Ziv: Parashat Nasso 2

This parasha is one of the longest of the Torah, because of the very precise details about the offerings of the princes. The whole of chapter 7 is dedicated to this description. If men were counted at the beginning of the book, they are now considered as unique, and each one of them has a special mission. A man is never just a number to be compared to another number. To each one is given or asked from according to his measure. We also find in this passage a commandment that may be considered ambiguous, and therefore, was a source of meditation for the famous commentator Rashi. It is the verse that deals with the offerings in the Temple. It is said on the one hand that “each shall retain his sacred donations”, and that “each priest shall keep what is given to him”. (Numbers 5:10). How should we understand this? Who shall retain the donations, the priest, or the donor? After the text, one may understand that both propositions are true: the donor may keep the donations for him, and only ten percent will be given to the priest, or, he may give everything to the priest.

In his commentary on this verse, Rashi notes that a midrash explains that a man can indeed keep his offerings for him, but then, his field will give him only ten percent of his crop! If, on the contrary, the man gives everything to the priest, he will receive everything from his field in return. The teaching is clear: one receives according to what one chooses to give. Man will only keep for himself what he has given.

We also read in this passage of the rite to perform on the adulterous woman. The priest has to write the condemnation of the women, and mix the ink of the scripture into some water that will be drunk by the women. And this scripture contains the divine Name (Numbers 5:21,23). Normally, such a document, even if it is worn out, should be kept apart, for example. in a geniza to avoid any profanation. A commentary has said that one of the names of God is peace. His name therefore, can be erased for the sake of preserving the peace between a man and his spouse, when the evil spirit of jealousy tries to separate them. Shabbat shalom.