Parashat Naso
June 6, 2009
11 Sivan 5769
Volume 18 No. 32

This week's Halachah File: Frozen Preembryos – to Whom do they Belong?

This week's issue is sponsored by Cary and Marty Reichardt of Fairlawn, NJ in honor of the engagement of their son, Corey to Dina Raynes of Brooklyn, NY.

Genuine Song
by Rabbi Scott Friedman

In Parashat Naso, the Torah instructs the House of Kehat to carry the Aron on their shoulders and not to carry it on a wagon with the words, “BaKateif Yisa’u,” “They shall carry it on shoulders” (BeMidbar 7:9). In Sefer Shmuel Bet (Perek 6), David HaMelech forgot this law. After recapturing the Aron from the Pelishtim, he had the Aron carried to Yerushalayim on a wagon. Because of this decision, Uzzah saw the Aron falling from the wagon, grabbed it, and was killed. David HaMelech was upset that he had allowed this to happen.
The Gemara (Sotah 35a) tells us that Hashem was displeased with David for referring to the Torah as a Zemirah when he said, “Zemirot Hayu Li Chukecha,” “Your statutes were like songs to me” (Tehillim 119:54). Therefore, Hashem said, “If you refer to My Torah as a song, I will cause you to forget a law that even young schoolchildren know (i.e., the law that the Aron must be carried on shoulders).” Rabbi Frand quotes The Vilna Gaon who asks what was wrong with David referring to the Torah as Zemirah if the Torah refers to itself as a song when Hashem commands Moshe and Yehoshua, “VeAtah Kitvu Lachem Et HaShirah HaZot,” “And write for yourselves this Shirah (song)” (Devarim 31:19). The Gaon explains that there is a major difference between a Zemirah and a Shirah. A Zemirah is a defined, structured song with a beginning and an end. A Shirah is infinite. It is an expression of an emotion, a need to express oneself. A similar usage of the root of “Shir” is “Az Yashir Moshe,” “Then Moshe sang” (Shemot 15:1), where it is an expression of gratitude and thanks to Hashem for the miracles at Yam Suf.
I recall spending a Shabbat in Boro Park with my wife’s cousin, an older Rav at the Beis Yaakov there. I have never seen anyone sing songs the way he sang Zemirot on Shabbat. He turned Zemirot into Shirot. His singing was obviously not done by route or without heart. They were a genuine expression of emotion, truly not just singing but singing to Hashem.
There is a story about the Baal Shem Tov that clarifies this point. One year, Rav Yisrael Baal Shem Tov said to Rav Ze’ev Kitzes, one of his senior disciples, “You will blow the Shofar for us this Rosh HaShanah. I want you to study all the Kavanot (Kabbalistic meditations) that pertain to the Shofar so that you should meditate upon them when you do the blowing.”
Rav Ze’ev applied himself to the task with joy and trepidation – joy over the great privilege that had been accorded him and trepidation over the immensity of the responsibility. He studied the Kabbalistic writings that discuss the multifaceted significance of the Shofar and what its sounds achieve on the various levels of reality and in the various chambers of the soul. He also prepared a sheet of paper on which he noted the main points of each Kavanah, so that he could refer to them when he blew the Shofar.
Finally, the great moment arrived. It was the morning of Rosh HaShanah, and Rav Ze’ev stood on the reading platform in the center of the Baal Shem Tov’s synagogue, amidst the Torah scrolls and surrounded by a sea of Tallit-draped bodies. At his table in the southeast corner of the room stood his master, the Baal Shem Tov, his face aflame. An awed silence filled the room in anticipation of the climax of the day, the piercing blasts and sobs of the Shofar.
Rav Ze’ev reached into his pocket and his heart froze; the paper had disappeared! He distinctly remembered placing it there that morning, but now it was gone. Furiously, he searched his memory for what he had learned, but his distress over the lost notes seemed to have incapacitated his brain: his mind was a total blank. Tears of frustration filled his eyes. He had disappointed his master, who had entrusted him with this most sacred task. Now he must blow the Shofar like a simple horn, without any Kavanot. With a despairing heart, Rav Ze’ev blew the litany of sounds required by law and, avoiding his master’s eye, resumed his place.
At the conclusion of the day’s prayers, the Baal Shem Tov made his way to the corner where Rav Ze’ev sat sobbing under his Tallit. “Gut Yom Tov, Reb Ze’ev!” he called. “That was a most extraordinary Shofar-blowing we heard today!”
“But Rebbe ... I ...”
“In the king’s palace,” said the Baal Shem Tov, “there are many gates and doors, leading to many halls and chambers. The palace-keepers have great rings holding many keys, each of which opens a different door. But there is one key that fits all the locks, a master key that opens all the doors.
“The Kavanot are keys, each unlocking another door in our souls, each accessing another chamber in the supernal worlds. But there is one key that unlocks all doors and opens for us the innermost chambers of the divine palace. That master key is a broken heart.”
So too when we see the Torah as a shirah, as eternal, coming from our hearts it will unlock all our inner gates and allow us to open the Heavenly ones. We should all be Zocheh (merit) to turn all the Zemirot in our lives into Shirot.

