CHOCHMAS NASHIM: NASSO:FREUD, I PRESUME
By: Suri Stern
Dr. Sigmund Freud is known for his psychoanalysis. He was born Jewish, insisted most of his life that he was an atheist, but his neshama shone through with his groundbreaking work in psychoanalysis. Much of analysis has to do with the juxtaposition of ideas next to one another. In torah analysis, we call this analysis smichut parshiyot, and it is a fascinating field of study, one which the commentaries on this week parshah go heavy on for Nasso, and I want to share this with you.
Numbers 5:9 discusses the Priest’s entitlement to the first fruits of a crop.
The very next verse starts a discussion of what happens if a man suspects his wife is adulterous. What could possibly be the connection between the two? The answer lies in Rashi’s commentary on Abraham and Sarah, when they left Canaan to go down to Egypt and Abraham asks Sarah to pretend that she is single so that she finds favor in the king’s eyes “l’maan yitav li baavurech/so that it will be good for me [Abraham] because of you [Sarah], “ wherein Rashi comments that a man’s riches are because of the merits of his wife.
What happens if G-d blesses a man with fruit and produce, and he does not give the priests the first of the fruit, i.e., he does not recognize that the fruits of his labor are actually because G-d gave him this produce? He will suspect that his wife is cheating on him, in other words, it will have a boomerang effect on him. Being ungrateful to G-d, will also lead him to suspect the source of his wealth, his wife. Quite fascinating. Where do the two concepts merge?
To exonerate the woman, G-d’s name is written on a piece of paper which is placed in the water that the suspected woman drinks. G-d permits His name to be used and ERASED, to partner up with a woman to reveal whether she was allegiant to her husband, remained true to him, partners his wealth and success. Moving forward…
The next idea in the Torah is that of the Nazir, someone who refrains from drinking wine. The commentaries tell us that the juxtaposition of the two ideas is that one who refrains from wine, refrains from licentious activity, which prevents adulterous behavior. Fascinating.
An adulterous woman has taken one of the holiest acts and relationships and has profained it, while a Nazir is one who has taken acts which were common in those days, drinking wine and cutting one’s hair, and elevated it for the purpose of being a bit ascetic as an opportunity to review his actions, for which he is unhappy, search inside himself, to correct his ways. Yet, a Nazir has to bring a sin offering at the end of his proscribed ascetic life for he denied himself the good that G-d permitted him for a period of time.
Interestingly, these two concepts merge and emerge in this week’s haftorah, which discusses the famous lifetime Nazir, Shimshon, or as many know the story of Samson and Delilah. G-d informed Samson’s mother that she would give birth to a boy, who would lead the Jews from the ugly hands of the Philistines [if G-d would only deliver us from the terror of the Palesinians]. His downfall came from his relationship with Delilah who seduced him into sin. Holiness can overcome sin, and the reverse is true. Our lifelong battle as people is to elevate the mundane, profane and materialistic into the spiritual and holy, but it is a constant battle.
It is man’s nature to say that all good comes from my hands. Many turn to G-d only when there are troubles in their lives, which forces G-d sometimes to bring troubles in our lives, so we turn to him in prayer and supplication. May G-d hear our prayers and redeem us from terrorists and terrorism and bring Moshiach speedily in our time.
Have a good Shabbos.
-Suri