves to be aroused by what is forbidden."
She had served her lover drinks in handsome pictures, so the Kohen brings her water in an earthenware dish.
She herself drank from elegant goblets, so she is made to drink the water from a vessel of clay.
She sinned in concealment, so G-d proclaims her sin to the world.
This also explains why G-d had specifically commanded that no oil or frankincense be added to her sacrifical offering, and why it was a barley offering.
She had secluded herself with him in darkened places and behaved like an animal, so her reminder-offering lacks light-giving oil and it is constituted of animal feed.
She departed from the path of righteousness upon which have trodden our Matriarchs Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah, whom Scripture denotes as frankincense (
levonah); as it is written, "Before the day cools, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to... the hill of frankincense" (Shir HaShirim 4:6); so her offering is devoid of frankincense.
If the Kohen violated this proghibition against adding oil and frankincense to the meal offering, he incurred a double measure of corporal punishment. (Sotah, Chapter 1; Yalkut Shimoni)
As for the
Mishkan soil that was blended into the offering, it pointed to the fate that awaited her as a result of her transgression. She would die and dwell in the worm-infested earth.
Accordingly, the Torah says, "He will take some earth from the Mishkan floor," the literal meaning of "Mishkan" being a dwelling place.
These three ingredients of the
sotah drink - earth, water and G-d's Name - recall the three aspects spoken of in the following maxim of Akavya ben Mahallalel.
- "Ponder three things and you will not sin: whence you came...from a putrid drop (of semen)" - in the sotah drink this is represented by the water
- "where you are bound... to a place of earth and worms" - represented by the earth that her drink contains
- "before Whom you are to render an account - before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He" - represented by G-d's Name that is placed in the water.
All three ingredients are blended into her drink as a reminder that had she pondered upon the above three things she would not have committed the sin.
There is also significance in the fact that the bitter water was given to her by a Kohen. The Kohen Gadol Aharon was a lover of peace among men and he labored to achieve it, and drinking the water was a means of making peace between a husband and a wife who was innocent. (Toledot Yitzchak)
Although she may be innocent, the Torah nonetheless places a special obligation upon the husband to express his jealousy against his wife; thus, "When a man simply has a feeling of jealousy against his wife he shall..." (5:30). And when a husband does so, he is overcome by a spirit of purity.
He should not, however, express his feelings of jealousy before others, at first. With soft words and only between themselves, he should tell her not to seclude herself with the man of whom he is jealous, and among men, generally, she should not be indecently attired.
If a person does not exhort his family to walk in the path of modesty; and does not make the effort to watch over their behavior, he commits a sinful error. For as the Scripture declares, "You will know that there is peace in your tent, you will charge your habitat, and [only then] you shall not be remiss" (Iyov 5:24).
In our time, a husband should never admonish his wife in the presence of witnesses. For if he does so and she then conceals herself with the same man against whom he warned her, he will be forbidden to live with her from then on. Since we have no cursed waters with which to test her, he will have to divorce her, and she loses her marriage contract (ketubah) endowment. He should therefore admonish her only in private. (Yad, Sotah 1)
When the Benei Yisrael were in Egypt, the Egyptians claimed that they had defiled the Yisraeli women, and as a result many Benei Yisrael suspected that what the Egyptians were saying about their wives was true. For this reason, G-d was to say to Moshe, "It is My wish that you test them with the bitter water. Write the Explicit Name, place it in the water, and have them drink it."
Subsequently, they were all examined and found to be chaste; indeed, it was because the Benei Yisrael were free of immorality that they were redeemed. The test was administered when the Benei Yisrael arrived at Marah, as it is written, "and there He tested them" (Shemot 15:25). Its purpose was to remove all suspicion from their husbands' minds.
In other words, when they came to Marah, whose waters were bitter (Shemot 15:23), G-d tested them with that water as one tests a suspected adulteress At the same time, the men, too, were tested, to establish that they had not been promiscuous with the Egyptian women. (Zohar; Recanti; Sifetei Kohen)
The True Nazir
6:1 vayedaber HASHEM el-moshe lemor
HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying:
2 daber el-benei Yisrael ve'amarta alehem ish o-isha ki yafli lindor neder nazir lehazir laHASHEM
Speak to Benei Yisrael and say to them, "If a man or a woman sets apart a vow, a nazir vow, to set [himself] apart for HASHEM,
The
nazir (asceticism) laws of this chapter pertain to a person who resolves to become a
nazir by uttering a vow to that effect, or to consecrate himself in regard to any thing whatsoever.
