Shabbos Parashas Behaalosecha - 5778

Shabbos Parashas Behaalosecha - 5778

Rabbi Hal Miller

Take the Levites from among the children of Israel and purify them. [Bamidbar 8:6]

Last week we read about the laws of the nazir, including his process of purification

at the conclusion of his term of nezirus. This week we read about the purification of

the Levites. Seems to be two totally different subjects, yet surprisingly there are a

lot of similarities. Is there a lesson in that?

The nazir, at the end of his term, 30 days or whatever he committed to, must bring

certain sacrifices, must shave his entire body, must have a sprinkling of the water of

the Red Cow, and must have a "wave service" done for him by the Kohen. At the

time of the sanctification of the Levites, they needed certain sacrifices, had to shave

their entire bodies, be sprinkled by water of the Red Cow, and be waved by the Kohen.

Are the Levites somehow considered to be nazirites in some form?

Rashi notes that the shaved hair of the nazir is holy, since it must be offered on the altar.

The nazir's entire body is holy during his term, thus he may not put into it anything that

comes from the grapevine. But if so, why does this holy nazir need 'purification' by water

of the Red Cow before returning to the congregation? In the case of the Levite, who is

being separated from the congregation for holy purposes, we can more easily understand

the water sprinkling. How does this sprinkling work in what seems to be opposite cases?

Further, the nazir's hair and sacrifice offerings are waved. The Levite himself is waved.

Again, a nuance but obviously relevant. What do these two sets of laws teach us?

There is clearly a difference between the nazir before and after this ceremony, as there

is a difference in the Levite before and after his ceremony. But the direction is opposite.

The nazir goes from holiness to mundane, the Levite goes from mundane to holy. Yet

the process is essentially the same. Therefore, the word 'purification' must not mean

quite what it seems to in English. In fact, the word tahor has to do with a change to the

soul, not to the body. It is a taking of someone from the spiritual place where he may be

to the spiritual place where he should be.

Rav Dovid Feinstein (Kol Dodi) says, "These procedures were not an atonement for

wrongdoing, but a purification." Sacrifices may have been atonements for both, but

the ceremony as a whole, purification, is for this spiritual growth.

Our verse, contrasted to that of the nazir, comes to show us that our tikun hanafesh,

'correction' of our soul, is highly individualized, and unrelated to any sort of earthly

'growth'. Advancement of our purpose may not look like what we in this world think of

as growth. Our job is to find how to raise the level of our soul, not that of our bank

account.