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“Trespass”
Rabbi Ari Kahn
A glance at Parshat Naso reveals what is for the most part a clear
continuation from the previous section. The discussion of the role of
the tribe of Levi is continued. At the end of the Parsha, the offering
of the heads of the tribes brought during the consecration of the
Mishkan is enumerated. Both of these sections seem clear in their
connection with general theme which has been established, and
that which will be continued. In the middle of the Parsha there is a
digression which discusses a number of laws which seem
disconnected to the narrative of the Parsha.
These laws include the ordeal of the Sotah – the woman suspected
of immorality, the laws of the Nazir, and laws concerning vows. At
the end of this section is the priestly blessing, and then the Torah
continues with matters organically related to the book of Bamidbar.
Rabbi says, Why does the section of the Nazir adjoin that of
the suspected woman? To tell you that whoever witnesses a
suspected woman in her disgrace should withhold himself
from wine. (Sotah 2a)
You will find the section concerning the Nazir and the
unfaithful woman side by side. The Nazir vows not to drink
wine; whereupon God says to him: ‘Thou hast made a vow not
to drink wine in order to be removed from sin; then do not
say: "I will eat grapes and no sin will befall me." Since,
however, thou hast made a vow against wine, I will teach thee
not to sin before Me.’ He told Moshe, therefore, to teach Israel
the laws of the Nazir, as it says: When either man or woman
shall clearly utter a vow... he shall abstain from wine and
strong drink (Num. VI, 2, 3), he shall eat nothing that is made
of the grape-vine (ib. 4), and when he does this, he will be like
an angel. Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XVI:2
Another Midrash goes further and relates these two sections to the
priestly blessing:
Why is the section dealing with the Nazir placed after the one
dealing with the suspected wife, and the priestly benedictions
put after the section dealing with the Nazir? Because the
suspect wife would be told: ' Daughter! Much harm is caused
by wine. It should be a woman's habit to keep away from
wine, like a Nazir! ' They stipulated with her regarding all that
is mentioned in the section. If she was chaste and was cleared
and conceived seed, priests emanated from her, who blessed
Israel. Midrash Rabbah - Numbers X:25
While the Talmud and Midrash note the connection between the
laws of Nazir and Sotah, however the connection of these laws to
this section remain elusive.
The Torah introduces the law of Sotah by using the word Ma’al which
can be translated as trespass or embezzlement. The lesson which
the Torah is teaching, is that marriage is sacred, and the individual
who takes another mans wife, or the woman whom is intimate with
a man other than her husband is guilty of a trespass.
Significantly this is not the first time in the Parsha this word is used:
This tradition of the tree being grapes is directly associated with the
Nazir and the Sotah:
All of these sources are in agreement that the sin in Eden was
caused by the vine, therefore the law of the Nazir is clearly
understood. Excess wine can lead to immorality, when one faces
immorality the response should be abstention, in order to protect
oneself from the destructive forces unleashed.
The Mishna also makes this connection when describing the warning
which the woman receives prior to the ordeal.
The Mishna then describes a second aspect of the ordeal which the
Torah mentions:
And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and
loosen the hair of the woman’s head (5:18)
But if she says, ‘I am pure’, they bring her up to the east gate
which is by the entrance of Nicanor's gate where they give
suspected women the water to drink, purify women after
childbirth and purify lepers. A priest seizes her garments — if
they are rent they are rent, and if they become unstitched
they are unstitched until he uncovers her bosom, and he
undoes her hair.
The uncovering of the woman seems cruel and bizarre, the exposed
woman seems quite incongruent with the holiness associated with
the Temple. However, in Eden prior to man’s trespass, nakedness
was the order of the day. This suspected woman is either innocent –
like Adam and Eve, prior to their sin, or she is guilty and will soon
suffer the consequences of her rebellion.
There was one other uncovered aspect to the Mishkan, the Keruvim
which stood in the holy of Holies were uncovered. It was from there
that the word of G-d would emanate.
And when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with
him, then he heard the voice of One speaking to him from the
covering that was upon the ark of Testimony, from between
the two keruvim; and he spoke to him. (7:89)
This verse is the final verse of this week’s Parsha, from between
these naked cherubs would the word of G-d set forth. A revelation of
sorts would come to Moshe from this Holy place. There is another
aspect to this verse, which is compelling. The place where the voice
emanated from is described as “Upon the Ark”. The Hebrew is
“May’al, {mem ain lamed} the same three letters which spelled the
word ma’al – trespass. Perhaps the word trespass implies taking
something from the Temple which is owned by heaven. Belonging to
above, exclusive to heaven.
When man sinned he caused there to be a chasm between heaven
and earth. Exile from the Garden was the result. Man’s original
trespass caused this situation.
The vine and her grapes and wine, are objects which should have
not been needed in this world. The Midrash teaches that the
purpose of wine was to comfort the mourner:
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine
unto the bitter in soul (Prov. XXXI, 6). R. Hanan said: Wine was
created in the world solely for the purpose of paying the
wicked their reward in this world, for they are lost to the next
world, and of comforting the mourners; hence it is written,
‘And wine unto the bitter in soul.’ From this the Sages derived
the rule that all those who were about to be executed by the
court should be given to drink wine in its undiluted state, so
that the criminal's mind should become confused; in fulfilment
of what it says, ' Give strong drink unto him that is ready to
perish.’ Let him drink, and forget his poverty (ib. 7). This is
said of the condemned man who is about to perish, namely
that he shall forget death, which is his grief. And his misery
(ib.)1’is said of him who is bitter in soul, namely whose sons
and daughters have died and who is bitter in soul; the wine
would make his heart glad so he would not remember his grief
any more. (Midrash Rabbah - Numbers X:4)
Had Adam and Eve not eaten from that tree, then its fruits would
not have been necessary, for there would have been no death nor
sorrow. We would still be in the Garden with the spirit of G-d
manifest. Sin would have been a possibility but not a reality. And the
voice of G-d would not have come exclusively to Moshe rather it
would have been available to all.
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the
trees of the garden.
Man without sin would not have hidden himself from G-d, but would
have basked in the Glory. Celestial guards Keruvim would not have
had to be stationed at the gate to the Garden, nor would they have
had to be later stationed in the Mishkan.
Now when the Temple – the Mishkan will come into use we are
bidden not to make the same mistake man did at the dawn of
history. For if we are guilty of a trespass {meilah} we will be
unworthy to hear the word descend from above {may’al}.
[For more on the Cherubim see Teruma 5758 “Innocence lost and
Found]