Parshat Naso/Shavuot
Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary

A thought... Sefer HaToda'ah says that it is significant that we read the largest portion of Torah right after (or right before) ZMAN MATAN TORATEINU. It is a sign of our sincere acceptance of the Torah. As if we say: Yes, I will accept the Torah. Give me the largest portion, please.
[Numbers] refer to the Sefer HaChinuch's mitzva-count

Kohen - First Aliya - 17 p'sukim - 4:21-37
The second count of Levi continues with the family branch of Gershon. The first count was of males from 30 days old and up. This count is of males between 30 and 50 years of age only. That constitutes the work-force for the Mishkan.

Note: The starting age for a Levi's service is 30. In the Beit HaMikdash, there is no maximum age. In the Mishkan, however, since a Levi's work required carrying Mishkan components in addition to singing and guarding, there was a mandatory retirement age of 50.

Also note that the family-branch of K'hat was counted and their tasks were enumerated at the end of Bamidbar.

[Speculation: 20 p'sukim earlier looks like it might have been the originally intended beginning of Naso. Although Naso would be even larger than it is, Bamidbar would end on a "proper" note, rather than how it ends now.]

Gershon's tasks include: the three coverings of the Mishkan - the Mishkan (intricately woven, multi-colored, first layer), the Ohel (goat's hair, woven middle covering), and the Michseh (outer covering of skins - ram & tachash); the curtain at the entrance of Ohel Moed (same weave as the Mishkan); the linen curtain material that surrounded the courtyard and the entrance curtain of the courtyard; the securing stakes and other related tools. Leviyim were to function only as instructed by the kohanim. The supervisor of family Gershon is Aharon's son Itamar.

Family-branch Merari was also counted - males between 30 and 50 years of age. They were in charge of the wall-boards of the Mishkan, beams, posts, and foundations. Similarly, the courtyard posts, stakes, foundation sockets, and related tools. Itamar was their supervisor too. (Merari used 4 of the 6 wagons - see towards the end of the sedra - and Gerson used the other 2. K'hat used their shoulders.)

The counts of the work-forces of Levi came to: 2,750 for K'hat...

Levi - Second Aliya - 12 p'sukim - 4:38-49
2,630 for Gershon, and 3,200 for Merari. The total work-force of Levi in the Mishkan was 8,580. (The position of "Sheni" might vary in different editions of the Chumash.)

[SDT] ...LA'AVOD AVODAT AVODA VA'AVODAT MASA... Note the four words in a row with the same root. Rashi says the Avodat Avoda (kind of a strange phrase) refers to playing musical instruments. As far as Avodat Masa is concerned - the Gemara in Chulim comments that only when there is heavy manual labor involved, then there is an age limit for the Leviyim (as was mentioned above). And it seems that the age limit of 50 was only for the carrying. In other words, a Levi was able to continue serving in the Mishkan after 50, but only for SHIRA and SH'MIRA.

Shlishi - Third Aliya - 10 p'sukim - 5:1-10
People who are ritually defiled from any of three specific causes, are to be excluded from the camp pending purification [362]. We are taught that the 3 have different restrictions, as follows: A "m'tzora" is excluded from the entire camp of Israel and must remain in isolation until purification. The "zav" and "zava" are permitted in the camp of Israel, but are banned from the Levite camp (and, of course, from the Temple area). [Har HaBayit today, outside the area where the Beit HaMikdash and its courtyard stood, has the sanctity of the Levite camp.] A person who came into contact with a dead body is banned only from the "Camp of the Divine Presence" (Beit HaMikdash and its courtyard) [363].

A person who sins is required to verbally confess (when repenting) [364]. He/she must also make restitution (if money was involved) and pay a penalty to the victim.

[SDT] Take a close look at the portion in the sedra dealing with repentance. It speaks of a man or a woman sinning and of THEIR (not his) requirement to confess and do T'shuva. It is often the case that when an individual sins, others are somewhat responsible. Perhaps a parent who did not educate the child properly. Maybe someone who made stealing (for example) too easy and/or tempting. Does the society bear some of the responsibility for a sinner's actions, because of misplaced emphasis on the wrong values? A person is primarily accountable for his actions. But the Torah's use of the plural, reminds us of our duty to develop an environment of Torah values that will be conducive for all members of society to enthusiastically follow a Torah way of life. This is part of KOL YISRAEL AREIVIM ZEH BAZEH.

(We can suggest that the mitzva of EGLA ARUFA illustrates this point - part of the procedure required upon finding a dead body - that met with foul play, as they say - is for the elders of the town closest to the body to proclaim that they didn't kill the person. There is an implication of involvement in the unsolved homicide.

So too, the fact that the death of a Kohen Gadol releases "inadvertent killers" from their cities of refuge, implies responsibility on the part of the spiritual leader of the people for the carelessness that leads to SHOGEG deaths.)

