Parshas Nasso: Extraordinary Choices, Extraordinary Lives

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To be in with Hashem, you got to jump out of the crowd.

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Sometimes you got to be like a salmon.

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You got to swim upstream.

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You got to think for yourself.

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This is the lesson from the great Nazir of our parasha, the man or woman that will take a optional, voluntary vow upon himself to not ingest any grape product, not get a haircut, to not contaminate himself to any grave site or corpse, the Torah's Hanazir.

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This person has chosen an interesting path and the Torah it lauds him.

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The Torah says that he who rears the Torah, it lauds him.

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The Torah says that he rears the crown, the holy crown, the holy crown of God upon his head.

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He is set aside, he is kadosh.

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But we will see today, with Hashem's help, how, in one line of Rashi, there is such great depth.

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With Hashem's help, we'll see why the entire Nazir is encompassed into one small choice that he made that took him up to his holy status, and it should teach us about how we make decisions and why sometimes jumping out of the crowd is crucial for success.

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The post-sex says so.

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It's the end of his stint, his term.

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He's ready to go back to his Merlot Cabernet, back to the La Vallas and back to the barbershops.

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Yavioso, yavioso, he shall be brought.

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El Pesach HaWamoed, he's got to go bring his karbon, finish it up, see the principal and make sure that his term comes to a completion in the right way.

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But Rashi seems to be bothered by something, although the verse seems pretty straightforward, it says Yavi Yosso.

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What does it mean?

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Yavi is atzmo.

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It is not that he shall be brought, but rather he brings himself.

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It is not that he shall be brought, but rather he brings himself Ze'echad mishlosha asen.

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She brings a source for this.

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This is actually one of the three places Shehaya, rabbi Yishmael Dairish came, one of the three places that Rabbi Yishmael would expound that yavi oso, this idea of oso, it is not accusative, not that you shall be brought, but rather it is reflexive.

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It is this person, by his own choice, decides to bring himself to the Mishkan to finish his term.

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One of the other places that the same drusha has had is when Moshe Rabbeinu has expired, he passes away and Sefer Tzavarim Vayikbar Osoba, bonai Vayikbar Oso, that he Oso should say and mean he was buried.

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But the Talmud tells us that nobody could bury Moshe.

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He, moshe, oh so, chose to bury himself.

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Oh so, not accusative, not proactive, but reflexive by choice, by one's own initiative.

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This Nazir, says Rabbi Yerucham, can be summarized all of his glory, grandeur and greatness into this one.

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Rashi Rashi is really showing us exactly why it is that the Nazir is so great, because he is not a Yavi Oso, he must not be brought schlepped, but rather Yavi Esatmo.

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He brings himself, he chooses by his own initiative the idea of single-handedly, individually, singly, solely, independently, personally choosing to do something.

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That Nazir and his choice that he made to swim against the tide of lustful addictions, small choices, yoviyoso, bringing yourself.

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That is the Torah on Nazir.

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That's the lesson they're in.

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The entire topic of Nazirus doesn't really catch our attention or really feel that inspiring or even that relatable.

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Because, after all, we've all probably spent 30 days not drinking a grape product I hope you have 30 days without wine.

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We've probably all gone 30 days without going to a funeral home or to a La Vvia.

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We've probably all spent more than 30 days not getting a haircut.

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That would mean that we have all practically served a stint of time as a Nazir.

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What is so great about this?

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What did the Nazarite do that made him not only set aside but king-like with a crown, with a keser of Hashem, a nazarelikov, berosho, a crown on his head.

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Well, the Torah tells us.

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The Torah tells us what made him so great.

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The Torah tells us what made him so great it's that he brought himself Yaviyos so he did not like the rest of the world, and that he chose to be an iconoclast, to think for himself.

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The idea keeps showing up in the entire Torah's Hanozer, as surely you're aware that the Torah's actual commandment is ish o isha, man or woman, and surely you're aware that the Torah's actual commandment is Does that mean Yafli lindor neder?

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Or rather seems to be superfluous, wordy, verbose, terse and profound verse Yafli linder neder Says Rashi.

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Yafli is a lotion of clear, explicit uttering has to be I am a nuzzer, I'm not saying it for myself, but for the sake of not getting stuck in Nazarite status and not being able to drink wine and get a haircut.

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But the Nazir must say clearly what he means to do.

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It must be spoken, it must not be necessarily of thought, it must be.

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For how long?

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Unless just a regular 30-day commitment, but clearly uttering your commitment, yafli, but in a world-shaking comment, an eye-opening, hair-raising comment from the Evan Ezra.

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That's really the source of so many great musers for him, he teaches the word of yafli lindar neder, many great musers.

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For him, he teaches the word of Yafli Lindor Nedor.

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Yafli does not mean clearly spoken, but rather Yafli means, says the Ibn Ezra.

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This man has done something extraordinary, a wondrous act.

