Being Close May Mean More than You think

Naso
Numbers 4:21-7:89
Précis: The parasha opens with a continuation of the listing of the Levitical families and their duties regarding the transportation of holy vessels. This is followed by a brief commandment concerning restitution for wrongs. The parasha then turns to a mysterious procedure for testing a wife’s fidelity when questioned by her husband. Next we have a discussion of the laws of Nazerites, and the recitation of the “Priestly Benediction.” The parasha concludes with the presentation of identical gifts by each tribe for the dedication of the Altar

One mode of analysis used by the Torah Sages was by examining the juxtaposition of words, verses, or themes. The proximity of text (“smachut parshiot”) can be instructive. There are two examples in this parasha which together teach an important lesson.


The first set of verses points to two instances in which the idea of individualism can damage the community. We have the juxtaposition of dealing with adultery (Numbers 5:11–30) and verses dealing with the Nazirite (Numbers 6:1–21). Each separates herself or himself from the people in self-centered ways: the adulteress destroys the family. The Nazirite sets herself or himself apart by through isolation so great that the Nazir must bring a sin offering at the end of the vowed term. Both the adulteress and the Nazirite are self-centered, self-serving, and destructive of the communities in which they live.


The laws of the Nazirite are also juxtaposed with the Priestly Benediction. The placement of the Nazirite laws next to the birkat kohanim can be seen as a corrective measure to the idea that under-girds nezirut. The Priestly Blessing offers a model of experiencing God that focuses on our acceptance of God’s blessings in a communal setting, not the rejection of them by isolated individuals.


What does all this mean to us who live without tests for adultery, priests or Nazirites? Perhaps it is that service to God is not found within a spiritual asceticism separated from a larger community: it is found in honest relationship with other people, in this world, and in this lifetime.