Parshas Naso 5765

The camp of the Israelites had to be fit at all times for G-d's Divine Presence to dwell in its midst. For this reason any person who was impure was sent outside of the camp. There were actually three camps among the Jews; innermost was the Camp of the Shechina, the Divine Presence, where the Tabernacle was housed. Outside of that was the Camp of the Levites, and outside of that was the Camp of the Israelites. Depending on the severity of the impurity it wa s determined outside of which camp the person had to remain.

The Jewish people are also held to a high moral standard. The Torah elaborates on the procedure of dealing with suspected adulterers. A mixture was given to the suspected woman to drink, and if she was guilty she would die. If she was indeed innocent, she would be blessed. G-d created miracles with this procedure just in order to restore mutual trust in an otherwise damaged relationship.

The Nazirite was a person who accepted a temporary oath of abstinence from wine, haircuts, and contact with a corpse. Although this is not the Torah's norm, under certain circumstances it was necessary to abstain for therapeutic purposes. For this reason, although the Nazirite is referred to as a holy person, he must nonetheless bring a sin offering upon completion of his oath to atone for his abstinence.

At the dedication of the Tabernacle, each of the nesi'im, the princes of the tribes, brought gifts in honor of the dedication. These gifts were brought out of their own pockets, to make amends for their lack of participation in the actual construction of the Tabernacle.

Each prince brought the same gift, comprising of: a silver plate and silver bowl filled with flour and oil, a gold spoon filled with incense, and a variety of twenty one animals for different sacrifices. The Torah repeats the same six passages describing these gifts twelve times, once for each prince. The Midrash explains that although each prince brought the same gift, they were actually each motivated by different considerations. The same gift may have had a different representation to different people. The Torah therefore repeats all the details of the gifts for each prince, to emphasize that although the gifts were the same items, they were really different gifts.

Many mitzvos in the Torah seem to be so regimented, that they leave little room for creativity and self-expression. The reality however, is quite the opposite. The mitzvos were meant to provide a framework of guidance, within which there is plenty of room for self-expression. The details can--and should--take on very different meanings to different people.

...The time of the Giving of our Torah (Shavuos liturgy)

During World War ll, the Germans bombed London frequently, and people took refuge in the city's bomb shelters. Rav Yechezkel Abramsky would descend one flight from his apartment to the steel vault of a bank. People noticed that he would always mumble while he was in the vault. One of the bank workers asked him what he was saying and the Rav explained, "When I come here, I am reminded of King David's words 'Torah is better to me than thousands in silver and gold' (Psalms 119:72). All the millions of pounds in the vault I see here remind me how valuable the Torah is, and that I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the world."

Did You Know..

Although it is permitted to cook on Yom Tov, one may only do so for eating or other necessary activities. Thus, one may turn on the hot water to wash his hands and face, which is called a necessity. However, the Rabbis did not consider daily bathing a necessity, but rather a luxury, and thus one may not take a hot shower on Yom Tov.

Preferably, one should not bathe one's whole body or shower at all on Yom Tov, even with cold water. If, however, one is very uncomfortable, as on an extremely hot day, it is permitted to take a cold shower. Using bar soap or shampoo is prohibited. One must also be careful not to squeeze the water from his hair.