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Ki rov haolam, most of the world, hoilchen, achar ta'avosam, most people follow their lusts, but this person that has vowed against wine, vowed against some, even the slightest creature comforts, he's yaffly.

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We seem to not see eye to eye with this Evan Ezra.

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It's hard for us to understand why is it so great that the man said no to these small creature comforts?

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We seem to think that technically we also could make such a similar commitment.

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What makes it so extraordinary?

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But it is yaffley to have self control, to choose to make an explicit vow.

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It is yaffley to do something out of the ordinary that most people cannot vow to do.

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Most people cannot vow, although they think they can.

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Most people cannot vow, although they think they can, to abstain from wine for 30 days.

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And a mensch who does, who says I will be like that salmon swimming upstream.

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You are yafli.

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You are yafli linder neder.

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You are extraordinary.

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You think as an individual.

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You are yavi as atzmo.

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It goes hand in hand with this.

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Evan Ezra, what is the Dovah Pela?

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What is extraordinary?

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That you were not, like Kirov HaOlam, most of the world, that Holchem Achar Ta'avosom.

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The world chooses very often based on where we live, our proximity to certain countries, certain states, certain religions, certain styles and different types of people, what is lauded, what is greatness, what is valuable.

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We give certain chashivas to certain things when our fellow citizens choose to give it chashivas.

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When the world tunes into an event, we tune in.

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When the world hypes up a certain gathering, a certain assembly, it's must-see TV, it's a place to be.

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Everyone was there, but this mensch, the crowned, adorned, set aside an extraordinary person called the Nazarite, called the Nazir.

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He jumped out of the crowd to be in with Hashem.

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He was Yaflilind or Nedir.

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He did something that most people cannot do.

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He said no to following his lusts, to following his lusts.

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And when you flip the idea on its head, if we should find somebody that struggles to make his own decisions, to go on his own initiative, well then we can clarify both sides of this idea, that it is Yovie as Atmo for the good team and Masha Enkei and the sinners, god forbid, get nachschlepped.

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We just need a proof from another parasha in Scripture, and what do you know?

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We have it Parshas, tazria, mitzorah, leviticus, perik, yergimel and Pazichas and Tess V'ro Ha'koin.

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This man, the slanderer, the gossiper, the priest shall see that the rash has spread.

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The priest shall pronounce that coin, that person, impure, for it is leprosy, a scaly, gross, splotchy infection.

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A scaly, gross, splotchy infection.

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It shall be reported on his skin the huvah el hakoin.

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The huvah el hakoin, this gossiper, must be brought, the huvah not choosing to go, not going against his passions, to not gossip.

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But this slanderer, this lush and horror speaker, this twitterer, must be schlepped, must be brought within the general population with the crowd.

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The hoover, totally dependent, reliant, leaning upon others, this not thinking for himself, not salmon-like individual must be the huvah el hakoin.

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Choosing what you think has real value.

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That's the way of the holy ones, no matter what the rest of the world values.

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If you look inside of the Torah and you let the Chachmas Hashem impress upon you what is important, and then you act by your own impulses, your own choice, your own resolving to act and then carrying it out, acting Yavi Oso Yavi as Atmo, and then carrying it out acting jovi oso jovi as atmo, bringing yourself to that choice.

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That's how the great ones choose, resolve and act, not like the negatsaras, like this afflicted mensch who must be brought by the rest of the population, by the paparazzi, up to be checked out by the Kohen.

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In a striking and very visible example of this, we have, in beginning of Parshas Noach, two individuals that were great.

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But this level, a certain level of taking the initiative, not being reliant upon others but choosing to act by your own, seichel, is what separated two great tzaddikim.

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That God walked with Noah, it says.

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It says.

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When it comes to Avraham, it says that God, before whom I walked?

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Why the difference?

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It says.

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Why the difference Says Rashi, a famous Rashi Noach, needed God's support to stand him up, uphold him in his righteousness.

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He needed the certain stilts, the braces.

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He was a massive tzaddik.

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He was walking with God, but he relied upon Hashem.

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That's what Rashi tells us.

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He strengthened himself, he drew his own moral strength from his own belly and he walked in his own righteousness, based on his own efforts.

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Gracious Rabbi Lamed Yud, that's fantastic Seems.

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He walked even before God because he made the decision, he took the initiative.

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Because he made the decision, he took the initiative, he was not dependent upon anything else, anyone else, nor financially, nor emotionally, nor for any other support A certain Madraga of independentness.

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Of Yavius Atmo.

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I bring myself to where I want to go.

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Of yavius atzmo, I bring myself to where I want to go.

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That places the crown of greatness upon your head when you choose what to do.

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You do not get swept up in the crowd, but you jump out of the crowd and bring yourself where you think and decide you should go.