MITZVA WATCH
According to Rambam (and others), this is the one Torah mitzva in the laws of repentance. When a person sins, and repents (not, when a person sins, he is required to repent, and...), in addition to the various elements of T'shuva (regret for the past, acceptance for the future, changing one's ways), the repentant individual must verbally confess his sins before G-d. One can suggest that Rambam holds that T'shuva itself is not one of the 613 mitzvot, but rather a natural result of a Jew taking advantage of G-d's gift - the opportunity for a second chance. When a person sins and does T'shuva... The mitzva is to confess (when repenting) and not letting the process be exclusively in one's heart and mind. Other mitzva-counters do include T'shuva among the 613 mitzvot.

Another way to explain why the mitzva of T'shuva is not on Rambam's list of 613 is because it spans all mitzvot, rather than being a specific mitzva on its own. In other words... The Torah forbids eating non-kosher meat. If one violates these prohibition, he is required to repent. Repentance is part of the mitzva prohibiting non-kosher meat. So too for all mitzvot, positive as well as prohibitions. Bench after a meal; if you don't, repent your non-fulfillment of this mitzva. T'shuva can be viewed as a Value Added Tax tacked on to every other mitzva. As such, it does not get counted on its own among the Taryag mitzvot. (The specific command to verbally confess as part of the T'shuva process does get counted among the 613, because it is specific). On the other hand, others disagree with Rambam and DO count T'shuva as one of the 613. Some include VIDUI in the mitzva of T'shuva and some count it separately.

R'VI'I - Fourth Aliya - 48 p'sukim - 5:11-6:27
This long portion primarily contains the topics of the SOTA (wife suspected of infidelity and duly warned) and the NAZIR (one who vows abstinence of a specific type) and Birchat Kohanim.

If a wife is unfaithful to her husband, and there is no proof of her adultery, or if a man suspects his wife of unfaithfulness and it be unwarranted, he may formally warn her in front of witnesses not to be seen in the company of a particular man. This warning is a precondition to the whole topic of Sota. Suspicion alone, or even adultery per se, do not produce the conditions for Sota without a formal warning by the husband. Once the warning is issued, it is a mitzva (requirement) to proceed with the Sota-process [365]. The husband must bring his wife to the kohen at the Beit HaMikdash. A barley-meal offering is brought. No oil [366] or spice [367] is used with it since the issue at hand is so serious and unpleasant before G-d.

The kohen prepares a potion consisting of water from the Kiyor (the washing basin in the courtyard of the Beit HaMikdash), earth from the floor, and the dissolved writing of this portion of the Torah. The kohen administers an oath to the woman asking her to swear to her innocence, if that be the case, or to admit her guilt. The woman is warned of serious adverse effects of the potion which she will be given to drink, if in fact she has committed adultery, and of the favorable consequences of the potion if she is innocent.
The seriousness with which the Torah treats the issue of Sota is motivated by a desire to bring harmony between husband and wife (when feasible) and the notion that doubt is extremely detrimental to a relationship. G-d, so to speak, permits His Name to be written and erased in order to advance the cause of marital harmony.

There are many details, too numerous to include here, concerning the conditions necessary for the Sota-process to go though to its end. In other words, there would be many situations when the oath and potion would not be used.

One interesting and serious warning for today. The first part of Sota, namely the warning in front of witnesses, applies today, even without a Beit HaMikdash. If a man were to give the Sota-warning in front of witnesses today, and his wife subsequently is seen alone with the man named in the warning, he would be duty-bound to bring his wife to the Beit HaMikdash (a slight problem today, unfortunately) and he would be prohibited from having relations with her until then. Big problem. Easy solution: don't do the first part, no matter what the situation.

This is one of several examples of a mitzva that can only partially be fulfilled today, but nevertheless, the part that can be done, does apply. And creates problems in the inability to follow through.

A man or a woman may make a Nazirite vow to G-d. This is usually, but not always, for a period of one month. A Nazir is forbidden to drink wine [368], eat grapes [369], raisins [370], grape seeds [371], and grape skins [372]. A Nazir may not cut his hair [373], but rather must let his hair grow long [374]. A Nazir may not come into contact with a dead body [375], nor become ritually defiled even from the bodies of a close relative [376].

The Chinuch explains that since a regular Kohen is born with restrictions of ritual purity, it would be unfair to forbid him to be in contact with the body of one of his close relatives. His grief might be too great to handle that level of prohibition. But a Nazir voluntarily accepts his restrictions, knows what he is getting himself into (as would a candidate for Kohen Gadol), and therefore he can be restricted from contact with the body of even his own mother.

