“And the kohen shall bring one as a sin offering and one as an olah, and he shall atone for the sin and purify him on that day” (Bamidbar 6:11).
After completing his nezirus, a nazir must bring a sin offering. Why a sin offering? What sin did he commit? Abstinence from pleasure, says Rashi. Since he abstained from drinking wine during his nezirus, he requires atonement.
Rashi’s explanation is difficult to understand. The nazir is a holy person who separates himself from pleasure so he can attain a higher level of spirituality. The Torah delineates specific foods and behaviors he should abstain from so he won’t be pulled into the physical world. That’s exactly what he did. So what sin, then, did he commit?
To answer this question, we must first understand the Torah’s perspective on pleasure. Many items in this world were created strictly for man’s enjoyment. One example is food. We need food to maintain our energy level and health. Why the necessity for so many different types of food, each with its own unique flavor, texture, and aroma? Why didn’t Hashem make all food taste like oatmeal?
For one reason only, so man can enjoy it. So that eating – which we must do – should be delightful rather than a chore. The many tastes of food are blessings from Hashem solely for our benefit and our pleasure.
I once heard Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt”l, describe an orange. He noted that when you peel an orange, each section is divided into wedges. If you look closely, a thin membrane surrounds each of the wedges. When you pull back the membrane and look inside, you will see many tiny sacs. Inside each of those sacs contains the juice of the orange.
Why did Hashem create an orange with thousands of little sacks? To enhance our enjoyment. Did you ever see one of those children’s candies with a liquid center? They’re advertised with the slogan, “Bite in for a burst of flavor.” When you bite into an orange, you also get a burst of flavor. Because the juice of the orange is contained inside many small sacs, when you bite into it, there is a release of juice in the form of a burst, and that adds to the enjoyment of eating it.
Did you ever wonder why delicious apples are red on the outside? It’s for the same reason that laundry detergents come packaged in bright colors. Procter & Gamble spent millions of dollars on research to determine which color has the greatest eye appeal. They have conducted countless studies proving that putting Tide in a bright, neon-orange container results in more sales. Similarly, Hashem designed foods with eye appeal to enhance our eating experience.
What about aroma? Have you ever found yourself in a restaurant and, as the waiter brought out your favorite dish, your mouth watered at the sight of it? But you had a cold, and when you began eating it, somehow it didn’t taste right? You couldn’t enjoy it. Scientists now recognize that most of our sense of taste comes through smell. When Hashem created food, He added the dimension of aroma to enhance our taste experience. Each of the different foods we enjoy not only has a distinct taste and color; it also has a distinct smell, which contributes to our total enjoyment.
But there’s more. When you bite into an apple, you don’t get the same burst of flavor as when you bite into an orange. But you do get a crunch. Why did Hashem make an apple that way? Why didn’t He create all fruits with the same texture? Because He wanted us to enjoy it. It’s fun to bite into something crunchy; we enjoy the sensation. So Hashem designed an apple with a texture that provides a crunch.
The food we eat comes in so many assorted flavors, colors, aromas, and textures, each one appealing to a different element of our tastes. Hashem preplanned and created all of this for our enjoyment. And food is but one of the myriad examples of pleasure that Hashem created so that man should enjoy his stay here.
And now we come to a critical point: Why did Hashem create pleasure?
Hashem created pleasure because He is the ultimate Giver. Much as when I host an honored guest, my goal is to make his stay as pleasant as possible, Hashem wants us to enjoy the beauty, richness, and wonders of this world. And so, He created many different items so we can enjoy this world.
Nevertheless, pleasures can be dangerous. They can pull a person and distract him from his mission in life. And so, pleasures must be used correctly. The Misilas Yesharim (perek 1) explains that if a person uses pleasure as a means of growing closer to his Creator, they are holy. But if he pursues them for their own sake, they are vain, empty, and dangerous because they magnetically pull a person away from his purpose in life.
Now we can understand Rashi’s comment that a nazir has to bring a sin offering for abstaining from pleasure. Considering who he is and what he was trying to accomplish, it might have been the right thing to do. But on some level it wasn’t in line with the master plan of creation. Hashem doesn’t want a person to live an austere, bitter existence. Hashem created pleasures, and wants man to enjoy them – in the right way at the right time.
When a man uses pleasure to grow closer to his Creator, they help him accomplish his purpose on earth. Such a man acquires his portion in the World to Come, and also enjoys his stay here actualizing what Hashem wants: the ultimate best for each of His creations.