If, however, by mere habit such things as, "I shall become a nazir unless I get to do such and such, or I do not get to do such and such," he acts wickedly. His asceticism is an asceticism of wickedness, for by making such a binding affirmations in connection with every little thing, such people find themselves unable to honor their vows, for the most part, and are drawn into the very harsh sin of violating a pledge. (Yad, Nezirut 10)
When the nazir vow is taken because of a holy resolve to escape temptation and sin, it is a step at once admirable and commendable, and such a person deserves to be called "saintly" (
kadosh).
That is the kind of nazir which the Torah here discusses, namely, a man or a woman who "expresses a nazir vow to G-d."
G-d says to Moshe, "If a person desires to set himself apart from matters of this world as a means of attaining greater saintliness, and towards achieving that end, rather than out of frustration or any other self-serving motive, he or she takes a vow of asceticism in order to come close to G-d, that is the kind of asceticism I commend as holy, and [whose laws I hereby] command " (Alshekh)
The following story from the Talmud tells how Shimon the Just came to partake of the guilt offering (
asham - 6:12) of a
nazir - the one and only time he did so. He was at the time the Kohen Gadol:
One day he saw an extremely handsome young man, obviously a nazir, who had come to the Temple from the southern part of the country.
"Why do you not take care of your beautiful hair?" asked the sage when he saw his cascading locks.
"In my native city, " replied the young man, "I was a shepherd for my father. But once I happened to see my reflection in the water and was seized by a wanton urge that threatened to destroy me. So I said to myself, 'You knave! Why are you strutting about in a world that is not yours? Will your end be more than dust, worms and maggots? I will shave off your hair for the sake of Heaven!"
By his concluding words, he had, in effect, taken a vow to become a nazir for a fixed period of time. When that period came to an end, he promptly cut off his hair and presented himself at the Temple, as required.
Kissing him on the head, Shimon the Just exclaimed, "May many like you in Yisrael take upon themselves the nazir vow!" and he readily partook of the sacrifice that the nazir had brought. For the young man had taken the nazir vow in order to tame his passions, and had thus merited live in the Hereafter. (Sotah, Chapter 1; Yalkut Shimoni; Rashi)
We can now understand why the chapter dealing with the nazir immediately follows the sotah chapter. The Torah teaches us that if a human being truly desires to escape sin and its aftermath of disgrace and humiliation, such as befell the adulteress, he should vow abstinence from wine. For addiction to wine leads to many evils.
Compare what the Torah says about the Kohen Gadol, "since his G-d's anointing (
nezer) oil is upon him" (VaYikra 21:12) and what it says here about the nazir: "since his G-d's nazir (
nezer) crown (his uncut hair) is on his head" (BaMidbar 6:7)
The Scripture thus teaches us that the stature of the nazir surpasses that of the Kohen Gadol. For, unlike the Kohen Gadol whose ascendant condition of sanctity is not based on his personal accomplishments, but derives rather from the oil with which he was anointed, the distinction and virtue of the nazir derives from himself. On his own, he abandoned the pleasures of this world and adhered to the ways of G-d.
That the Torah recognizes here only this kind of asceticism (
nezirut), is conveyed in the words, "when a man or woman expresses a
nazir vow...," where the term
yafliy denotes, "to be withdrawn and set apart."
In other words, that kind of asceticism is meant in which a person withdraws form the gratifications of this world in order to become saintly. He acts for the greater glory of G-d rather than out of anger at the world, or in the expectation of gaining some advantages.
The same root word from which
yafliy is constructed, appears also in connection with Shimshon (Samson) and carries similar connotations. After the angel had informed Manoach of the forthcoming birth of his son, and Manoach asked the angel's name, the reply was, "Why do you ask my name, seeing that it is
peiliy" (Shoftim 13:18).
He was telling Manoach, "Know that any name we are given is related to the particular mission upon which we are embarked. Since at this time I come to reveal that your son will be a Nazir, my name, accordingly, is peliy."
It is now clear that true asceticism has as its own underlying motive a man's desire to be protected against sin. Accordingly, G-d commands him to abstain from three things.
