Parshas Naso
Although Gershon was the eldest son of Levi (3:17), he was not given the prestigious job of carrying the Holy Ark and the sanctuary utensils. This honor was given to Kehas, the second eldest. The title of a bechor, like the title of a kohen as well as the privilege of royalty, is hereditary. While one has to live up to these automatically-bestowed titles, one does not have to earn them. They come with birth. Acquiring Torah knowledge by contrast requires heavy lifting. It is the product of hard work, not a freebee of aristocracy. That is the point that the Torah is making by allocating the job of carrying the Torah to the second in line while giving the firstborn the job of carrying the tent and the drapes of the Mishkan (3:25). That is also why the census of Kehas was taken first before the taking of the census of Gershon (4:2).
Nevertheless, the job of Gershon was important in its own right, because it provided a home for the Torah. That is the meaning of the words “gam hem” (4:22) – they count too.
“And every gift of terumah that the people of Israel bring to the kohen shall be his” (5:9). What is the Torah telling us here? Obviously, if one gives a gift of terumah to the kohen, it is his, it belongs to the kohen. But the words the Torah uses are “lo yiheyeh” – they will be “his.” The word “his” does not necessarily refer to the kohen, but rather to the giver of the terumah. The message is that if you give terumah whole heartedly to the kohen this year, you will be blessed with what to give next year. In contrast, the next verse says, “ve’ish es kedoshav.” Here the giver is giving begrudgingly. He is the man, the “ish.” He owns everything. He worked hard for it. Why should he give it to the kohen who has not earned it? If that is the attitude, then next year, it will be his. What will be his? Only 2% of last year’s crop, the same amount that he should have given whole heartedly to the kohen last year will be the total amount of his harvest next year.
The nazir is someone who overindulged in life’s pleasures. He drank too much wine and he became too infatuated with his own beauty, symbolized by his long hair, all of which led him astray. He needs a reset, to cut back on the pleasures in life. No wine for thirty days. But if his beauty led him astray, why is he required to let his hair grow long for thirty days? Shouldn’t he be required to shave it all off? The message is that he has to learn to harness his beauty. Let those that see him say, how beautiful are G-d’s creatures, rather than his broadcasting “how beautiful am I.”
But to do that, he must be of balanced mind. He has to realize what his boundaries are. He cannot achieve that balance if he is intoxicated. He is to keep his distance from the dead because death should not be the teacher of life. It is not fear of having to account for one’s misdeeds after one dies that should be the motivating factor. It is the love of life that should inspire him, the love that is generated by keeping the daily mitzvos and learning His Torah. The fear of death is the lowest level of compliance. Love of Torah life is the highest level of compliance.
After thirty days, the nazir is sent back into real life. Now he may drink again, but his drink has a higher purpose. He drinks wine for Kiddush in a measured cup. But because he is allowed to drink again and has a history of over indulgence, he has to take other precautions. He must cut his hair at the end of his nazir term so that the combination of beauty and his renewed access to wine not lead him astray as before. At the end of his nazir term he must bring three types of sacrifices. A Korban Chattas to atone for his sin of overindulgence, a Korban Olah to atone for not having had the proper intentions when drinking wine for his own pleasure rather than to sanctify G-d, and a Korban Shelamim to thank G- d for the nazir therapy which set him right.
“This is how you the kohanim must bless the Israelites, say to them…” (6:23). The word “say” (“amor”), which is usually spelled without a vav, is spelled here with a vav here. As Rashi tells us, the kohanim must impart their blessing with a full heart. That is why the blessing the kohanim recite ends in the word “be’ahavah.” The blessing must be made wholeheartedly not just as lip service. The numerical value of “amor” is 24/7. The priestly blessing should not just be said with ones lips, but with the participation of all the other 247 limbs of one’s body.
The word “yevarechecha” in these blessings comes from the word “ribui,” which means abundance. The usual blessing that a beracha bestows is the blessing of wealth (Rashi, Bereishis 12:2). But wealth can also lead one astray, so we need an additional blessing, “veyishmerecha,” that G-d should watch over us that these blessings do not end up hurting us.
“Ve’chuneka – He should endow you with grace.” A blessing that attracts the jealousy of others is no blessing. But if G-d gives you chen, so that when people look at you, they are warmed by your affable demeanor rather than upset by your success, the blessing will endure.
The word “yevarechecha” also means to graft (Bereishis 12:3). Throughout history, Judaism has been strengthened by the grafting of converts (Ruth, Rachav, Timna, Na’ama, Onkelos) onto the Jewish nation. This has strengthened our commitment to Judaism by refreshing our enthusiasm for the Torah. King David could not have written the Tehillim had he thought too much of himself. But always bearing in mind that his humble roots came from Ruth, he was able to check his ego at the palace gates and attribute his success to G-d.
Finally, we ask G-d to bless us with peace. The priestly blessing contains 60 letters corresponding to the 60 tractates of the Talmud. If one immerses oneself in them, one finds peace. That is what is meant by the phrase “Talmidei chachamim marbim shalom ba’olam” (Berachos 64a) – Torah scholars bring peace into the world.