Naso: One Small Step

Dear friends, welcome to this week's virtual drasha. This week we have the incredible privilege to read parshas Naso. And in this parsha we encounter a fascinating individual, the nazir. This is an individual who takes a vow, takes a neder, to become a nazir. What does it mean to be a nazir? You have to abstain from wine and grape products. You have to abstain from cutting your hair. And you have to abstain from coming in contact with the dead. Now, if these sound like extreme measures, they are. In fact, the Gemara in Maseches Nazir explains why Maseches Nazir explains that very often the person who takes the nazirite vow has some had some type of overwhelming life experience, and he feels the need to dramatically course correct. And sometimes, in order to course correct, we have to gravitate to certain extremes. As the Rambam explains, that sometimes if you want to come back to the middle you have to swing the pendulum to the extreme, and over time it comes back to the middle. So, the nazir is clearly someone who wants something different out of life. He needs to figure out a different derech, a different path, and feels that the way to get him to that middle path is to swing to this extreme, at least for some amount of time, at least for the duration of this neder nazirus. And there's a fascinating discussion in Talmud in general, is becoming a nazir a good thing? Is it not a good thing? After all, Hakadosh Baruchu already prohibits more than enough things for us. We don't really need to add on additional layers of prohibition. But yet, at the same time, it is motivated by a sincere desire to achieve some heightened level of personal holistic holiness. So, there's a machlokes, but it's clear that in the eyes of the Torah such an individual is highly regarded. says this is in perek vav, pasuk ches, chapter 6, verse 8, kol yemei nizro, kadosh hu laHashem. All the days of his nazirite vow, he is holy to Hakadosh Baruchu. So, that is a very dramatic statement. Every Yid, every Jew, is holy. But clearly the Torah is conveying that the individual who takes on this additional level, this additional vow, this additional layers of restriction and prohibition, is even more kadosh, even holier to Hakadosh Baruchu. But I want to show with you something incredibly, incredibly beautiful. That the late Simcha, the late Simcha was the sixth Ger rebbe of Simcha Bunim Alter who lived from 1898 to 1992. And the late Simcha says something incredibly beautiful. And I want to quote to you his words. There's something very profound and very deep to be learned from here. And again, the truth is it is almost difficult to comprehend how so. What's in What's a Nazir? A Nazir is a guy comes along and says, "You know what? I hereby abstain from drinking wine." Now again, what's wrong with drinking wine? Nothing is wrong with drinking wine. In fact, sometimes wine is a mitzvah. Make it a Shabbos, Yom Tov, Purim. So, he he's taking something that is inherently permitted and he's making it assur to himself. And by the way, after the rest of his life, the Gemara says stam nazir is 0. An unqualified Nazirite vow has a duration of 30 days. Okay, yet again, so let's understand what a person has done. He undertakes upon himself not to drink wine, which is something that is inherently permitted. Same thing with hair cutting. Same thing with coming in contact with the dead. So, he takes upon himself this vow. And upon taking this vow, he is catapulted to this elevated level of holiness. To the point that the Torah itself testifies "Ki nazir Elokim hu al rosho." He's quoting over here a different pasuk. This is actually fascinating. The Nazir also, as we mentioned before, can't come in contact with the dead. He can't even become tamei, become ritually impure for his own relatives. So, it's almost like he's catapulted almost like a kohen gadol, high priest type status. For his mother, for his father, for his brother, for his sister. yitama lahem mos av." He cannot become ritually impure when they die. Neither literally means because of the crown. Neither means like a crown. The crown of on his head. Ask again the what is going on over here. I understand he's a good guy. We're all in agreement. He's a good guy. Neither the crown of God is upon his head. God is holy to God. What did he do? What did he do? He said I'm not drinking wine. Okay, 30 days, right? 30 days, got it. Got it. All right. Maybe that sounds hard for some of us. But let me say I'm not going to cut my hair. 30 days. So because he just made this neither to bring us let's be honest. It's not like he said I'm not talking right? It's not like he said I'm going to make sure that I'm not looking at inappropriate things. He went and he said I'm not I'm not drinking something permitted that he decided to prohibit to himself. Yet with that voluntary vow with that voluntary abstention neither out of show the crown of God sits upon his head. God is holy to God. The Rabbi says the made him I don't make on. What do we learn from here? Call God shall call God. We learn from here the power of a God. The power of taking something upon yourself. Shall make a vow shall make a vow shall make a vow because this neither what did he do? He took upon himself a vow. A vow means literally again to make a vow to accept something upon yourself. So this neither decided to accept something additional upon himself. And when he did that when he did so listen to this. Because he make a vow shall make a vow shall make a vow neither low neither shall make a vow neither shall make a vow when he sees that I take on a vow. When he sees that I take something upon myself that he gives me additional he gives me additional strength. Oh make a vow shall make a vow shall make And ultimately I receive power, celestial powers. I receive powers, additional Kohos, additional abilities from Hakadosh Baruchu. The Rebbe says, "Nezer Elokav al rosho." See, the way the Rebbe Simcha understands the pasuk is, "Ki nezer Elokav al rosho" is not simply descriptive, that the crown of Hashem sits on his head, but rather again, it explains the dynamic of what it means to be a nazir. When the individual takes upon himself the neder nezirus, the reward for that is, or the result of that is, "Ki nezer Elokav al rosho." Hakadosh Baruchu vests him with extra abilities. Hakadosh Baruchu vests him with extra Kohos, extra strength. The Ribono shel Olam sees that the nazir