- One is abstention from wine, since drinking wine causes mental confusion. When a person drinks a quantity of wine he loses his clarity of mind (and for this reason may not judge halachic questions). Drinking alcoholic beverages is a major factor leading to immoral behavior. A nazir is prohibited not only to drink wine but even to eat grapes or raisins, including their seeds or peels. If he approaches a vineyard, he is warned, "Do not walk through it; take a detour around it!" Chazal thereby teach us the principle that the best precaution against sinning is to distance oneself from any temptation.
- Not to cut his hair and thus avoid grooming himself, since a handsomely barbered man is drawn after his base urges. The purpose of a haircut is to make a person look hansome. By letting his hair grow long, and at the end of the nezirut period shaving it completely as is required, the nazir banishes from his mind all thoughts of beautifying his body. This is a means of distancing himself from earthly desires. Although the nazir's long hair may not conform with our concept of beauty, the Torah terms it a crown (6:7). The Shechinah rests upon the nazir, because he observes the laws of nezirut.
- The nazir should not be defiled by proximity to corpses. Since his aim is to cleave to holiness (kedushah), it is unseemly for him to become ritually impure (tamei) by coming in contact with the dead. He must at all times be in a condition of purity, for sanctity cannot take effect where there is ritual pollution (tumah). (Abarbanel) Whoever sanctifies himself, is rewarded with additional kedushah from Heaven. Hashem bestows upon the nazir a level of kedushah similar to the Kohen Gadol's. Just as the high priest may not be metamai himself even for his closest relatives, so is the nazir forbidden to be metamei himself even for his closest relatives. The tumah caused by a dead body cannot be tolerated by his high level of kedushah.
6:13 vezot torat hanazir beyom melot yemei nizro yavi oto el-petach ohel moed
This is the law of the nazir: when the days of is naziri status are fulfilled, he shall bring himself to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.
The Torah explains the sequence of actions bearing on the nazir who successfully completed the term of his nazir vow.
When the nazir period is concluded, he brings three offerings of cattle: "one unblemished yearling male sheep for a burnt offering, one unblemished yearling female sheep for a sin offering, one unblemished ram for a peace offering" (6:14). He also brings "a basket containing unleavened wheat loaves kneaded with oil and flat matzahs saturated with oil, along with the prper meal offerings and libations [for the animal sacrifices]" (6:15)
This is followed by the Kohen sacrificing the burnt offering and the sin offering, and then the peace offering (6:16).
The Nazir then shaves off his hair at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting in the women's gallery of the Temple. this location was called the Chamber of Nazirim and was situated on the south-eastern corner of the women's gallery.
The peace offering is cooked at this location. The Kohen takes some liquid form the vat in which it is cooked and powers it over the hair, which he then casts into the fire under the vat.
It should be understood that when the Scripture writes, "at the Tent of Meeting entrance the nazir shall shave off the crown of hair on his head," it doe snot mention that he actually stands at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and there shaves his hair, since that would be an affront to the dignity of the Temple. Rather, the verse tells us that when the nazir is shaving his head in the Chamber of the nazirim, the gate of the Tent of Meeting must be open.
After the hair cutting, the Kohen takes the cooked foreleg of the ram, along with one unleavened loaf, and one flat matzah, and places them on the nazir's open hands (6:19). These he proceeds to wave in the motions prescribed for a wave offering (6:20)
After this service, the nazir is permitted to drink wine, may allow himself to become defiled by handling a corpse, and so forth.
Birkat HaKohanim (The Priestly Blessing)
The commandment regarding the Priestly Blessing is directed at the Kohanim. G-d says to them, "When blessing the Benei Yisrael, you are not to add to or delete from the words of that blessing, which read,
May HaShem bless you and keep watch over you.
May HaShem make His Presence enlighten you and grant you grace.
May HaShem direct His providence toward you and grant you shalom.
By placing the commandment of the Priestly Blessing immediately after the Nazir chapter, the Torah teaches us that the Kohanim must not be drunk with wine when blessing the Jewish people. It is conveyed in the words, "This is how you must bless the Benei Yisrael;" that is, he must then be like the Nazir who drinks no wine.
This situation is the basis for the rule that the Priestly Blessing is not recited during Mincha (the Afternoon Service), since at that hour a man has had his dinner and is bound to be inebriated. (Yad, Tefillah 14; Orach Chayim 128)
We must realize that by His desire to bless us, G-d conferred a great kindness upon the Jewish people. For this reason, He commanded that the blessing be pronounced by saintly human beings, by the Kohanim whose thoughts are always preoccupied with serving G-d and whose souls cleave to Him in awe. Through their merit, the blessing will be realized.
