2020/5780
Parashat Nasso is the longest Parashah in the Torah with many fascinating and unique topics. One of the most unusual topics is that of the Nazir. The Parashah says that a Nazir is someone who has taken upon themselves a vow to abstain from cutting their hair, drinking wine, and becoming Tameh Meit, close contact with a deceased body. It would seem as though the Nazir is doing a noble and honorable thing, however, the Gemara in Taanit presents a Machloket as to whether the Nazir is actually a Tzaddik or Rasha.
The Gemara (Taanit 11a) quotes Shmuel who says that he learned people should not take upon themselves extra fasts from Rabbi Elazar HaKapar who says that the Aveirah that the man did was in denying himself wine, and states that if the Nazir is a sinner for denying himself wine, how much more so are people who deny themselves other things considered sinners. Rabbi Elazar states, however, that the Nazir is holy, and explains that if this man is considered holy for not drinking wine, how much more so is someone holy for restricting themselves from other material things.
The root of this debate is clearly whether the Torah wants people to take on extra stringencies upon themselves, or whether people are supposed to enjoy what the Torah allows them to enjoy. Ramban and Rambam debate this very issue, based off of the Korban Chatat, sin offering, that the Nazir brings after his term of Nezirut is over.
The Ramban says that the reason the Nazir brings a Korban Chatat is to admit the sin of not continuing his Nezirut, and lowering his level of holiness. However, Rambam says that someone who separates himself from this world, and does not drink wine, or separates from his wife is a Rasha, and needs to atone for these sins.
The Halachot of a Nazir are clearly a divisive topic in the Gemara and among the Rishonim, however, we need to take a balanced approach. It is true that we need to increase the holiness in our lives and find a way as the Mishnah in Avot says to put a guard around Torah and examine how much we focus on the physical aspects of our lives. However, we also need to analyze how far we should go, we need to remember that Hashem put us in this world and we are allowed and supposed to enjoy this world, especially on Shabbat and Yom Tov when we are supposed to drink wine, and eat fancy foods.
We should learn from the Nazir to find the balance in our lives and to work on our physical and spiritual aspects of serving Hashem, and hopefully, we can become closer to Him than ever before.