All the days of his abstinence he is holy to Hashem... The Kohen shall make one as a sin-offering. (6:8,11)
On the surface, the term nezirus begs elucidation. Is the Nazir a tzaddik, a righteous person, or is he, on some level, a sinner? The Torah refers to him as a kadosh, holy, to Hashem. Yet, he must bring a Korban Chatas, sin-offering, at the end of his period of nezirus. Surely, someone who is considered kadosh should not have to bring a sin-offering. What sin did he commit?
Various opinions are stated concerning the Nazir’s “breach” in holiness. He should not have achieved this pinnacle through the vehicle of abstinence from wine. A person should override his gravitation toward pleasure, rather than avoid it. Wine is used for kiddush. In moderation, wine is good for a person. To abstain completely is an indication of weakness and vulnerability. A holy person transcends weakness and triumphs over frailty. Furthermore, once he achieves this apex of kedushah – he should maintain that level. The fact that he is ending his nezirus indicates a deficiency in his kedushah.
In Drashos Bais Yishai (54), Horav Shlomo Fisher, zl, presents an original insight regarding the Nazir’s kedushah. During the Nazir’s period of nezirus, he is compelled by virtue of the prohibitions placed upon him by his nezirus, to secede from the community at large. He looks different, his unshorn hair is a reminder that he is, to some degree, isolated from the community. He must stay clear of anywhere where he might come into contact with a corpse. The prohibition placed upon him with regard to drinking wine curbs his appetite for social interaction. This is all good, since it avails him the time and opportunity for personal reflection, which is the precursor to holiness to enable him to build his strength and develop. For the period of time that the Nazir is “out of commission” and, to a certain extent, apart from the community, his holiness is actually deficient. A tzaddik should be accessible – not insulated; reachable – not removed. In this context, kedushah aligns with the idea that, by actively contributing to the community, being a source of inspiration for them, one embodies holiness. Kedushah involves living a life of virtue, reflecting the highest standards of spiritual and moral values and virtues. It is about transcending personal pursuits to engage in actions that reflect Divine Principles within the context of community life. It is almost as if to suggest that it is easy to be a tzaddik when one is removed from the Klal.
Horav S. R. Hirsch, zl (commentary to Bamidbar 7:1) presents a similar idea. The Torah writes that, on the day that Moshe Rabbeinu finally set up the Mishkan, Va’yimshach oso va’yikadesh oso, v’es kol keilav, v’es ha’Mizbeiyach v’es kol keilav, va’yimshacheim, va’yikadesh osam; “He had anointed it and had sanctified it, and all its vessels, and also the Altar and all its vessels, and had anointed them and sanctified them.” The Sifri addresses the apparent redundancy of the pasuk. They explain that we are being taught that, while each individual’s vessel was individually anointed and sanctified, until all of them were likewise anointed and sanctified, the earlier ones were not completed. This means: The sanctification of any part of the Sanctuary was