If a Nazir does become defiled, he must purify himself (following 7 days of defilement), shave his hair, bring 2 doves and a lamb as korbanot, and begin his period of Nazir anew. When a Nazir successfully concludes the term of his vow, he brings 2 lambs and a ram plus various types of flour-oil offerings and wine for libation [377]. Included with these korbanot is a sin offering. (This implies that it is not entirely proper for one to accept upon himself a Nazirite vow. The Torah often provides extreme measures for one who feels he must live a stricter life in order to correct certain shortcomings, but still reminds us that it is not a preferable way of life.) Part of this mitzva is for the Nazir to shave off his hair, which is put into the fire under his korban. Afterwards, he may drink wine.

MITZVA WATCH
It is interesting to note that the many details of a Nazir's prohibitions are counted separately among the Torah's mitzvot. For example, does it not seem strange that the prohibition of a Nazir's eating grapes and raisins and grape skins and grape seeds should be counted separately? In contrast, look at the many examples in the Torah where a huge number of details are all subsumed under one mitzva - e.g. building the Mishkan, the melachot of Shabbat, to name just two. Perhaps the answer lies in the usual circumstances of a Nazir. Here is an individual who might be having more than regular difficulty controlling his physical urges. The Torah permits him to take vows of abstinence (which would ordinarily be frowned upon) in order to help him "straighten himself out". The Torah further "bombards" the Nazir, and his troubled soul, with mitzva upon mitzva to scrupulously adhere to. This process will hopefully bring the Nazir back "on an even keel". (This is clearly an over-simplification of the Nazir issue, but it's something to think about.)

Next, the Torah presents the "three-fold blessing" which forms the text of "Birkat Kohanim". (We also say these p'sukim every morning as part of Birchot HaTorah, and we "borrow" the bracha for our children on Leil Shabbat, even though we are not all Kohanim.) When the kohanim pronounce this blessing, G-d will bless them and the people of Israel. Birkat Kohanim is a mitzva upon kohanim, daily [378].

Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 41 p'sukim - 7:1-41
The reading from this point until the end of the sedra and into the beginning of the next sedra, constitutes the readings for the eight days of Chanuka. (Some start from the Birkat Kohanim portion at the end of R'vi'i.) Some communities also read "the gifts of the tribal leaders" on the first 12 days of Nissan.)

On the day the Mishkan was completed, it and its furnishings, altar and its utensils, were anointed and sanctified. The tribal leaders gave to the Mishkan 6 wagons and 12 oxen, two to pull each wagon. The wagons were to be distributed to the Leviyim proportional to the tasks of the different families. Gershon received two wagons and four oxen. Merari received four wagons and eight oxen (because their loads were consider ably heavier and bulkier). No wagons were given to K'hat, since they were responsible for the sacred articles which had to be carried by shoulder. That the Aron was to be carried on the shoulders of Leviyim from family K'hat is a mitzva [379].

Next follows 12 portions of 6 p'sukim each, which are practically identical. Each portion contains the name of a tribal leader and a description of the gifts of gold and silver vessels and animals for sacrifices that were presented on one of the twelve days of dedication of the Mishkan.

Nachshon b. Aminadav of Yehuda was the first to present his gifts. The leaders of Yissachar, Zevulun, Reuven, and Shimon presented their gifts on the 4 following days. Although the gifts are identical, there are sources that teach that each leader brought his gifts with special kavanot and symbolisms unique to his tribe.

Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 30 p'sukim - 7:42-71
The leaders of Gad, Ephraim, Menashe, Binyamin, and Dan brought their gifts on days 6 thru 10 respectively.

Sh'vi'i - Seventh Aliya - 18 p'sukim - 7:72-89
Bamidbar 7 is the longest perek in the Torah.
The leaders of Asher and Naftali brought their gifts on days 11 and 12. The Torah presents totals and summaries of the "Dedication".
From this point, contact by G-d to Moshe emanated from between the two cherubs atop the (kaporet of the) Aron.

HAFTARA - 24 p'sukim - Shoftim 13:2-25
The sedra teaches us the laws of the Nazir. The haftara tells us of the first Nazir, namely Shimshon. The nazirship of Shimshon is not typical. His was "ordered" by G-d via a heavenly angel and was to be a Nazir from birth, for Shimshon's entire life. "Regular" nazirship is proclaimed by a vow and is for a limited time, usually one month. The nazir's outward appearance - his unshorn hair - should be the external evidence of an inner sanctity. In Shimshon's case, his nazirship was accompanied by miraculous feats of heroic achievements against the Philistines who were Israel's major adversaries of the time.

Side point. The angel instructs Shimshon's mother (wife of Mano'ach of the tribe of Dan) as to how she must behave when she becomes pregnant. She must not drink wine or any other alcoholic beverages, nor eat anything Tamei. Interesting how long ago it was known that alcohol intake of a pregnant woman affects her child.