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By Rabbi Naftoly Bier
Chazal explain the juxtaposition of the laws of the סוטה, Sotah – a woman who has not acted in a moral manner – to the laws of the נזיר, Nazarite in the following manner:
A married woman who had been forewarned not to seclude herself with another man and did so, is brought to the בית המקדש, Holy Temple to ascertain if she is innocent of adultery. “ The כהן, priest shall have the woman stand in front of Hashem and uncover the woman’s hair and places the offering (sacrifice) on her outstretched hands,” in order to humiliate and tire her. One can only imagine the utter degradation, disgrace and humiliation she endures.
If a person witnesses this happening, one may be emotionally aroused for similar hedonistic activity. Being that wine can stimulate this arousal; one should declare a vow to become a Nazarite, who is prohibited from not only drinking wine but from all grape products.
Initially this seems counterintuitive; after all if one witnesses the utmost embarrassment that the סוטה, Sotah experiences, won’t that prevent one from entertaining hedonistic thoughts? If one doesn’t want to squander their personal nobility and dignity, perceiving what has transpired to the Sotah, should be the biggest impetus to disallow the same to transpire.
We are being taught an important, critical and profound perception of the human condition. All humans are creatures of intense, emotional desire. While on the outside we seem to be calm and completely in control of our desires – be it for wealth, hedonism, fame, power, our inner being is the opposite. Life’s task and challenge is to suppress and mitigate the constant inner drive for all types of selfish pleasures – be it lust, glory, infatuation, and materialism etc. If one is complacent, if one is of the opinion I have done enough, I need not be concerned with the negative aspects of the human drive, invariably one will lose their protection and succumb to the inner יצר הרע, animalistic desires of the human. Our desires are easily aroused, even when one sees the degradation of the Sotah, for when one reviews in one’s mind what has transpired to the woman, one will inevitably arouse one’s ignoble emotions.
The Torah teaches us; immediately take action! Recognize the precarious state one is in and counter with the acceptance of being a Nazarite, one who will go to the extreme and not allow oneself to drink wine or even eat grapes as a precaution thereby inculcating in oneself the need of constant vigilance.
The נזיר, Nazarite is not allowed to cut their hair. By doing so he will create an unkempt appearance, in contrast to the youth who are meticulous in their projection to others. The Ramban explains that due to this the Nazir will be anxious, apprehensive and uneasy due to his minimization of self-worth and in turn will protect himself from outside influences. In turn he will focus on ‘עבודת ה, on the world of Hashem and his Torah to combat this feeling. Worry is the opposite of complacency; complacency allows the inner animalistic or selfish drives to dominate.
The Torah praises and ennobles the נזיר, Nazarite. As the אלשיך explains, the Torah prohibits the נזיר from coming in contact with any deceased relative just as the כהן גדול, the High Priest was prohibited. Every Jew, no matter their current status, by declaring their intention to unequivocally aspire for a higher level of spirituality is akin to the greatest of all, the High Priest. When the Torah describes the קדושה, the high level of spirituality of the High Priest it states: (Leviticus 21:12) “… For a crown – his G-d‘s oil of anointment – is upon him…” In contrast the Torah describes the Nazarite, Bamidbar, Numbers 6:7 “… For the crown of his G-d is upon his head.” The greatness of the נזיר is solely dependent on his sincere determination to elevate himself above the societal trends that he has witnessed. Every moment he is totally concerned and focused on the essence of true nobility. It’s not about his hair, his appearance; and though he has compromised his outer appearance, he is totally focused on the true essence – that is to be an עבד ה’י – to genuinely probe and ask, what does Hashem desire from me? His yearning, longing and pining is to be real! He feels edified!
The Ramban, Deuteronomy 29:18 explains that if one doesn’t control their desires, once they give it into their curiosity to savor the forbidden, the craving becomes stronger and stronger, until it requires ever newer and exotic perversions to satisfy it.
In today’s hedonistic society, more than ever the lessons derived from the laws of the Nazarite are so elemental to our self being. It’s important to study Torah, mussar, pray and to form groups shielding one another together from outside influences. How? By taking actions which mitigate the impact of a society antithetical to all we aspire for.