The Midrash declares, "The people say to G-d: You have commanded Your Kohanim to bless us. But we do not need these Priestly blessings, since You, Yourself, could bless us; as it is written, 'Look down from Your holy habitation in heaven, and bless Your people Yisrael and the land that You have given us, the land flowing with milk and honey...' (Devarim 26:15)."
G-d says to them, "Although I have commanded the Kohanim to bless you, the blessings do not come from them but from Me, for I Myself stand over them to bless You."
When the Kohanim raise their hands to bless the Jewish people, G-d is over them; as it is written, "Behold, He stands beyond our wall, He looks in at the windows, He peers through the lattice" (Shir HaShirim 2:9).
That is, when the Kohanim stand intoning the Priestly Blessing, the Divine Presence is there, peering in through the "windows" - the spaces between their extended fingers. From between the lattice of clefts He pears through to bless Yisrael. (Yalkut Shimoni)
"Do not imagine," G-d declares, "that the Kohanim are the ones who confer the blessing. They only need to pronounce My Name, by uttering the Priestly Blessings, and I will provide the blessing." (Tzeror HaMor; Alshekh)
That G-d has arranged for the Kohanim to be the ones though whom His abundance is channeled, is a great gift for them as well. It constitutes the twenty-fifth privilege conferred upon them, the other twenty-four consisting of the various tithes and offerings that accrue to them. (Bachya)
The nature of that boon is implied in the words, "This is how you must bless the Benei Yisrael." Since anyone who blesses the Jewish people is in turned blessed by G-d, as it is written, "I will bless those who bless you" (Bereishit 12:3), their twenty-fifth benefit comes as a consequence of the Priestly Blessing.
The Priestly Blessing Explained
6:24 yevarechcha HASHEM veyishmerecha
May HaShem bless you and keep watch over you.
25 ya'er HASHEM panav eleicha vichuneka
May HaShem make His Presence enlighten you and grant you grace.
26 yisa HASHEM panav eleicha veyasem lecha shalom
May HaShem direct His providence toward you and grant you peace.
27 vesamu et-shemi al-benei Yisrael va'ani avarachem
They [the Kohanim] shall bestow My Name upon Benei Yisrael, and I will bless them.
The first verse of the Blessing (6:24) is comprised of three words, corresponding to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. The Torah thus teaches us that G-d confers blessings upon us on account of their merit.
The second verse has five words, which tells us that we are blessed on account of the Five Books of the Torah.
The third verse contains seven words - corresponding to the seven firmaments.
Moreover, the triplet of words of the first verse corresponds to the three men who are called up to the Reading of the Torah on Mondays and Thursdays. The five words following them, in the second verse, reflect the five men who are called up to the Reading on a holiday. Finally, the seven words of the last verse match the seven men called up on the Shabbat.
During a normal week, therefore, eight Jewish men are called up to the Reading (six on the Shabbat, five in the morning and one at the Afternoon Service, and one each on Monday and Thursday), and eight Leviim (four Leviim and four Kohanim), four on the Shabbat and two each on Monday and Thursday.
This distribution was established by our sages so as to eliminate discord between the Leviim and Benei Yisrael, and thus fulfill the concluding words of the Priestly Blessing, "and grant you peace."
Noteworthy, moreover, is that the first verse comprises fifteen letters, corresponding to the numerical value (
gematria) of the Name (
yod-heh), the second verse has twenty letters, reflecting
Heh Yod Heh; and the twenty-five letters of the third verse correspond to
Yod Heh Yod. Together, these express the fact that G-d has existed in the past (
hayah), exists in the present (
hoveh), and will continue to exist (
yehiyeh). He was before He created the world, He is in the present, and H will continue to be. May He and His Name be exalted. (Toledot Yitzchak)
Although all four verses (6:24 - 27) refer to the same thing, in the Torah they appear as distinct chapters (9, 10, 11, 12). It means that they related to four different aspects, whose importance is such that between them they encompass the full measure of what is good in this world and in the
Olam Habah (World to Come).
Thus,
yivarech'cha - May.... bless you - concentrates all the blessings found in the Torah.
Vayishmarecha - May... keep watch over you - invokes divine protection in helping a person fulfill all the commandments of G-d. Since that person then becomes worthy of possessing the good that accrues in the World to Come, it is the greatest possible blessing.