Speak Up!
Dovid Gottesman

In Parashat Naso, the Mitzvah of Birchat Kohanim, or Duchanen, is presented. The Kohanim have an obligation to deliver a blessing to B’nei Yisrael. The Beit HaLevi asked whether all the Kohanim have to give the blessing, or just one, based on the principle of Shomei’a KeOneh – that hearing something said is tantamount to saying it, so if one Kohen gives the Brachot and the other Kohanim listen, all the Kohanim would be Yotzei their Mitzvah of Birchat Kohanim. The Beit HaLevi explains that the Shomei’a KeOneh principle does not apply in this case because Birchat Kohanim must specifically be recited in a loud voice. Even though through Shomei’a KeOneh, the Kohen would be regarded as saying it, he would not completely fulfill the Mitzvah because he did not recite it in a loud voice. Birchat Kohanim must be said in a loud voice based on the Gemara (Sotah 38a) which explains that when the Pasuk (BeMidbar 6:23) states, “Koh Tevarechu,” “So shall you bless,” it means that Duchanen must be done in a loud voice.
The Ohr Samei’ach posed a fundamental question on the Beit HaLevi’s understanding of Shomei’a KeOneh. According to the understanding of the Beit HaLevi, one should not be able to fulfill the Mitzvot of Kiddush, megillah, and many other mitzvot in the ways that we perform them today. When one hears Kiddush, does he hear it over a cup of wine just like the person making the Kiddush in order to fulfill his Mitzvah? If he did not, then according to the Beit HaLevi’s understanding, one should not fulfill his obligation of Kiddush, because he must carry out all the components of the Mitzvah besides actually saying Kiddush in order to be Mikayem (fulfill) a Mitzvah using Shomei’a KeOneh. The same holds true with Megillat Esther: does one actually have to hear the Megillah out of the Megillah itself in order to be Mikayem the Mitzvah? According to the Beit HaLevi, one would have to do this.
The Ohr Samei’ach explains that Shomei’a KeOneh, in fact, means that when one hears the statement associated with the Mitzvah being recited, all of the things that are being done by the one reciting is utilized by the people who are fulfilling the mitzvah using Shomei’a KeOneh. Thus, when one hears Kiddush being said over a cup of wine, it is regarded as if he is saying Kiddush over a cup.
The Beit HaLevi’s son, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, rose to his father’s defense of his understanding of Shomeia KeOneh. He said that the Ohr Samei’ach is, of course, correct in his understanding of the principle, but he did not realize the fact that the Beit HaLevi had a different perspective on the Gemara in Sotah. When the Gemara said that Birchat Kohanim must be recited “in a loud voice,” the Beit HaLevi understood it as saying that “in the way one speaks to his friend,” the way the Sifrei also explained this phrase, that all of the people should hear what is being said by the Kohanim. Therefore, one could not use Shomei’a KeOneh to be Mikayem Birchat Kohanim, because it has the special obligation of having to be heard, and using Shomei’a KeOneh cannot make someone else hear one’s theoretical voice.

Potential for Greatness
by Moe Weiss
Bnei Yisrael are adjusting to life as Hashem’s subjects. Within a short period of time from the acceptance of the Torah, Hashem has assembled Bnei Yisrael, counted them, and given the blueprint for how they are to function. In Parashat Naso, Hashem continues with the establishment of His people.
The Torah tells us of the complex Halachot regarding a Sotah, the unfaithful wife suspected of adultery. The Torah lists the long process, including suspicion, warning, trial, and verdict. When introducing this section, the Torah states, “UMaalah Vo Maal,” “And she (the Sotah) commits a trespass against him (her husband)” (BeMidbar 5:12). The words “UMaalah” and “Maal” have the same root as “Me’ilah,” the name of the sin of using a utensil for mundane activities after it had been sanctified for the Beit HaMikdash. The Torah correlates these words to teach a lesson. When a man and a woman are together, they have the potential to create another Jew to be an Eved Hashem. This means that every person has a body which has the potential to serve and create in the name of Hashem. If, however, a one misuses his or her body in order to gain only physical pleasure, he or she is taking a sanctified object and using it for mundane purposes. This is the same sin as Me’ilah.
In contrast, the Torah mentions the unusual Halachot of the Nazir immediately afterwards to show the other extreme. A Nazir vows to Hashem that he will forego physical pleasures such as wine and haircuts in order to further connect himself to Hashem. There is a major dispute among commentators to Tanach if being a Nazir is regarded as positive or negative. That aside, the Torah compares these two extreme cases to display the vast potential in each person.
Although it is not necessary to be so extreme that one is a Nazir, it is very important to stay far away from giving into one’s temptations and becoming like the Sotah. We have the potential to become true Avdei Hashem, and Hashem has given us both material and spiritual ways to make ourselves closer to Him.

