Lezchus Moshe ben Blima le'refuah shliema.
In this weeks Parsha we learn about the Nazir, someone who refrains from drinking wine, cutting his hair and defiling himself to the dead. This Parsha seems very perplexing for on one hand the Torah calls a Nazir 'Kodosh', so to the Rambam says that its praiseworthy for one to refrain from eating meat and drinking wine for a year or two. Yet the Gemora says that he's called a Chotah- sinner, and the Rambam says in Hilchos Deyas that one should not go to an extreme and totally refrain from eating meat and drinking wine. All this seems like a contradiction, so what is a Nazir? and is it right or wrong to act as one?
The Nesivos Shalom explains that there are different stages for different times of ones life. there are times when one must refrain from all outside influences and just concentrate on Avodas Hashem. Yet the goal in yiddishkiet is to incorporate Olam Hazeh into ones life. The Gemora (Nedarim 9b) says that Shimon Hatzadik never ate from a Korban of a Nazir- for he was scared that it wasn't an earnest naziris, except for once when the Nazir told him that he became a Nazir to help fight his Yetzer Hora and to that he said this is was what the Torah meant. The mitzva of Nazir is only a preliminary stage if one needs help fighting his Yetzer Horah then he's called a kodosh if he makes himself guidelines of staying away from olam hazeh. This is all good if it helps him get to the next stage which is uplifting the physical using the meat and wine to serve Hashem. One must realize that by just staying isolated from olam hazeh all his life hes called a chotah but you must take it for all its worth and make them tools to grow with and serve Hashem with. There are times when we have to realize that we cannot face the world on our own for those times the Torah gives you Hashems crown and you deserve a kiss from Shimon Hatzadik (Gemorah ibid.) for running away from the tyvas but the ultimate level is living life in this world with the challenges it brings and growing from them.
4 comments:
One Isru Chag Shavuos, Rav Simcha Bunim of Par'shis'cha addressed his chassidim thus: 'After Matan Torah, HKB"H told the Bnei Yisroel, 'Shuvu lachem l'ohaleichem.' Torah is not meant to be lived only or ideally at Har Sinai; it is meant to be lived in one's Ohel -- home, office, in the marketplace, out in the world.'
Living Torah 'out there' is much more demanding, requiring much greater strength of character and commitment, with the concomitant greater possibility of making a Kiddush Ha-shem.
Thanks for reminding us of that Truth.
the ramban says that the reason a nazir brings a chatas is because he was on such a high level and now he is coming back down to the tayvos of this worldfor this he has to bring achatas
There are those who understand the RMB"N to mean: Just because the nazir is reentering society doesn't mean that he should, by definition, feel himself "coming back down." Did he learn nothing about kedusha from the nazir period that he can bring with him back into the world? One can reintegrate into society, drink wine, etc. and not experience it as a yeridah in spirituality. If one looks at his ending of the nazir period as a return to the old ways of looking at things, then that is a sign that the nazir experience was a failure and he ought to bring a chatas. Ending the nazir period and leaving that high level should not be one and the same.
There are many negative comments made about being a nazir. The RMB"N cannot mean it represents the ideal state that one should strive to remain in.
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