12th of Sivan, 5772
י״ב בְּסִיוָן תשע״ב
Sat, 2 June 2012
*****************************
Weekly
* TORAH *
Portion
( Parashat Hashavua )
For Children
* NASO *
This week's Torah portion details the curious treatment of a wife who's suspected of adultery. While this ancient practice is no longer used today, is does bring up an interesting question: do we need to make mistakes in order to learn from them?
In the Torah portion of Naso, we learn of the treatment of the Sotah, a wife who is suspected of adultery. Because her guilt cannot be proven by witnesses, but her husband suspects her and cannot forgive her without proof of her innocence, a miraculous test determines her innocence or guilt.
The woman is forced to drink "bitter waters that cause curse (Numbers 5:18)," formed of water, the dirt of the sanctuary, and the ink of an erased curse. If the woman is guilty, she will die; if she is innocent, she will be cleared of all suspicion. MORE>
God describes the service of the Gershon family of Levites; laws relating to the suspected adulteress and the nazirite are given; God tells Moses and Aaron the priestly blessing; the heads of tribes bring gifts to the Tabernacle.
God told Moses to list the service each family shall undertake for the sake of the community and in honor of God. For the sons of Gershon, from 30 years old until 50 years old, their communal service shall be to carry all the tapestries and hangings of the Dwelling Place of The Testimony. Those sons involved in communal service are numbered as 2,630.
The sons of Merari, from 30 years old until 50 years old, shall be responsible for all the beams and bars and pillars and sockets for the Dwelling Place of The Testimony. They are numbered at 3,200.
The sons of the Kehathite, from 30 years old until 50 years old, are counted as 2,750. The sons of Levites, from thirty years old until fifty years old, are numbered at 8,580.
God then spoke to Moses saying: "Command the sons of Israel to send away form the camp every leper and everyone who has become unclean. Both male and female shall you send away, outside the camp." And the sons of Israel did so.
Other opinions on the
weekly Torah portion
* Parshat NASO *
from Torah Topics for Today
from Hillel
from Orthodox Union
from American Jewish University
from AJWS
from CLAL
from KOLEL
from Women of Reform Judaism
And Samson said,Let me die with the Philistines . And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slewat his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
* The Birth Of * SAMSON
The Torah portion of Naso introduces
the concept of the Nazirite, a person
who takes a voluntary vow not to
consume grape products (including
wine) or cut his or her hair.
The haftarah tells the story of the
birth of Samson, the Bible’s
most famous Nazirite.
the concept of the Nazirite, a person
who takes a voluntary vow not to
consume grape products (including
wine) or cut his or her hair.
The haftarah tells the story of the
birth of Samson, the Bible’s
most famous Nazirite.
The haftarah begins by introducing a couple from the tribe of Dan who are unable to have a baby. One day, an angel visits the woman. He tells her that she will soon be pregnant, and warns her not to drink alcohol or to eat anything unclean, because "from the womb he is God's" (13:5). The angel explains that the baby boy who will be born will be a Nazirite and prophecies that he will free Israel from the oppressive Philistine rule. The angel also issues a warning regarding the boy: his hair shall never be cut for as long as he lives
HARAV
* KOOK *
INSTITUTE
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook
(1865-1935)
PARASHAT
* NASO *
Birkat Cohanim
Aaron and his descendants the kohanim were
commanded to bless the Jewish people
with three special blessings:
Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying:
This is how you must bless the Israelites. Say to them:
- May God bless you and watch over you.
- May God make His presence enlighten
- you, and grant you grace.
- May God lift His face toward you,
- and grant you peace." (Num. 6:23-26)
The third blessing, however, is not so clear. What does
it mean that God will "lift His face toward you"?
DELILAH BETRAY SAMSON
The Suspected Adulteress
The integrity of the family unit is of fundamental
importance in Judaism. For this unit to function
properly, the husband-wife relationship must be one
of trust and constancy. But what happens when this trust,
so vital for a healthy marriage, is broken?
The Torah discusses the situation of the Sotah,
the suspected adulteress. This tragic case occurs
when a woman, previously warned by her husband
not to be alone with a particular man, violates his
warning and is witnessed secluding herself with that man.
One of Rav Kook's most prominent disciples was
Rabbi David Cohen. He was known as the
Rav Ha-Nazir of Jerusalem, since soon after
arriving in the Holy Land, he took a Nazarite vow
never to drink wine, eat grapes, nor cut his hair.
The Nazir edited and organized many of Rav
Kook's writings into the four-volume magnum
opus, Orot HaKodesh.
Who was this Nazir? How did he meet Rav Kook?
David Cohen was yeshiva student from the Vilna area,
blessed with exceptional intellectual talents. After
preparing himself for matriculation exams, he was
accepted to the University of Basel in Switzerland,
where he studied philosophy and classical
literature for seven years.
However, the 26-year-old student was not at peace
with himself. He prayed early every morning,
and kept other mitzvot, but he felt his heart
was not in it. He suffered from an inner discontent.
SAMSON AND THE LION
The Complaint of the Angels
The last blessing of Birkat kohanim, the priestly
benediction, is a request that God should be
lenient when judging us: "May God lift His countenance
to you" (Num. 6:26). 'Lifting one's face' is a
Hebrew idiom for showing special consideration,
especially by a judge. Is it fair that the Jewish
people should be judged leniently,
more than other nations?
In fact, the Talmud (Berachot 20b) relates
that the angels raised this very question.
SHABAT SHALOM AND
SHAVUA TOVE
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