Hello Friends and welcome back to Torah Thoughts from Adas Israel the Jewish Congregation of Northern Iowa, based in Mason City. This is going to be a very quick edition. I'm in Nevada on assignment and have been here since this past Monday. Yes, really ready to come home. Before we get into this Parsha a reminder that services in June will be on Friday the 23rd of June at 7:00PM and then our Midrash (Study Session) will take place on Shabbat the 24th starting at 10:00AM. Hope to see you in shul!
Parsha Nasso
This week we read Numbers 4:21 - 7:89. The word "nasso" means count as we read in the opening lines, "And Hashem spoke to Moses saying, Take a count of the sons of Gershon..." Yes, we are back to counting the Levites and then giving them specific tasks. There is yet another interesting aspect to this portion.
Contact with the Dead
Why does the Torah forbid a Nazirite to come near the dead? The sages explain, “The reason why a dead body contaminates is because it represents the defectiveness of the physical, and the Nazirite should avoid the physical things to which he may be attracted.”
Meanwhile Rabbi Henoch Lebovitz comments that to the contrary, being confronted with human mortality motivates a person to spirituality, as King Solomon says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for that is the end of all man, and the living should take it to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). We find repeated references in the Talmud that the contemplation of one's mortality discourages a person from physical indulgences. Why, then, does Ralbag say that the Nazirite, who takes a vow of abstinence in his quest for spirituality, should avoid contact with the dead?
It's A Good Question
Rabbi Lebovitz explains that there are two paths whereby one can strive for spirituality. One way is to focus on man's sharing of physical drives with lower forms of life, and that when he indulges in gratification of his bodily desires he is acting out his animalistic traits. The Midrash states that when G-d admonished Adam for his sin, Adam wept, “Now my mule and I will be eating from the same trough.” This is a humbling awareness that should motivate a person toward spirituality by distancing him from physical gratification. The second way is to realize the holiness of the Divine neshama (soul) that he possesses, which is inseparable from its source in G-d. The realization of his potential for G-dliness should motivate a person toward the pursuit of spirituality.
The Lesson
Both approaches are valid, and each has its place. The ethicists cite the phrase, “His heart was high in the way of G-d” (II Chronicles 17:6) as meaning that although pride is vanity, one may be motivated by pride to become more spiritual. Awareness of one's G-dly component should make a person reach for the stars, because there is nothing spiritual that is beyond his grasp. As Rambam says, “Every person can be like Moses” (Hilchos Teshuvah 5:2). The dignity of man should make him or her to pursue perfection.
Thank you for reading and Shabbat Shalom!
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