In last week's parsha, we picked up the story of the Jewish people as they traveled through the desert, on their way from Egypt to Israel. Moshe took a count of the adult men and the Levi'im. In this week's parsha, we'll learn about the special jobs of the Levi'im, a holy person called a nazir, and a not-so-holy person called a sotah.
Parshat Naso is the longest parsha in the Torah, with 176 pesukim (verses). It's interesting that the longest chapter in the entire Tanach is chapter 119 of Tehillim (Psalms), which also has 176 pesukim. And as if that isn't enough, the longest tractate of the Talmud, Bava Batra, has 176 pages! What is the significance of this unusual coincidence? It's a mystery? Maybe you will be the one to finally figure it out!
Bamidbar and Naso, which we read right after the harsh words of punishment in parshat Bechukotai, give us a needed break, to focus on the positive and prepare ourselves for the receiving of the Torah. In these parshiyot, the Jewish people are counted - teaching us that every single Jew counts and every Jew received the Torah on Mount Sinai. And when every Jew goes to synagogue on Shavuot to hear the reading of the Ten Commandments, each one receives the Torah all over again.
Still Counting?
Moshe finished counting the adult men, the Levi'im (including the children), and the men of the family of Levi's son Kehat. You might think that would be enough counting for a while - but HaShem said to Moshe:
"Please count the men of the family of Levi's son Gershon who are between the ages of 30 and 50. Their job will be to carry the woven materials of the Mishkan."
The men of Gershon would transport the beautiful curtains and partitions of the Mishkan in covered wagons.
... and Counting
After that, there was still some counting left to do.
"Moshe," HaShem said, "please count the men of the family of Levi's son Merari who are between the ages of 30 and 50. Their job will be to carry the boards, pillars, and sockets of the Mishkan."
Together with his brother, Aharon, Moshe did the counting. Aharon's son, Itamar, supervised the carrying and assigned each man a particular job to do. Like the men of Gershon, the men of Merari also used wagons to carry their holy cargo. (Where did they get the wagons? You'll find out soon!)
It's a Privilege
It was a great honor for the Levi'im to carry the holy objects of the Mishkan. Besides doing that, they had other special jobs, too. Some helped the Kohanim with the sacrifices, and some guarded the Mishkan. Still others sang beautiful songs and played musical instruments while the daily sacrifices were offered.
The sound of the music created a happy and pleasant atmosphere in the Mishkan, and the holy words helped bring forgiveness to the Jewish people.
To Tell the Truth
We've just read all about the holiest people, who carried holy objects and did holy work in the Mishkan - the holiest place. All this holiness! But this week's parsha also discusses what happens when people act in a way that is not so holy.
It sometimes happened that a husband might find out that his wife had been alone with another man, and wondered, "Hm? It's possible that they were talking about the weather, or playing a game of chess. But perhaps they are getting too comfortable together, and are acting as if they are married? That wouldn't be right!"
So the husband would say to his wife, "Please stay away from that man. I don't want you to be alone with him!"
Later, if the husband suspected that despite his request, his wife had been alone with the man, he could bring his wife to court - the highest court of all - the Sanhedrin, the great court with 70 judges. A woman who was suspected by her husband was called a sotah, which means, "one who has left the way of modesty." (The word sotah is related to the word shoteh, which means "foolish person.")
The judges would ask the woman, "Were you alone with that man?"
If the woman said that she did not do anything wrong, the judges gave her a test, to see if she was telling the truth. She was brought to a Kohein, who would prepare a simple sacrifice of barley flour for her.
A crowd of people would gather to witness the miracle that was about to take place.
Then the Kohein made a strange drink. First he filled a cup with water from the kiyor - the washbasin in the Mishkan. He mixed in some dust from the floor. Then he wrote pesukim (verses) containing HaShem's name on parchment, and then erased HaShem's name by scratching off the dried ink into the water.
"Please drink this water," the Kohein would tell her, "and then we'll know if your words are true."
