(ב) דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אִ֣ישׁ אֽוֹ־אִשָּׁ֗ה כִּ֤י יַפְלִא֙ לִנְדֹּר֙ נֶ֣דֶר נָזִ֔יר לְהַזִּ֖יר לַֽיהוָֽה׃
(2) Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If anyone, man or woman, explicitly utters a nazirite’s vow, to set himself apart for the LORD,
Shmuel said: Whoever sits in a fast is called a sinner. And he is of the same opinion as this tanna, as it is taught: “Rabbi Eleazar HaKappar, in the name of Rabbi says: What does the text mean when it says [Numbers 6:11]: ‘And make atonement for him, for that he sinned by reason of the soul.2’ Against what soul did he sin? That he denied himself wine. We can now make this inference from minor to major: If this man [a Nazirite] who denied himself wine only is termed “sinner,” how much more so he who denies himself so very many things!” Rabbi Eleazar says: “He is termed “Holy,” as it is said [Numbers 6:5]: He shall be holy, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long3. If this man [the Nazirite] who denied himself wine only is deemed “Holy,” how much more so he who denies himself so very many things!
SAINT
(יד) הָאוֹמֵר הֲרֵינִי נָזִיר אִם אֶעֱשֶׂה כָּךְ וְכָךְ אוֹ אִם לֹא אֶעֱשֶׂה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּזֶה הֲרֵי זֶה רָשָׁע וּנְזִירוּת כָּזוֹ מִנְּזִירוּת רְשָׁעִים הוּא. אֲבָל הַנּוֹדֵר לַה' דֶּרֶךְ קְדֻשָּׁה הֲרֵי זֶה נָאֶה וּמְשֻׁבָּח וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (במדבר ו ז) "נֵזֶר אֱלֹהָיו עַל רֹאשׁוֹ" (במדבר ו ח) "קָדשׁ הוּא לַה'". וּשְׁקָלוֹ הַכָּתוּב כְּנָבִיא (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר) (עמוס ב יא) "וָאָקִים מִבְּנֵיכֶם לִנְבִיאִים וּמִבַּחוּרֵיכֶם לִנְזִרִים": סְלִיקוּ לְהוּ הִלְכוֹת נְזִירוּת בְּסִיַעְתָּא דִּשְׁמַיָּא
(14) If a man said: "I will be a nazirite if I will perform this or that," or "if I will not perform," or something of the sort, he is a sinful person; such naziriteship is of the sinful. If, however, one vows to God in a way of holiness, he does a good thing and deserves praise. Concerning such a man it is written: "His consecration to God is upon his head … he is consecrated to the Lord" (Numbers 6:7-8). Scripture considers him the equal of a prophet, as it is written: "I raised up some of your sons as prophets, and some of your young men as nazirites" (Amos 2:11).
טעם החטאת שיקריב הנזיר ביום מלאת ימי נזרו, לא נתפרש. ועל דרך הפשט כי האיש הזה חוטא נפשו במלאת הנזירות, כי הוא עתה נזור מקדושתו ועבודת השם, וראוי היה לו שיזיר לעולם ויעמוד כל ימיו נזיר וקדוש לאלהיו, כענין שאמר )עמוס ב יא( ואקים מבניכם לנביאים ומבחוריכם לנזירים, השוה אותו הכתוב לנביא, וכדכתיב (לעיל פסוק ח) כל ימי נזרו קדוש הוא לה' והנה הוא צריך כפרה בשובו להטמא בתאוות העולם:
Ramban (Nachmanides) on Numbers 6:14
And the reason that he must bring a sin offering on the day that he completes his days of being a Nazirite? It is not explained, but the most simple explanation is that this man sins against his soul on this day of the completion of his Naziritehood; for until now he was separated in sanctity and the service of God, and he should therefore have remained separated forever, continuing all his life consecrated and sanctified to his God, as it is written (Amos 2:11): ‘And I raised up prophets from among your sons and nazirites from among your young men.’, and also later in Numbers, verse 8, ‘Throughout his term as Nazirite, he is holy to Adonai.’ Thus he requires atonement, since he goes back to be defiled by worldly desires.
