The meaning of the Hebrew name of today’s Sidra is COUNT. This Sidra is the longest in the Torah and it contains 176 verses. It is remarkable that the longest Psalm, 119, also, consists of 176 verses and the longest tractate in the Talmud, Babba Batra, has 176 pages. The midrashic significance of this Sidra being the longest is that it almost always follows the Festival of Giving of the Torah. It symbolises the desire the Jewish people to listen to the words of the Torah even more than usual. There is a tradition that our rabbis have made more comments on this Sidra than on any other.
The functions of the sons of the Kehat, within the Tent of Meeting, are given at the beginning of chapter 4, in the previous Sidra. Now, we are told what the sons of Gershon had to do. Since Gershon was Levi’s oldest son, he and his family should have come first. The reason why the Torah deals with the sons of Kehat first is because they were responsible for the holiest furnishings and utensils within the Tabernacle. The Sidra of Naso starts in the middle of chapter 4. This is because the report about the work of the three sons of Levi is interrupted, reported in two Sidrot. The commentators are baffled by this interruption.
The family of Gershon was responsible for the transportation and safekeeping of the curtains and the coverings of the Tabernacle. The family of Merari, Levi’s third son, was responsible for the transportation of the beams of the Tabernacle and the various parts that held them together. Records of the people who were responsible for each item were very carefully kept. Every time the Tabernacle was reassembled, the beams had to be replaced in exactly the same position as before.
The Sidra moves on to discuss a number of laws. 1. The law which required the expulsion of impure people from the camp. 2. The law regarding fraud and priestly gifts. 3. The law regarding a woman whose husband suspects her of infidelity. 4. The law of the Nazarite. 5. The mitzvah incumbent upon the Priests to bless the people. These laws are not connected with any events that happened at this point. The reason for their presence here seems to be this: once the census was complete, the camp in order and everybody’s tasks clearly given, the Torah reports some laws which are specifically linked to the sanctuary and the priests. These laws are followed by the long account of the dedication of the altar at the end of the Sidra.
The first part of Chapter 5 is devoted to the details of the law of Sotah, the woman who was suspected by her husband of having been unfaithful. The character of this law differs from any other law in the Torah. It involves a ritual in which the woman is presented to a priest who makes her take an oath stating that if she has behaved immorally, then the drinking of bitter waters would cause her injury. According to one interpretation, the injury would be that she would no longer be able to fall pregnant. It has been suggested that this ritual was based on the assumption that, since the woman believes firmly in the effectiveness of this ritual, she would refuse to drink the water. In this way, the truth would be established.
The second part of chapter 5 is devoted to the laws of the Nazarite. The Torah recognised that, sometimes, a person may feel the need to follow a more ascetic, holier way of life, by making a vow, declaring his intention to be a Nazarite. The Hebrew root NZR is related to the similar sounding root NDR, meaning to make a vow, which is familiar to us from Kol Nidre, the opening prayer on the eve of the Day of Atonement. The root NZR, therefore, means to separate. The word NEZER also means crown, which, in relation to the Nazarite, refers to his hair which he was instructed to grow during the period of his vow. Our rabbis received the tradition that, in this passage, the Torah is referring to someone who was becoming a Nazarite for a period of 30 days. In addition, the Nazarite was not allowed to drink any wine or its products and become impure to the dead. Amongst the commentators, there is a discussion whether or not to become a Nazarite was regarded as a positive act. There is a view that it was sinful on the grounds that we should enjoy the gifts of life, which the Almighty has allowed us to enjoy. On the other hand, there is a view that it may have been the right decision for someone who has been become addicted to immoral thoughts and worse. Becoming a Nazarite gave him a chance to set stricter boundaries for himself.
In Biblical history, there were two famous Nazarites from birth. The first was Samson, who, as one of the Judges, saved the Israelites from the Philistines. The second was the Prophet Samuel who established the monarchy in Israel.
The laws of the Nazarite clearly indicate a tradition that hair is holy in some respect. This tradition has been preserved in our mystical sources. It explains the contemporary custom in the strictly Orthodox community to allow the baby boy’s hair to grow until his third birthday. On his third birthday, it is customary to have a special ceremony called OPSHIRIN. It symbolises the desire to dedicate the child to a life of Torah and Mitzvoth. Many people conduct the ceremony on Lag Ba’Omer, when we celebrate the life of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who is regarded as the Father of Jewish Mysticism.
Towards the end of the Sidra we find the famous priestly blessing, which we call in Hebrew Birkat Kohanim. It consists of three parts. Rabbi Samuel Tayib, who lived in Tunisia, explains the blessing as follows: It contains three primary divine gifts, which we yearn for. The first blessing is: “May the Almighty bless you and keep you, and all that is yours, safe”. This refers to livelihood and wealth, which we pray we shall never lose. The second blessing is: “May Hashem illuminate his countenance for you and be gracious to you”. This refers to the blessing of children. Finally, the priestly blessing says: “May Hashem lift his countenance to you and establish peace for you.” This refers to a long life, which is the result of physical and mental health. This is the ultimate peace we can hope to have in this life. May we all be blessed with the gift of peace.