Dvar Torah on Parshas Nasso | What Makes The Nazir So Special?

Welcome back to this week's special edition of The Torah Podcast. When a man or a woman will commit and make an oath, when they will out loud speak that they will be a Nazir they are taking upon themselves all that comes along with it. They are vowing to abstain from drinking, touching a dead body, becoming impure, or getting a haircut for 30 days. 

The Beis Halevi, the godfather of the Brisker dynasty, on a separate point actually, points out something fascinating here in a story where he asked his disciples, "How do you know that a female can become a Nazir? How do you know a woman can become a Nazarite?" All of the disciples were bringing sources from different passages of Talmud, different inferences from verses throughout scripture, and then the Beis Halevi revealed the truth. It is an open verse that tells us “When a man or a woman will utter a vow to be a Nazir... (Bamidbar 6:2)”. 

Either way, we move on to the main point and topic that I wanted to discuss today. A lot of the commentators, almost all of them actually, tell us that to become a Nazarite, to become a nazir is a Pella, a wonder, awesome; insert any adjective you want. It is something special.

The question's like this. It's kind of a brutal question; a very frank and honest question. What did he do? He didn't drink wine for 30 days. I mean, we've all done that at times in our life. He didn't get a haircut for 30 days? Check. He didn't touch a dead body? Last time I checked, I didn't touch a dead body in a long time. Why is it so great? 

The Eben Ezra sheds some light to begin the answer. And he says because, and I quote, “He made the decision to swim upstream." The world chases after their desires. We naturally are pulled towards our base nature. The human being after all is a hybrid mix between a soul and a body. (The Ran tells us that someone is always connected to his original source. Animals are more ground, more flesh and blood than they are soul. And therefore, they're pulled down to the ground and they walk on all four legs. A human being is pulled upwards, but he is also pulled downwards. That's why he has this perfect balance). The Eben Ezra suggests that it's amazing because this guy is a swimming upstream type of guy. He's a guy who said, "Enough is enough. And I'm not going to be like everybody else. I'm going to willingly deny myself pleasure to become holy. Actively choose to give precedence to my soul before my body. 

In a world where we overuse the word awesome and amazing, this actually is quite awesome and quite amazing.

But listen to this. The holy Rosh Hayeshiva, Rav Nosson Stein Shlita comments, on a verse that appears a little later, something that will change your perspective on all of your past victories. He says like this. The verse tells us, “Afterward the Nazarite may drink wine” (Bamidbar 6:20). After the 30 days is up, the Nazir brings a Korban, a sacrifice, and he may have a glass of wine. 

Now, the Rosh Hayeshiva picked up on that this man is not a Nazir anymore. He's already nullified that vow. He's moved on from it. He had a great stint of time that he was holy, but he moved on. What does it mean “afterwards", after his status of Nazir is up, that he's still called a Nazir? Why is he called a Nazir in this verse? Says the Rosh Hayeshiva, "When you do something for a small stint of time, it doesn't just happen and then it goes away and you continue on your path a level up. But no. You bring these levels, these victories with you along the way. When you go up a level, you're carrying with you all that you've previously succeeded in beating."

My beautiful daughter, she should continue to grow and be well, is 9 months old. She’s advancing and growing every week. Over the last few months she’s figured out how to roll over, crawl, and stand. The phenomenal part of all of her milestones is that she brought her ability to crawl and rollover with her even though now she’s standing. And, with the help of G-d when she learns how to walk she’ll be a baby who stands. And a baby who walks becomes a baby that runs. She brings all her accomplishments with her. 

That's what the Rosh Hayeshiva said is going on here. Nazir means when you've done 30 days of something holy, you bring that 30 days of holiness with you for the rest of your life. Even if in the future you were unsuccessful in something else, you're still called a Nazir. When his 30 days are up, the Nazir may have a glass of wine. Who? The Nazir, because he has acquired this name forever.

So go to the next level with the knowledge that your carrying all of your previous victories with you. You will never lose that holy name.

Adapted from:

The Torah Podcast with Michael Brooke