Parshas Naso: Purifying Our Thoughts

We understand why some groups of ultra-orthodox Jews segregate themselves from the rest of the world.  The modern world is full of non-Jewish influences.  You turn on the radio and hear immodest music.  You turn on the television and see people dressed immodestly.  You walk in the street and you smell non-kosher food.

Most of us think we are strong enough to resist temptation. “I can quit smoking any time I want,” says the smoker.  And yet, those who really have quit smoking know it is not that easy.   But how did he start smoking in the first place?  He was probably surrounded by friends who smoked.  He started just by trying a bit, then a bit more, and eventually he was addicted.  And more than simple addiction – smoking became part of his world, his routine, his social scene.

It is the same with non-Jewish influences.  If we surround ourselves with people who we regularly see eating bacon, it is hard to resist the temptation to try it.  And this applies with things that go far beyond the laws of kashrut or modesty.  It includes our entire values system.  And it starts in our minds.

This is the meaning of the sotah, the wayward woman, in this week’s parsha.  In the Temple times, a woman who had been warned not to be alone with a certain man was seen secluding herself with him and was accused of adultery.  She proved her innocence – or her guilt was revealed – when she drank a potion of water and the dissolved ink from a parchment with this passage of the Torah on it.  Today, we do not follow this literally, but we can gain from its meaning.

The sotah is like our mind.  Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches that, like a married woman who should not be alone with a man other than her husband, our minds should not be alone with non-Jewish thoughts.  In Judaism, there are three levels of mitzvah and aveira: thought, speech, and action.  By secluding ourselves with our thoughts, we think we are safe and will not be found out.  But the influences will eventually come out in our speech and our actions.

This week, as we prepare ourselves to relive the giving of the Torah, is a perfect time to work on purifying our thoughts.

Shabbat shalom!

Read more on Parshas Naso: Purifying Our Thoughts

Read more on Parshas Naso: Making Peace – with EVERYONE

Read more on Parshas Naso: Learning to be a Leader

Parshas Naso: Making Peace – With EVERYONE

Rabbi Ben made a friend in India by offering to help him with his sugarcane press. By making peace even with people very different from us, we make a kiddush Hashem, sanctify G-d's name, and make a good name for Jews everywhere!

Life brings lots of opportunities for conflict.  That’s just the way it is – you can’t please all the people all the time.  And you’re not going to get along great with everyone.

Traveling makes this little fact of life so much more noticeable.  After all, most of us choose to live in communities and associate with people who share our same interests and values, more or less.  So the amount of opportunity for conflict is reduced in most ordinary life.  However, in travel you are constantly coming up against people and places and societies that are often completely contrary to what your own values, beliefs, and interests are.  You have normal human nature to deal with, plus all these extra opportunities to disagree.

Yet in the Torah, we learn that making peace is a high priority, one of the highest values.  In fact, it is highlighted in this week’s Torah portion.  It’s a task emphasized specifically for and by Aaron, the high priest.   Our spiritual leaders are the people held to the highest standards because they are the ones tasked with bringing us closer to G-d.  So when a task is given to them specifically, it must be very important indeed.

When we travel, we go to great pains to try to get along as well as possible with the people and the society we’re visiting.  Even when their beliefs and values may be quite contrary to ours – such as travel within a polytheistic society (like Hindus) – we try to get along as well as possible with them.  Making peace and pursuing peace is such a high value that we have to make it one of our top priorities.

Not only is it a mitzvah to make peace, but it is also a kiddush Hashem.  It helps to sanctify G-d’s name in the world and it makes a good impression on others.  Nobody who has been reconciled after a fight is angry at their mediator – they are grateful for the relationship that has been saved.  So if we as Jews can do this no matter where we are in the world, we make a good name for Jews everywhere – and for our G-d.

This week, let’s all try our best to pursue peace, even if it means finding some common ground with someone we might not normally get along with! Shabbat Shalom!

More on Parshas Naso: Learning to be a Leader

During his trip on the Israel Trail with Derech HaTeva, Rabbi Ben had lots of opportunities to act as a leader. We learn in this week's Torah portion what it means to be a leader and just how important it really is.

Sometimes travel is complicated.  Situations arise that you don’t always know how to handle.  Maybe your luggage is lost, or maybe it’s you that’s lost.  Sometimes you want to be adventurous and go off the beaten track or maybe you’re like Rabbi Ben and in love with trekking and mountain climbing.  Whatever your situation, it’s hard to be a serious traveler and not have something unexpected come up.  The question is: How do we handle it?

Parshas Nasso is the longest parsha in the Torah.  Why? Because it details, again and again, the offerings the princes of Israel brought.  Why is it so important for us to devote so much time to reading about this? The Torah doesn’t waste any words! It must be that this is incredibly important.  To get to the answer to that question, we have to ask why the princes were bringing these sacrifices.  As it turns out, when the mishkan (the tabernacle) was being built, the Jews had to donate a lot of different items.  Before the donations started, the princes got together and decided that they would give for the mishkan anything left over that the Jews didn’t give.  They figured there would be quite a bit left.  But the Jews were so enthusiastic about giving for G-d that they very quickly gave everything necessary – and then even too much! Moshe even had to stop them from giving any more.  The princes were left unable to give anything.  By bringing these sacrifices, they were finally able to give.

Like the princes of Israel, we as travelers often find ourselves in situations that we’ve never encountered before.  Every situation is not just a challenge, but an opportunity – and we each have the potential within us to become a great leader.  Last summer, Rabbi Ben traveled to Israel, where he spent a month walking the Israel Trail.  But it wasn’t enough for him just to walk it – he had to lead a group of teenage boys on that long hike.  And, being a leader, he often had to make decisions – what trail to follow, where to set up camp, and how many hours to hike that day.  He was constantly receiving opportunities to act as a leader.

And he did act as a leader, by jumping in and solving problems and taking advantage of every chance that arose.  When they passed through a grove of wild fruit trees, he didn’t sit back and wait for the kids to notice the abundance G-d created – he didn’t let the opportunity pass him by.  Instead, he led the children to enjoy things like wild figs and berries.  By acting as a leader, everyone was able to participate and enjoy – including him!

That is what we must learn from the lesson of the princes.   Had they acted as true leaders, they would each have been the first to give a reasonable amount for the mishkan.  In that way, all the Jews in their tribes would have followed suit and everyone would have had a chance to give – including the princes.  As leaders, this is our potential – let’s make it a reality!

Derech Hateva Link