SINNER
(א) שֶׁמָּא יֹאמַר אָדָם הוֹאִיל וְהַקִּנְאָה וְהַתַּאֲוָה וְהַכָּבוֹד וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם דֶּרֶךְ רָעָה הֵן וּמוֹצִיאִין אֶת הָאָדָם מִן הָעוֹלָם. אֶפְרשׁ מֵהֶן בְּיוֹתֵר וְאֶתְרַחֵק לַצַּד הָאַחֲרוֹן. עַד שֶׁלֹּא יֹאכַל בָּשָׂר וְלֹא יִשְׁתֶּה יַיִן וְלֹא יִשָּׂא אִשָּׁה וְלֹא יֵשֵׁב בְּדִירָה נָאָה וְלֹא יִלְבַּשׁ מַלְבּוּשׁ נָאֶה אֶלָּא הַשַּׂק וְהַצֶּמֶר הַקָּשֶׁה וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן כְּגוֹן כֹּהֲנֵי הָעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים. גַּם זֶה דֶּרֶךְ רָעָה הִיא וְאָסוּר לֵילֵךְ בָּהּ. הַמְהַלֵּךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ זוֹ נִקְרָא חוֹטֵא. שֶׁהֲרֵי הוּא אוֹמֵר בְּנָזִיר (במדבר ו יא) "וְכִפֶּר עָלָיו מֵאֲשֶׁר חָטָא עַל הַנָּפֶשׁ". אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים וּמָה אִם נָזִיר שֶׁלֹּא פֵּרַשׁ אֶלָּא מִן הַיַּיִן צָרִיךְ כַּפָּרָה הַמּוֹנֵעַ עַצְמוֹ מִכָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. לְפִיכָךְ צִוּוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁלֹּא יִמְנַע אָדָם עַצְמוֹ אֶלָּא מִדְּבָרִים שֶׁמְּנַעְתּוֹ הַתּוֹרָה בִּלְבַד. וְלֹא יְהֵא אוֹסֵר עַצְמוֹ בִּנְדָרִים וּבִשְׁבוּעוֹת עַל דְּבָרִים הַמֻּתָּרִים. כָּךְ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים לֹא דַּיֶּךָ מַה שֶּׁאָסְרָה תּוֹרָה אֶלָּא שֶׁאַתָּה אוֹסֵר עָלֶיךָ דְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים. וּבַכְּלָל הַזֶּה אֵלּוּ שֶׁמִּתְעַנִּין תָּמִיד אֵינָן בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבָה. וְאָסְרוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁיְּהֵא אָדָם מְסַגֵּף עַצְמוֹ בְּתַעֲנִית. וְעַל כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶן צִוָּה שְׁלֹמֹה וְאָמַר (קהלת ז טז) "אַל תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה וְאַל תִּתְחַכַּם יוֹתֵר לָמָּה תִּשּׁוֹמֵם":
If one should argue: since envy, passion, and pride and such are an evil path... then I shall divorce and separate myself utterly from them until I eat no meat nor drink wine, nor marry, nor reside in a comfortable dwelling nor wear fine clothes but only wool and sackcloth after the manner of the heathen priests – this is also an evil path and it is forbidden to walk therein as is stated in the case of the Nazirite, who is called a sinner, since it is said of the Nazir: 'And make atonement for him, for that he sinned by reason of the soul.’. And our Sages go on to say that if the Nazir only separated himself from wine and needed to make expiation, then one who separates from all things--all the more so. Therefore our Sages commanded that a person should only deny oneself those things denied him by the Torah, and should not--by vows or oaths--forbid himself from other, permitted things. One should not inflict on oneself vows of abstinence on things permitted to them. From this principle, we can derive that the path of total abstinence is not a good one.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks:
Maimonides is teaching us a profound truth, that the moral life is not always simple: a matter of black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. It usually is, but not always. Viewed from the perspective of personal perfection, the nazirite is good and holy. But from the perspective of Jewish faith as a whole, such a life is not an ideal. Judaism wants us to celebrate life, not retreat from it.
John Milton, Areopagitica
I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race where that immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat.
Nechama Leibowitz
The sin is not in becoming a Nazirite or in ceasing to be one. The sin referred to concerns that which preceded the Nazirite vow. Previous inability to control and discipline one's desires, within the bounds imposed by the Torah, had made it necessary for the person concerned to restrict themselves even further, and vow themselves to abstinence. The Nazirite vow was thus a necessary but extreme medicine for spiritual ills.
Rabbi Dr. Lisa Grushcow
Here is what I find most beautiful. The laws surrounding the Nazirite are followed in our parashah by the priestly benediction, Birkat Kohanim (Numbers 5:22-27). This blessing is transmitted by the priests but ultimately comes from God. “A mortal does not know with what to bless another,” notes the Ketav Sofer (Hungarian, 19th century), “for what he thinks may be good for another person may in reality be bad for him, and vice versa. Rather, may God, who knows what is good for you, bless you.” Parashat Naso recognizes that as human beings — in all our individuality — we make mistakes, and we are flawed; it is not despite this, but because of it, that we are worthy of blessing.