Thursday, June 9, 2022

Thursday's Parsha Tidbits - Parshas Naso (sort of)

The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand this evening. I included the "sort of" above because the thoughts all related to the Haftorah. Still, 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.

R' Frand noted that in the Haftorah, Manoach's wife is first approached by the angel who tells her in Shoftim 13:4-5 not to drink wine, become tamei or allow him to cut his hair. When she repeats this to Manoach, she omits the hair cutting provision. The Meshech Chachma explains that she is an unintentional prophet, in that when repeats the prohibitions she says that the boy should not do these things until the day of his death, and with regard to the hair cutting he does have his hair cut before the day he dies.

After this, Manoach davens to Hashem that the angel should come and tell him what he told Manoach's wife. Hashem then sends the angel who repeats what was said to her. 

But why did Manoach need to have this repeated? The angel told him precisely what he had told her?

R' Frand quoted the Meshech Chachma & R' Shimon Schwalb who explain that the language used by the angel is significant as he says in Shoftim 13:13 - מִכֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־אָמַ֥רְתִּי אֶל־הָאִשָּׁ֖ה תִּשָּׁמֵֽר. This can be interpreted as referring to Manoch or his wife that should beware. With this understanding we now can have an appreciation of what he was asking - he wanted to know - how can I raise a Nazir if I am not one? To this the angel explained - you need to act like him. Don't drink wine and don't become tamei - only if you follow the same rules that you give him can you be successful. This is what I was instructing your wife.

R' Frand then quoted R' Bukspan's Sefer (Classics & Beyond) in which he discusses the Ba'al HaTurim in Beshalach on the instruction to Moshe to raise the staff (Hareim). The Ba'al HaTurim says that this word appears three times - in Beshalach in connection with the Mateh, as well as an instruction to raise one's voice like a Shofar and finally Elisha is told to raise himself.

The Kedushas Zion explains that if a person wants to be successful in Chinuch he should not raise his hand (aka the staff) or his voice. Instead he must raise himself and lead by example.

R' Bukspan then noted in Bamidbar 7:89 the Torah writes -וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע אֶת־הַקּ֜וֹל מִדַּבֵּ֣ר אֵלָ֗יו - Moshe heard the voice speaking to him, but the word מִדַּבֵּ֣ר is unique. Rashi explains that it is as if Moshe heard Hashem speaking to Himself. The Seforno goes one step further - that Moshe heard Hashem giving Himself Mussar, because the best way to teach is to do something one's self.

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