Continuing the preparations for the Israelites’ journey from Sinai to the Holy Land, Naso contains a melange of subjects whose inner connection is not immediately obvious: the roles of two of the Levitical clans, Gershon and Merari, the census of the Levites as a group, rules about the purity of the camp, the law of the sota (the woman suspected…
…during conflicts with other people? Parsha Playoff Let’s play Naso Charades! With so many different characters and contributions in this week’s parsha, this is a fun way to represent the many facets of the Israelite community. Think of various characters from parshat Naso, like “The Nazir,” “Moshe,” or “Tribe Leaders.” Players each take turns acting out the theme without speaking….
…the priestly blessings included in Naso end – as do the vast majority of Jewish prayers – with a prayer for peace. Peace, said the rabbis, is one of the names of God Himself, and Maimonides writes that the whole Torah was given “to make peace in the world” (Laws of Chanukah 4:14). Naso is a series of practical lessons…
At 176 verses, Naso is the longest of the parshiyot. Yet one of its most moving passages, and the one that has had the greatest impact over the course of history, is very short indeed and is known by almost every Jew, namely the priestly blessings: The Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘Thus shall you bless…
Two Versions of the Moral Life Parshat Naso contains the laws relating to the Nazirite – an individual who undertook to observe special rules of holiness and abstinence: not to drink wine or other intoxicants (including anything made from grapes), not to have his hair cut, and not to defile himself by contact with the dead (Num. 6:1–21). Such a…
The Parsha in a Nutshell This summary is adapted from this week’s main Covenant & Conversation essay by Rabbi Sacks, available to read in full via the left sidebar (or below, if you are viewing this on your phone) Naso is the longest of all the parshiyot. It is 176 verses long. Yet one of its most moving passages, and…
The Parsha in a Nutshell Naso continues describing the preparations for the Israelites’ journey from Sinai to the Holy Land. It contains a mix of laws, ranging from: the roles of two of the Levitical clans, Gershon and Merari, the census of the Levites as a group, rules about the purity of the camp, the law of the sotah, the…
…individuals. Justly so. But society is not built on individuals alone. Hence the insistence throughout Bamidbar on the central role of the tribes as the organising principle of Jewish life. The Israelites were numbered tribe by tribe. The Torah sets out their precise encampment around the Mishkanand the order in which they were to journey. In Naso, the Torah repeats…
…order in which they were to journey. In Naso, at inordinate length, the Torah repeats the gifts of each tribe at the inauguration of the Mishkan, despite the fact that they each gave exactly the same. The tribes were not accidental to the structure of Israel as a society. Like the United States of America, whose basic political structure is…
…turned to hate, with tragic consequences. Leaders need to be aware of the perils of envy, especially within the people they lead. This is one of the unifying themes of the long and apparently disconnected parsha of Naso. In it we see Moses confronting three potential sources of envy. The first lay within the tribe of Levi. Its members had reason to…