takes something upon himself, and in return, Hakadosh Baruchu gives him additional strength, additional Kohos, additional abilities. K'she yesh lo adam davar mashinu yachol l'kabel alav. The Rebbe says, we learn from here, that when a person is struggling with something, y'kabel al atzmo l'himanei mimenu. Take upon yourself a kabala to abstain from that very thing that you're struggling with. And when you do that, uv'koach hakabala, yis'aleh v'yikabel Kohos Elyonim. When you take upon yourself that kabala, you receive additional strength to be able to combat and to do battle with the very things that you struggle with. So, the Rebbe Simcha understands something so incredible. He says, what is the whole message of the nazir? What is this? The Rebbe understands, as we Chazal understand it, that the nazir is someone who's struggling with something. A regular person doesn't become a nazir because you don't have to. There's so many other ways, so many other mechanisms of spiritual growth. The nazir is someone who is struggling with something. Whatever it might be. And he realizes that whatever the struggle is, I need help. I need I can't do it on my own. So, the Rebbe Baruch Hu gives us the formula. If you take upon yourself a kabbalah, if you take upon yourself something, take upon myself additional responsibility. Maybe some And by the way, the kabbalah sometimes could be additional layers of restriction in certain areas, or additional things that I have to start doing. Make that kabbalah. The moment you accept something upon yourself, Hakadosh Baruch Hu showers you with extra koach, extra abilities. Mayzer el koach al rosho. You take upon yourself certain additional responsibilities, Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives you additional koach. The Holy Baruch Hu understands it in a very specific way, that if you're struggling with something, take upon a kabbalah not to engage in that particular thing. And when you take on that kabbalah, Hashem will give you the strength to meet those challenges. But I think we could globalize it past the specific area. What What What really what the Holy Baruch Hu is teaching us is what Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants to see more than anything in life is what do you want? What do I want out of life? It's almost like sometimes we go ahead and we expect Hakadosh Baruch Hu to do so much without properly articulating what we're willing to do. Or better stated, what we want out of life. When you take a kabbalah, when you take upon yourself something, the Holy Baruch Hu says, "I'm saying Hakadosh Baruch Hu, I want more out of life. I don't want to just tread in the waters of mediocrity. I don't want to just get by. I want something greater. I want something more beautiful. I want something holier. I want something bigger." The Holy Baruch Hu says, "Okay. So, take on a kabbalah. Take something upon yourself. Whether it's something related to the very thing you struggle with, or maybe something different. Cuz remember again, whatever the knows you're struggling with, unless it's alcohol, unless it's wine that you're struggling with, chances are he's struggling with something else. And what he's simply trying to do is take upon himself something. Hakadosh Baruchu, I'm trying. I'm trying. I'm trying to move the spiritual needle in my life. I'm trying to make things better. I'm trying to uplift myself, but I know more than anything that I can't do it alone. So Hakadosh Baruchu, I'm going to take my kabbalah. I'm going to do my thing, right? I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to I'm going to try. Baruchu says, "Okay, that's all I need. Just start. And I promise I'll vest you with extra [music] strength to meet your challenges. Just take something upon yourself. Just take a first step. And I promise, K'nezer Elokav Adonai I will give you the koach that you need. Now, dear friends, when we want to affect change in life, whether it's change in our circumstances or change in ourselves, all too often we make the mistake of first looking heavenward. What the holy lives Simcha Bunim of Pshischa teaches us is that when you want to affect change in life, you want to affect change in yourself and in your circumstances, don't start by looking heavenward. Look inward. What can I do? And sometimes it's as simple as saying Hakadosh Baruchu, I don't have the answers to all of my problems. Maybe I don't even know how to affect change in myself and how to affect change in my life. But here's what I do know how to do. I know how to make a kabbalah. I know how to accept something additional upon myself. And the merit of the extra step that I am ready to take, Hakadosh Baruchu, I need that Nezer Elokav. I need that crown of glory. I need that crown of God. I need that extra koach. Because if you give me the extra koach, then I know I can do the things I need to do. I can affect the changes I need to affect. I can become the person I need to become. I need you to give me that crown of koach. But I I know that I'm not going to get that kind of koach until I take that first step. Lekutei Sichot teaches us that if you want to advance your life, you want to affect change, you want to become the best version of you, it all starts with a kabbalah. Take something upon yourself. Move yourself forward in some way. Become a nazir, so to speak. He just accepts upon himself, it's really not a big deal, not to drink wine for 30 days. It is a big deal. But he he's he's taking upon himself something that's relatively easy. And with that, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, "Beautiful, you took a step, I'll shower down koach upon you." The message is the same for us. Doesn't have to be nazirus. If you want to affect change in your life, you want to affect change in yourself, don't start by looking upward or heavenward, look inward. Take a kabbalah. Make a kabbalah. Decide something you're going to do in your life just a little bit differently. And with that little step comes ke nazer Elohav al rosho. With one little step, the crown of Hakadosh Baruch Hu is placed on my head. With one little step that Hashem sees that I want to be more, I want to do more, that's when that tzinor, that's when the valve opens up, and that koach from above comes showering down upon me. And with that koach, there's no telling what I could accomplish. Wishing everyone a good night of Shabbos and a beautiful Shabbos Kodesh.