Korban Quandary
By Moshe Kollmar

The end of Parshat Naso deals with the dedication of the Mishkan. Beginning on the first of Nissan, the Nassi of each Sheivet gives a donation, one donation a day. The donation for each was: one silver bowl, weighing 130 Shekel, filled with fine flour and oil for a Korban Minchah; one silver basin, weighing 70 Shekel, filled with fine flour and oil for a Korban Minchah; one golden ladle, weighing 10 Shekel, filled with Ktoret; one bull for a Korban Olah; one ram for a Korban Olah; one lamb for a Korban Olah; one goat for a Korban Chatat; two cows for a Korban Shlamim; five rams for a Korban Shlamim; five goats for a Shlamim; and five lambs for a Korban Shlamim. If they all gave the same thing, why does it list the donation of each one in full?
The Midrash explains that each Nassi had different logic for bringing his Korban, so they cannot be lumped. Many different Midrashim elaborate on the reasoning behind each Korban. According to the Buber edition of Bamidbar Rabbah, the basic one of these Korbanot is modeled after ancestors and the leaders of the Jews of his day, and great historical events. The silver bowl, Ka’arat Kesef, corresponds to Adam and Chavah. In Gematria, a linguistic-numeric exchange system where each letter has its own value, Ka’arat Kesef is 930, corresponding to the length of Adam’s life, in years (Breishit 5:5). It weighed 130 Shekel, corresponding to Adam’s age when he had his son Sheit (Breishit 5:3), from whom all of the world is descended. The silver basin, Mizrak Echad Kesef, corresponds to Noach, through Gematria. The Gematria of Mizrak Echad Kesef is 520, the sum of Noach’s age when he had his first son and the number of years before having a son that Noach was told about the impending flood. Its weight, 70 Shekel, correspond to the seventy nations descended from Noach. The golden ladle symbolizes the Torah and the Aseret Hadibrot, because it weighs 10 Shekel. The Ktoret it is filled with represents the 613 Mitzvot within the Torah. In order to make this link, a letter exchange called At Bash is used on the first letter only. Once At Bash is used, the Gematria of the word is 613. The bull offered as an Olah refers to Avraham, who gave a bull to each of his guests, even when he was newly circumcised (Breishit 18:7). The Olah ram represents Yitzchak, who had a lamb offered as an Olah instead of him at the Akeidah. The Olah lamb corresponds to Yaakov, who was a shepherd. The Chatat goat symbolizes Yosef, whose brothers sold him and soaked his coat in goat’s blood. The two cows as Shlamim represent Moshe and Aharon, who brought peace between Bnai Yisrael and Hashem. (Shlamim comes from the word Shalom, peace). There are three groups of five animals as Shlamim, alluding to the Kohanim, Levi’im, and Yisraelim. The three groups also correspond to the three segments of Tanach: Torah, Nevi’im, and Ktuvim. The number five corresponds to the number of Chumashim within the Torah and the number of Dibrot on each of the Luchot.
Many other Midrashim, like the Vilna edition of Bamidbar Rabbah, go into detail for each Nassi and explain his intentions. One who would like to read these fully should see chapters 13 and 14 of the Bamidbar Rabbah Vilna edition. A basic summary of each of the Nesi’im according to the Vilna edition of Bamidbar Rabbah is: Nachshon ben Aminadav modeled his Korbanot after his descendents, the kings of Yehuda; Netanel ben Tzuar modeled his after various aspects of Torah study; Eliav ben Chailon modeled his after his Sheivet’s commerce to support Yissachar; Elitzur ben Shdai’ur modeled his after Reuvein’s actions at Mechirat Yoseif; Shlumi’eil ben Tzurishaddai modeled his after the Mishkan; Elyasaf ben D’u’eil modeled his after Yetziat Mitzrayim; Elishama ben Amihud’s gifts were modeled after Yosef; Gamli’el ben Pdatzur modeled his after Yaakov’s love for Yosef; Avidan ben Gid’oni modeled his after the past and future history of his Sheivet; Achi’ezer ben Ammishaddai modeled his after Shimshon; Pagiel ben Ochran modeled his after Bnai Yisrael’s closeness to Hashem; on the final day, Achira ben Einan modeled his after the Avot and Imahot.
One could devote years studying all the Midrashim on these comparisons. Some commentaries on the Midrash, like the Tiferet Tzion, write several volumes just on this one Parsha. Hopefully, this summary of a few Midrashim will teach just how much meaning the Torah adds by simply adding a seemingly superfluous Passuk. There are six Pesukim per Nassi, and about 100 different explanations of each Nassi’s Korban.