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The Choice of the Nazir

By: SFW Students & Alumna
Alexis Levy ('08)

In this week’s parsha, we read about the nazir, an individual who voluntarily takes upon himself certain restrictions. This section is preceded by the story of the sotah, a woman suspected of infidelity.

A topic discussed by many maforshim is whether the nazir was right in abstaining from various worldly pleasures. The question arises from the fact that the nazir brings a chatat after his time as a nazir. Is the chatat brought because being a nazir was not an ideal situation? Or maybe, he brings a chatat because he is coming down from the high spiritual level he attained as a nazir to once again join a world of physicality?

However, the gemara in Sota 2a, tells us that anyone who sees a Sotah in her disgrace should become a nazir. Why is this so?

One explanation is that after seeing someone being punished, it is a natural reaction for a person to become self-righteous and think themselves to be above sin. They, therefore, become a nazir to remind themselves that they too are human, that they need to introspect and correct their flaws.

There is another gemara in Nedarim (9b) that tells the story of Shimon HaTzadik meeting a young nazir. The nazir tells him that he chose to become a nazir in order to defeat his yetzer hara. Shimon HaTzadik's reaction is to kiss him and proclaim "may nezirim like you multiply, my son". We see from this that in certain situations becoming a nazir is the correct path for the individual involved.

However, we also need to remember that for other individuals it is not the correct mode of behaviour. What is right for one person is not necessaril y right for another.

This message is mirrored in the section of the offerings of the nesiim at the end of the parsha. The korbanot of each nasi is recorded even though each offering was exactly the same. One interpretation for the apparent repetition is that although what was brought was the same, how it was brought was different for each nasi. Each nasi and each Jew has their own unique way of avodat Hashem. We were all created with our own mission to complete in this world. Therefore, it would not make sense if we all served Hashem in exactly the same way. Just like being a nazir is not right for everyone, and just like each nasi individualised their korbanot by the way it was brought, so too we should use the breadth the Torah has given us to connect to Hashem in the best way possible – by being ourselves and not trying to be like everyone else around us.