The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
In the beginning of the parsha there is a discussion of sending all who had Tzara'as out of the camp. R' Frand quoted a Medrash which noted that when the Jews left Egypt there were many people who were damaged as they had suffered workplace injuries when they were building the storehouses. They lost hands or had leg injuries or eye injuries. (R Frand quipped that these were the days before OSHA). Hashem said - should I give the Torah to people who are damaged? Should I wait until the next generation? No! Instead Hashem sent down angels to heal each and every person.
R' Frand remarked that in our generation it does not seem "politically correct" that Hashem did not want to give the Torah with disabilities. He quoted R' Boruch Sorotzkin who explained that since the Jews who received the Torah were charged with being the Mosrei HaTorah - the people who would be giving over the Torah to the next generation, they needed to feel good about themselves. People who are handicapped sometimes look at themselves as inferior and I need them to feel good about themselves and that they felt up to the task.
R' Frand said a second vort involving the Sotah. In Bamidbar 5:12 the Torah writes "דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֖ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אִ֥ישׁ אִישׁ֙ כִּֽי־תִשְׂטֶ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וּמָֽעֲלָ֥ה ב֖וֹ מָֽעַל." Rashi notes that this immediately follows 5:10 which states "וְאִ֥ישׁ אֶת־קֳדָשָׁ֖יו ל֣וֹ יִֽהְי֑וּ אִ֛ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יִתֵּ֥ן לַכֹּהֵ֖ן ל֥וֹ יִֽהְיֶֽה."
Rashi explains that the portion before Sotah is the discussion that a person needs to give his portion to the Kohanim. As such the Torah is saying that if you did not believe in the gifts of the Kohain and give him your Bikkurim, you will come to him in the unpleasant way by bringing your wife to him as a Sotah.
But why is this appropriate Middah K'Neged Middah? R' Frand again answered by quoting R' Sorotzkin who explains that a person does not bring the gifts because he thinks that the Kohain does not do anything for him. But the role of the Kohain as the teacher of Klal Yisrael requires him to be free from other work in order to learn Torah and teach the Jews. So the Kohain is supported by the Matnos Kehuna so that he can be free to be the teacher.
This fellow says to himself, I can be my own teacher and posek. I don't need the Kohain to do anything for me. But in so doing he lives in life in a way that sets himself up to have a wife who he suspects of adultery. If he had normal contact with a Kohain, this could have been avoided. He says that he does not need the Kohain, but Hashem says in response - one way or another you are going to need a Kohain.
R' Frand said that this is the reason that it is important for a person to have a Rav or a Rebbi to give him guidance. Otherwise we make our own decisions and can R'L get into trouble. Every Kehilla needs a Rav to keep them straight. The Sotah story is a lesson that there can be a terrible outcome if a person does not have a Rav in his life.
R' Frand also said a third vort on the Nazir of which it says in Bamidbar 6:13 וְזֹ֥את תּוֹרַ֖ת הַנָּזִ֑יר בְּי֗וֹם מְלֹאת֙ יְמֵ֣י נִזְר֔וֹ יָבִ֣יא אֹת֔וֹ אֶל־פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד -the Nazir should bring "him" to the Ohel Moed. Who is the him? The pasuk should have said he should bring himself. Rashi read the pasuk that way quoting a Sifri that he should bring himself, but even that is difficult. Why is he instructed to bring himself as opposed to just coming? Who else should bring him?
R' Frand quoted the Meshech Chachma who notes that Nezirus has no maximum length. A person becomes a Nazir as a spiritual remedy and he needs to decide how long is the appropriate length of time he needs to fix the problem. Doctors will prescribe medicine or therapy for a certain length to treat an illness. But for Nezirus - you are the doctor and you have to decide how long this should last. Only you can make the decision. The person then takes his own "blood test" and looks at himself objectively and say - now I come to the realization - now I am cured and can come to the Ohel Moed.
R' Frand quoted R' Cooperman who commented on the Meshech Chachma - the criteria of whether he has reached the point is whether he has been cured of his personal bias and looks at himself objectively as if he looks at someone else - this is יָבִ֣יא אֹת֔וֹ - he looks at himself from the outside and can bring himself. Now he knows that he has completed the period of Nezirus.
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