2020/5780
Parashat Naso introduces the Nazir, a person who maintains an elevated spiritual status for a limited period of time. He or she commits to abstain from certain material pleasures, such as wine and haircuts, as well as avoid ritual impurity through contact with a dead body. Upon completion, the Nazir offers Korbanot and may resume these activities. Should the Nazir violate his oath, he must bring a sin offering and start over.
The sin offering makes sense as a consequence of consuming wine or attending to personal hygiene, since the Nazir decides what to drink and when to visit the barber. He could sip from the wrong glass through negligence, or trim his hair from discomfort; the Nazir is at fault for these transgressions. But what if someone suddenly drops dead? "Vechi Yamut Meit Alav Bifetah Pitom,” “If a person should die near him with quick suddenness,” the Torah still requires a sin offering as atonement (BeMidbar, 6:9-11). So what was the sin? Is he held responsible for a tragedy beyond his control?
To understand the Nazir’s role in a case of sudden death, it is useful to examine the only other instance in Chumash where the word “Pitom” appears. In Parashat BeHa’alotecha, the Torah describes how Miriam and Aharon became involved with Lashon Hara, speaking about Moshe Rabbeinu behind his back. The divine response to their behavior was immediate. "Vayomer Hashem Pitom,” God spoke suddenly to call a meeting with these three prophets (BeMidbar, 12:4).
Here, the word "Pitom" provides a powerful context to the divine summons. Miriam and Aharon spoke Lashon Hara by comparing themselves to Moshe, asking "Was it only to Moshe that God spoke? Did He not speak to us as well?" (BeMidbar, 12:2). God talks to us too, so we know the appropriate conduct for prophets. However, they did not understand that Moshe Rabbeinu's experience of prophecy was incomparable to their own. Not only did Hashem explain this distinction with words, but He showed Aharon and Miriam as well. The sudden communication effectively demonstrated what it might be like to stand in Moshe's place; instantly ready to meet God.
Indeed, Ramban explains that the word "Pitom,” suddenly, refers to a "Davar Shelo Alah Al Lev,” “A matter that has not reached the heart" (Ramban, Bamidbar 12:4). Usually, Aharon and Miriam needed to concentrate their thoughts in order to receive Hashem's message. Prophecy for them was a conscious effort that required intention and focus. When Hashem appeared suddenly, with no time for the matter to reach their hearts, they simply weren’t ready. Only Moshe was prepared for that moment. He lived in a constant state of readiness to encounter God’s presence, keeping the Ribbono Shel Olam in his heart and on his mind at all times.
This approach to “Pitom” sheds light on the Nazir’s sin offering. Of course, the Nazir did not cause any sudden death. However, every relationship is an interaction. Maybe God wished to send the Nazir a message? After all, He decides when and where a person dies, and He could easily arrange unexpected deaths to occur far away from the Nazir. Yet, it happened close enough for the Nazir to contract ritual impurity from the deceased. Thus, a relationship may be implied. If God saw fit to end a life “early”, perhaps it was equally fitting for the Nazir’s oath to end early.
Nezirut begins with a desire to improve one’s connection with Hashem. A Nazir’s commitment to this goal is expressed through a Neder (oath) which activates his special halachic status. Nezirut is more than just following a modified diet, growing one’s hair out, and skipping funerals. There must be an accompanying sense of purposeful spirituality. A Nazir is intentionally mindful of God’s presence during this period of time, he must actively maintain an open connection with his Creator. If the Nazir made this Neder insincerely, or if he later lapsed in his concentration upon this halachic status, then maybe he has acted sinfully. In such a case, Hashem might send a message "with quick suddenness" to demonstrate that he lacked complete focus on the oath he swore. Similar to Miriam and Aharon, the Nazir was unprepared for this encounter with HaKadosh Baruch Hu. "The matter had not reached his heart."
One could also suggest that the Nazir might respond well to a sudden death experience. Chazal believe that the topics of Sotah and Nazir are juxtaposed in the Torah because there is a causal progression from one to the next. Witnessing the Sotah’s demise leads one to contemplate the fatal result of drinking wine and succumbing to temptation, and this thought process drives him in the opposite direction; toward Nezirut (Sotah, 2b). If observing one death could inspire him to become a Nazir, then perhaps observing another death would be a potent signal to revisit that thought process. This time, though, the impact hits closer to home. Watching the Sotah got him thinking, but apparently not hard enough, as the resulting Nezirut proved to be
deficient. However, the ritual impurity resulting from a “sudden” death encounter actually attaches itself to him in a personal way. Now, the Neder is more than an aspirational goal. He must bring Nezirut to the forefront of his consciousness as a halachic reality, and in rectifying this mistake it will become a matter that reaches his heart.
It is worth noting that this idea even appears in an unlikely context. One of the most widely held best practices pertaining to the Etrog on Sukkot is to carefully safeguard the little wooden stem. This part of the fruit is called the “Pitom,” and if the Etrog grows with one attached, then we must ensure it does not break off the top. One lapse in concentration and, “Bifetah Pitom,” during a heartbreaking moment of “quick suddenness,” this beautiful fruit will lose its kosher status. The Mishnah Berurah explains that an Etrog is invalidated by the loss of its Pitom “Dehavei Lah KeChaseir,” because it signals a lack or deficiency. So in this area of halacha, we find that a broken Pitom is literally a Davar Shelo Alah Al Lev. Similar to the Nazir, who must ensure that Nezirut reaches his heart by maintaining complete awareness, an Etrog must be complete and whole in order to function properly as the symbolic heart of the Arbah Minim.
Although there is no formal Nezirut in our time, we are absolutely capable of developing our relationship with Hashem and cultivating an awareness of His presence in our lives. If we are sincere and focused on this effort, then hopefully we will not need any sudden reminders from above. May we all merit to achieve this level of connection, as a matter that reaches our hearts.