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The Mishnah tells us in Pirkei Avos that the way of Torah very in line with the times right now, with Shavuos the way of the Torah is that the way, the path of Torah is to sleep on the floor, to eat bread with some salt, to eat and drink water from a cheap cup.

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A life of pain, and the commentators constantly grapple with his teaching as what could it mean?

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This is the life of Torah.

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Torah is pleasant and while there are many approaches to this Mishnah Noam, and while there are many approaches to this Mishnah, the one that was most nota, el hadass, that I accepted from my teachers, was that Torah.

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The way of Torah is that in a situation where it isn't a perfect day, where you did not have breakfast in your belly and the AC isn't on a crisp 68, but in our American creature comforts that we need this day it's on a 73.

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So it isn't exactly quite perfect.

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Breakfast wasn't the whole grain Cheerios, but it was the regular Cheerios.

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So you didn't have that perfect breakfast.

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There was no orange juice that had pulp free, but it had pulp.

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It wasn't exactly what you normally get.

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In order to feel ready to serve Hashem.

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You have to be ready to tolerate that such a scenario should come up, that even even afilu, even on a day that you should have to sleep on the floor, you didn't get a good night's sleep, you didn't have a good drink, you didn't have your coffee, you didn't have your breakfast.

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I'm not dependent upon anything.

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Yovies atzmo.

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You are not hanging your hat on a different coat hanger that you need to help bolster you and mechazik you for a tyra.

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But no matter the breakfast I ate, no matter what it is and what's going on in my life, I am not reliant upon anything.

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I'm independent.

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I'm my own mensch.

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I'm yovias atmo to a good day.

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A person is yovias atmo to what he aspires to that, while the whole world will give chashivas and will praise wealth, will praise popularity and fame, but when a person understands from the Torah that those things they lack the same amount of value, they aren't even as close to as lauded as somebody who prays authentically, somebody who quietly distributes his maester money, somebody who takes his Torah seriously these things that you choose to put on your totem pole of success, way above glitz, glam and financial success, that's a yavius atzmo.

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You chose to be like the Nazir and swim upstream and jump out of the crowd.

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Moshe Rabbeinu what a spitz example of this.

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So independent that nobody could bury him, not even the Malach HaMovos could get him.

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He had to bury himself because he was such an iconoclast, such an independent organism.

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He chose, then he resolved and then he acted based on what he decided was the Ratzon Hashem, and no one else could tell him differently, and if they did, I imagine it wouldn't matter very much.

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We find this example by Moshe Rabbeinu when everyone was leaving Egypt and all of the money and the booty was free for the taking.

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Take whatever you want.

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You knew where the Egyptians' gold and silver and treasures were.

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Just knock on their door and say hand me that Rolex from your top left drawer.

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But chacham lev yikach mitzvot says the Posseg in Proverbs and Moshe Rabbeinu.

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He knows with his wisdom, chacham lev, the wisdom of the heart.

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He went and was Osek and Metapil with the bones of Yosef, Osek in a mitzvah of burying the dead properly, giving that last final honor and respect to the bones of Yosef, and ditched all the financial success.

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That's a wise person, not caught up in the times and choosing with his own intuition and making his own decision, with his own initiative to act.

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With his chacham lev, he chose mitzvos to be more valuable and priceless, far more valuable than whatever gold Rolexes we could have for free from the Egyptians.

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We choose what's important.

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That's the lesson of the Nazir, the Ishki Yafli, linder, neder Nazir, lahazar Lashem, that when the whole world is so quickly caught up in what the world preaches to have value, a mensch who is independent, a mensch who does not swim with the rest of the salmon, says the Ibn Ezra.

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When he's yafli, he's doing something out of the ordinary.

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Most people deify their lusts and cravings.

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What is yafli?

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What is absolutely extraordinary is when he decides to deny that craving and to choose to abstain for just a month.

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That's yafli.

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That's absolutely extraordinary.

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The lesson is very clear from this one word in Rashi how he began this v'zaystairas ha-nazer b'yayin milos yamei nizro yavi oso.

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Why did Rashi open his mouth, put pen to paper?

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To change, because it cannot be an accusative pronoun.

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It cannot be that he would be brought forcefully, brought, to the base.

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That makes us to bring his carb on.

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But it is reflexive, it is by choice, it is a pronoun of, of course, it's Yaviyah Samatsmo.

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Because swimming upstream and jumping out of the crowd and choosing with your own seichel what has value and what you want to do, that is what makes the Nazir so extraordinary, that's what makes him yafli, Ladies and gentlemen, that's what makes him yafli.

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Ladies and gentlemen, let us be real with ourselves and take time, before we act, to decide what it is that we want to do, what it is that truly has value.

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And even if it's for just a month, it is absolutely yafli, absolutely extraordinary, because we have already flexed our muscles and shown that yo vi es atmo.

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I decide independently what has value and what does not, and that's extraordinary.

Parshas Nasso: Extraordinary Choices, Extraordinary Lives

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