These words,
yivarech'cha and
vayishmarecha say more. They declare: "May He bless you with possessions and safeguard your life" ; "As a result of this blessing, may you hold on to what is yours: let not the government cast covetous eyes upon your possessions" ; and, third: "May He protect you from temptaion, lest as a result of what the blessing will have given you in material resources, you are drawn into sin."
"May HaShem keep you safe from forces of destruction."
"May He uphold the covenant and promise which He vouchsafed to those world-sustaining colossi, our Patriarchs; as it is written, "Then HaShem your G-d will keep in mind the covenant and love with which He made an oath to your fathers" (Devarim 7:12).
"May He also keep watch over you by sheltering the soul upon its departure from the body, in realization of, "The soul of my master shall be bound in the bond of life" (1Shmuel 25:29).
May He keep you from Gehinnom, as it is written, "He will keep the feet of the pious ones" (1Shmuel 2:9); and may He keep watch over you in the World to Come. " (Yalkut Shimoni)
May HaShem make His presence enlighten you. HaShem says, "I will provide for your progeny to be Sages who glow with the light of the Torah," as it is written, "For the commandment is a lamp and Torah is a light" (Mishlei 5:23); and "I will also make you worthy of begetting Kohanim, who by their ministrations brighten the Altar," as it is written, "The fire of the Altar shall be ignited with him (
בו) " (VaYikra 6:5).
"I will confer upon you the light of the Divine Presence," as it is written "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of G-d has risen upon you" (Yeshayahu 60:1); "and I will also bequeath you the [mental] light of Torah."
And grant you grace - proclaims, "May He cause His Presence to rest upon you." For the word
vichuneka is related to the word
chaniya a resting place.
Another connotation is
chen (grace or charm). G-d thus says, "I will cause you to find favor with everyone."
It also means, "I will give you the wisdom to be compassionate (
rachamim) to one another" - in a sense similar to, "G-d will then have mercy on you" (Devarim 13:18).
This part of the Blessing (
vichuneka) says, furthermore, "I will confer upon you the grace of knowledge and wisdom. For you will be so entralled (charmed) when studying the Torah that you will be imbued with a love for it."
May... direct His providence (face) toward you. "Should you ever be singled out for tragedy and you repent, may G-d acknowledge your prayers and nullify the harsh decree against you.
When one man is angry at another, he will not meet his gaze. "[Let it be otherwise when you prayer to G-d.] If you incur His anger, may it pass and have Him turn towards you."
It is thus clear that the sublime Priestly Blessing encompasses every possible good fortune. (Sifetei Kohen)
The Three verse of this Blessing were inscribed about King Shlomo's couch as protection against evil and misfortune. For the Scripture has written, "Behold the couch of Shlomo with its sixty valiant ones around it, of the mighty ones of Yisrael" (Shir HaShirim 3:7).
The verse does not mean that sixty valiant men, literally, were positioned around his bed. King Shlomo was a mighty monarch who feared no one, and he did not require sixty men to guard his couch.
It refers, rather, to the three verse of the Priestly Blessing, whose sixty letters, corresponding to names [of G-d], were engraved around his couch.
When the Kohanim uttered these verse, those sixty letters would ascend to realms on high, where sixty angels, each of them associated with a different letter, and together corresponding to the 600,000 Benei Yisrael, would take hold of them. After ratifying the blessings coming from the Kohanim, they would bring the letters before the Throne of Glory, and G-d would also ratify them.
That is the special intent of, "The Kohanim] shall bestow My Name upon the Benei Yisrael and I will bless them."
For this reason, awe and trembling would overtake each of the Kohanim when he was about to bless the Jewish people. Overwhelmed by his awareness of the Divine Presence and the knowledge of the destination of the sixty letters he was about to pronounce, he would utter the words with supreme devotion, enumerating each one as carefully as if he were counting money or listing precious goods.
When raising his hands to offer the Priestly Blessing, the Kohen experienced a revealing omen. If his arms felt tired, it meant that the generation - or he himself - was sinful. If they felt light, G-d's love was evident and He was pleased with the blessings which the Kohanim was invoking on behalf of the Jewish people. (Yalkut Reuveni, Shelach. See Bachya)
The Priestly Blessing is recited during the Amidah of Shacharit (Morning Service), also at the Musaf (Additional) service, and the Neilah (closing) service of Yom Kippur. (Orach Chayim 129)
The Blessing is performed only when a quorum of ten adult (thirteen years of age and over) Jews is present, including the Kohanim.
- MeAm Lo'ez; Bachya; Rashi, Midrash
