In this week’s parsha we learn all about the nazir. A nazir is a person who accepts upon himself added restrictions. He is compared in some ways to a Kohen Gadol. As a result of his added holiness, he is not allowed to drink wine, he is not allowed to cut his hair, and he is not allowed to come into contact with a dead person. After he finishes his period of nezirus he must bring a series of korbonos.
Regarding the korbonos brought by a nazir at the conclusion of his status of being a nazir, the Torah says (Bamidbar 6:11): “The Kohen shall make one as a sin-offering and one as an olah-offering, and he shall provide him atonement for having sinned regarding the soul...”. We understand why a nazir would bring a burnt offering. It seems he did a very virtuous thing by accepting upon himself the holiness of a nazir and an olah-offering would be in line with that idea. However, the Gemara is bothered – what sin did the nazir commit that requires him to bring a korban chatos [sin offering]?
The Gemara in Nedorim cites an opinion that the sin of the nazir was the fact that he caused himself pain by abstaining from wine. The Ramban, in his Commentary on Chumash, says something which seems to fly in the face of the Gemara. The Ramban, after acknowledging that the Torah does not state why a nazir brings a korban chatos, speculates that the reason for the korban chatos is that he knows he is going to re-enter the mundane world again and once again drink wine. After having elevated himself to the status of a nazir who abstains from these earthly pleasures, ideally, he should have remained in that level of earthly separation. Terminating the nezirus and resuming a life of normal earthly pleasures is the action — according to the Ramban’s speculation —that triggers the requirement to bring a korban chatos.
Rav Simcha Zissel Broide asks how the Ramban can offer such an interpretation which seems to contradict the Gemara which states that the korban chatos is for having abstained from wine in the first place?
Rav Simcha Zissel explains as follows: When this person started out as a regular person and accepted nezirus upon himself he “pained himself from wine”. However, something happened to him in the course of his 30 days of nezirus – he became a more elevated person. The person who started the nezirus is not the same person who ended it. The “plain guy” who started the nezirus is the type of person about whom the Torah says “Do not forbid upon yourself more than the Torah has already forbidden upon you.” There is such a criticism for “regular Joes”. However, once he has completed 30 days of elevated sanctity, he has reached a higher level. He is no longer a “plain guy” anymore. He is now standing at a level where such behavior becomes appropriate for him. Therefore, to pull the plug now on this level of sanctity and go back to being a “regular Joe” does require atonement.
We are supposed to grow through life. Maybe there are certain things in life that when we started out were not appropriate for us. But with time and experience, we grow and then greater things are expected of us.
This is why the halachah views a person who has learned and has gone away from his learning (shanah u’peereish) with great disregard. Such a person knows better. He has achieved more. Nebech, a person who has never learned, does not know any better if he turns away from learning; but someone who has learned and knows better and then leaves it all – that is very bad.
Just a few days ago we were celebrating the Yom Tov of Shavuos, and we were mekabel the Torah - the wonderful Torah. Starting from Pesach, throughout the period of Sefiras Ha’Omer and until we finally reached Shavuos a person is supposed to work on himself, and make sure to do all he can to receive the Torah. On Shavuos we were finally mekabel the Torah. Each and every year on Shavuos (at least!) a person has to rethink about how he conducts himself, and to make sure that he is doing all he can when it comes to limud haTorah, one has to think if he is using his time in the most efficient way, if one is learning as much as he can etc. etc.
Sadly, this wonderful time period has come to an end. We all must make sure that we don’t leave empty handed. Just like a nazir after 30 days reaches a new elevated status and much more is expected of him. Similarly, after leaving the period of Pesach - Shavuos, Hashem expects from us to be on a much higher level, and if we don’t then strictly speaking, we should have to bring a korban chatos.
I once heard a cute parable: There was a mummy and baby camel in the zoo. The baby camel turned round to the mummy camel and asked, “mummy, why do we have such pretty long eyelashes?”, and the mummy answered, “to keep the sand out of our eyes”. The baby camel then asked, “mummy, why do we have such funny shaped feet”, and the mummy camel answered, “so that we can walk easily in the sand”. The baby camel then asked, “mummy, why do we have such big humps”, and the mummy camel answered, “in order that we can store lots of water, so that when we go through the dessert where there is no water, we won’t go thirsty”. The baby camel then turned round to the mummy camel and said, “if we are so well adapted to be in the dessert, what are we doing sitting here stuck in the zoo?!!”.
The Mabit in Beis Elokim asks, why both Pesach and Succos are seven days, whereas Shavuos is one day? He explains: Pesach and Succos are seven days long, to ensure that a Shabbos falls during the Yom Tov. Shabbos is needed to imbue the Yom Tov with the special kedusha that is needed. Shavuos, however, is such a special Yom Tov in its own right, that it doesn’t need Shabbos to imbue it with any special kedusha.
We have just experienced the special Yom Tov of Shavuos, and have just been through a very special time of year - one in which we are supposed to work on improving our Torah and mitzvos. Although this special time has come to an end, we have to make sure not to leave empty handed, and we have to utilize the siyata dishmayah that Hashem has surely given us.
If we just continue our lives like normal, then we are no different to the camel which is stuck in the zoo, and we are no worse off than the nazir who has to bring a korban chatos for not continuing on in his elevated status.
So, let us take something small upon ourselves and make sure to leave this special time period more elevated than when we came in.
