Download Class #12 - Jewish Pathways

“Deed & Creed”
Class #12
According to the effort is the reward.
By Rabbi Benjamin Blech
with Rochelle Lev
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Enjoy Life on this Earth
(12-min. video)
Understanding Judaism – p. 163-171
The Nazir – Numbers 6:2-5
(ArtScroll Chumash, Stone Edition)
God spoke to Moses, saying. Speak to the Children of Israel
and say to them: A man or woman who shall dissociate
himself by taking a Nazirite vow of abstinence for the sake of
God; from new or aged wine shall he abstain, and he shall not
drink vinegar of wine or vinegar of aged wine; anything in
which grapes have been steeped shall he not drink, and fresh
and dried grapes shall he not eat. All the days of his
abstinence, anything made from wine grapes, even the pips or
skin, he shall not eat.
All the days of his Nazirite vow, a razor shall not pass over his
head; until the completion of the days that he will be a
Nazirite for the sake of God, holy shall he be, the growth of
hair on his head shall grow.
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(1) What is Nezirut?
(2) What must a person do after he finishes his term as a Nazir? Why?
(3) Explain the concept of the Maimonides’ “middle path.”
(4) If the Torah is opposed to asceticism, why is the oath of a Nazir
and the abstinence from certain pleasures permissible by Jewish law?
(5) Why does Rabbi Blech call us the “Choosing People”?
(6) Can a person convert to Judaism?
(7) What is the Jewish attitude to the convert?
(8) Why is the Baal Teshuvah considered to be ‘higher’ than a tzaddik
(righteous person)?
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(1) Q: What is Nezirut?
A: A Nazir is a person who takes a vow to temporarily abstain from
drinking wine (which represents worldly pleasures) and from cutting
his hair (symbolizing his removing himself from society).
(2) Q: What must a person do after he finishes his term as a Nazir?
Why?
A: When finishing his term as a Nazir, he brings a sin offering to the
Temple. The act of Nezirut – taking on additional restrictions not
prescribed by the Torah – expresses the feeling that the laws given by
God were not sufficient for him. The sin offering is a public admission
by the Nazir that he has transgressed by implying that God’s laws are
insufficient.
(3) Q: Explain the concept of the Maimonides’ “middle path.”
A: People may sometimes go astray and bend to one extreme.
Maimonides explains that the ‘middle path’ is the ideal, living neither
one extreme nor
the other. However, Maimonides
states that
sometimes the only way to veer a person from lone extreme back to
the middle path is by temporarily moving to the opposite extreme. For
example, the excessively stingy person may need to temporarily act
especially generous in order to rid himself of his stingy nature and
arrive at a place of balanced giving.
(4) Q: If the Torah is opposed to asceticism, why is the oath of a Nazir
and the abstinence from certain pleasures permissible by Jewish law?
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A: The Nazir must refrain from drinking and socializing because he had
a difficulty in handling drink and socializing in a centered manner. We
see that it is necessary for the hedonist to become a temporary ascetic
in order to return to the ‘middle path’. However it is only because of
his previous improper behavior that he is allowed to go to the other
extreme. It is not an ideal. Although the action is permitted, a sin
offering in required because the reasons that motivated him to become
a Nazir are not desirable.
(5) Q: Why does Rabbi Blech call us the “Choosing People”?
A: God offered the Torah to every nation and they refused. The Jewish
people made an active choice to accept the Torah. They are indeed the
“Choosing People.”
(6) Q: Can a person convert to Judaism?
A: Yes. Judaism is not a race, it is a religion. Any individual can choose
to become Jewish, just like Ruth and Yitro.
(7) Q: What is the Jewish attitude to the convert?
A: The phrase ‘and you shall love the convert’ is mentioned 36 times
in the Torah. A convert is someone who chooses to perform God’s
mitzvot out of love. This is considered to be a very high level.
(8) Q: Why is the Baal Teshuvah considered to be ‘higher’ than a
tzaddik (righteous person)?
A: The Talmud says, “According to the effort is the reward.” God
evaluates our actions according to the level of difficulty it takes to get
there. The Talmud also teaches: “In the place that Baalei Teshuva
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stand, even the totally righteous cannot stand.” It takes much courage
and conviction for a Baal Teshuva to return to Judaism, and in some
respects the reward for this is even greater than a tzaddik who did not
sin.
Asceticism is not an ideal in Judaism, and asceticism that causes harm
to a person is certainly forbidden.
Nezirut is a form of asceticism that is permitted by Jewish law. A Nazir
is a person who takes a vow temporarily abstaining from drinking wine
(which represents worldly pleasures) and from cutting his hair
(symbolic of his removing himself from society). The Nazir is permitted
to do this because he has had difficulty handling drink and socializing
in a balanced, centred manner.
Maimonides explains that the ‘middle path’ is the ideal way to live.
People may sometimes go astray and bend to one extreme. There are
times that the only way to bring a person from one extreme back to
the middle path is by temporarily going to the opposite extreme.
For example, wine is one of the worldly pleasures that God has given
us. Wine can be elevated and sanctified through mitzvot such as
Kiddush and Havdallah. However, when wine is used to excess, it may
affect a person’s behavior negatively. In its extreme, it may lead to
alcoholism. To cure this extreme, an alcoholic must stay away from
alcohol totally. The person at one extreme must go to the opposite
extreme in order to return to the middle path.
The Nazir takes a vow to totally refrain from worldly pleasures and
social contact in order to return him to the middle path. However, it is
only because of his previous improper behavior that he is permitted to
go to the other extreme. Although permitted to make the vow of
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Nezirut, he must bring a sin offering at the end of his Nezirut. It was
his inappropriate behavior that prompted the vow of Nezirut. Although
the vow was corrective, he must still atone.
Rabbi Blech goes on to talk about the act of choosing to keep God’s
Torah. We are not simply considered to be ‘the Chosen People’, as we
are often referred to. In accepting the Torah from God, we made an
active choice. It would be more accurate to refer to us as the
“Choosing People.” God offered the Torah to the nations on the world
and one by one they refused. God offered it to the Jewish people, and
they said ‘Na’aseh V’nishma’ – we will do and we will listen, an active
choice.
Judaism is not a race, it is a religion. Any individual can choose to
become Jewish, just like Ruth and Yithro. The convert is held in high
esteem. By making the conscious choice to become Jewish, they show
that the mitzvot are done purely out of choice and a love for God and
His Torah. Similarly, the Baal Teshuvah is also considered on a very
high level, and we are taught that ‘in the place that Baalei Teshuva
stand, the totally righteous cannot stand’. It takes much courage and
conviction to return to Judaism, and each person is rewarded
according to the effort they put in. In changing their lives to such an
extent, both the convert and the Baal Teshuva become particularly
beloved in the eyes of God and will be rewarded according to their
efforts.
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