Jewish American Idol? Who knew!

Power of song

This week’s parsha, Nasso, starts out with Moshe being commanded to count the family of Gershon, a Levite tribe, to discern if they were worthy of the following:

1.     Organizing the departure of any woven material, tapestries, curtains, etc, and transporting them.

2.     Singing during the morning and afternoon sacrifices.

The choir was made up of twelve men, but more could be added. Additionally, there was a harmonious orchestra, whose players were not required to be Levites.

In the temple, the Gershon Levites would sing and play their enchanting music. The Jewish people would hear the beautiful choir and become encapsulated by the harmonious orchestra. Each day had a special Tehillim, which the choir sang ever so magnificently. The most captivating Tehillim was the Tehillim for Shabbot day (Tehillim 92:1).

This verse of Tehilim was not only referring to the weekly Shabbot, but it was making a reference to the era after the final redemption, known as the “great Shabbot of history.”

The essence of the weekly Shabbot is shedding light to what the future redemption will hold. As we work all week and are privileged to sanctify the holy Shabbot, during the redemption, we will be able to enjoy the fruits of our life long labor.

Furthermore, after the destruction of the two temples, the beautiful music ceased to play. Unfortunately, the songs we sing today do not compare in kedusha-holiness- and are not as spiritually harmonious as they were in the times of the temple.

Fortunately for us, our ears will hear the sweet encapsulating songs of the Levites singing when the “great Shabbot of history” graces us with her presence in the coming redemption. Until then, when we hear music playing, we should have in mind how much sweeter the Levite choir will sound in our future temple.

CONFESSION!

The parsha continues discussing the mitzvah to confess one’s sins. If a Jew transgresses against the Torah, he can correct his ways through the mitzvah of doing teshuva, repenting. There are three stages for one to undergo complete teshuva:

1.     Being sincerely regretful for sinning in the past.

2.     Orally confessing what one regrets- Vidui.

3.     Making a firm decision to never repeat that sin.

Pashas Nasso goes into detail about making the oral confession to Hashem, or Vidui.

How does the Torah instruct us to make an oral confession to Hashem?

By saying the following:

“Please Hashem, I sinned and now I am sorry and ashamed of my deed, and I shall never repeat it.”

By presenting ourselves to Hashem, in our own words, we are acknowledging that Hashem punishes us for our sins, and rewards us when we follow His Torah. Moreover, when a person verbally acknowledging that he has sinned and feels deep embarrassment about what he has done, this can prevent him from sinning again in the future, and aid him to continuously to do teshuva.

Hashem tells the Jewish people that when we sin and orally confess that we transgressed, He will forgive us.

That sounds easy, right? Not so fast! Sometimes the hardest part is to admit we did something wrong. Who likes to admit they are wrong? However, by acknowledging our faults and shortcomings, we not only get closer to Hashem, but we become stronger and more committed Jews. By recognizing where our shortcomings are, we can work on developing ourselves and avoid making future mistakes.

The key to growth is finding where our inadequacies lie and changing our ways. In order to make true change within, we must strive to look introspectively within and see exactly what it is that needs change. One should ask himself:  Where I am sinning? How can I apologize to Hashem? By acknowledging that you are sincerely sorry for your shortcomings, then you can come to understand that this process is meant to make you stronger, not weaker.

By confessing our sins to Hashem, with true sincerity, and a desire to change our lives, we can then shed light into who we truly are, Jewish souls that ache to get closer to our source.

TORAH FOR YOUR TABLE- The gift that keeps on giving-

The parsha extends its discussion with admonishing those who withhold any ma’aser, a tenth of his earning, from the Kohanim and Levim. Hashem promises us that when we separate a tenth of our earnings for the Kohanim and Levim, we will be rewarded and showered with blessings. By withholding that amount, (tenth of one’s earnings), thinking that he will endure a financial loss for giving, he is showing distrust in Hashem. By giving a tenth of one’s earnings every year, despite shifts in financial stability, we are instilling utter faith that Hashem will continue to provide for us regardless of this perceived ‘loss’ in income.

Moreover, the fact that we can give ma’aser should remind us that Hashem is the One who provides us with our livelihoods. Furthermore, we should recognize that giving a tenth of what was given to us so graciously by Hashem should not be a burden to us, but rather should symbolize Hashem’s compassion on us. The fact that we have a tenth to give away signifies Hashem’s kindness on us, thereby, this should evoke feelings of the utmost gratitude for Hashem.

NAZIR- REFRAINING FROM WINE? FROM SHAVING? FROM THE DEAD? What?!

The parsha continues to discuss the laws of the Nazarite. A Nazarite, or nazir, is a person who takes it upon himself and vows to refrain from the following for a thirty day period:

1.     Drinking wine, or eating anything derived from grapes.

2.     Shearing of the hair.

3.     Being in contact with the dead.

A person volunteers to become nazir for the following reasons:

1.     When a person drinks wine, his mental clarity diminishes; thereby, he may behave immorally and may not make proper judgments.  By abstaining from wine, a person will also abstain from being in situations where wine will be present, such as parties, etc., by isolating oneself, one can become more introspective about oneself, gaining insight about one’s deeds and where one can find room to improve.

2.     The nazir refrains from shearing his hair, because when a person cuts his hair, he looks refined and handsome. However, when the nazir lets his hair grow for thirty days, he must then shave all his hair; thereafter, he banishes any thoughts of vanity and of beautifying himself. The essence behind this is to steer him away from focusing on his external desires.

3.     A nazir may not touch a dead body because during this thirty-day period, he is rewarded additional levels of kedusha, similar to that of the kohen gadol-high priest. Similarly, just as the kohen gadol is forbidden to be in contact with a dead body, even for a close relative, the nazir is also forbidden to be in contact with a dead body because of his high levels of kedusha.

By taking the voluntary vow and becoming a nazir, a person is abstaining from many of the pleasures that Hashem commands us to partake on. Becoming a nazir is not advisable; however, if a person believes that significant self-improvement will be made, from abstaining from the worldly pleasures of wine and looking handsome, he may take the vow of abstinence.

Of course those of us who want to undergo the process of self-reflection and self-improvement don’t have to go so far as to refrain from shaving and drinking, but this should be a call for action for all of us to initiate some kind of change.

 The nazirs want to connect to Hashem and improve themselves so badly that they are willingly refraining from certain pleasures. This should shed some light to get us to change our ways, as much as possible. Although we may not be willing to give up our wine or beauty habits, we can look to improve our lives in other ways, such as lending a helping hand around the house more often, saying our brachot- prayers- with a little more concentration, being friendlier to our neighbors, etc. Everyone is working on developing different character traits but the first step is recognizing that personal growth is necessary, and then Hashem will give us the answers and tools we need for how to change.