Naso

This Parsha discusses the topic of the nazir. A nazir may not eat grapes or drink wine. He also may not be metamay to meisim or shave his hair. The haftara also speaks about the topic of nezirus. The pesukim relate a story about a man named Manoach and his wife who did not have any children. A malach came to the wife of Manoach and said to her, “don’t drink wine…and don’t eat food that is tamey, since you will have a child. A razor shall not be lifted upon his head, for he will be a nazir Elokim from the stomach, and he will save Bnei Yisroel from the Plishtim.”

Mrs. Manoach told her husband what had happened. Manoach then davened to Hashem that the malach Elokim should come back and show them what to do with the child that will be born. Hashem sent the malach who said to Manoach, “all that I told the woman keep; that which comes from the vineyards and grapes don’t eat… and everything which I commanded to her, keep.”

Rav Shimon Schwab asks, didn’t Manoach know the parsha of nezirus? What was he unfamiliar with that he needed to know? Also, what did the malach add when he returned the second time? It seems that he just repeated what had already been said the first time.

Rav Schwab answered that Manoach did not request for the malach to return to know about nezirus. Rather, he was asking a question regarding chinuch. Manoach wondered, “how can I raise my child as a nazir if I myself am not a nazir? I won’t have special kedusha and issurim, and he will?” The malach then responded, “you too, Manoach, shall keep all the hilchos nezirus as I told to the woman whom she is expecting will have to fulfill these halachos.” A person is unable to bring up his children differently than how he himself is; parents are a child’s role model. Even if the parent wants his child to do something good which neither of them do, one hundred measures of tochacha won’t help!

Rabbi Shwab explains, the malach said to Manoach, “you too must keep hilchos nezirus, and thereby you will be able to teach and train your child to be just like yourself!”

May we practice what we preach and be the proper role models for others to learn from!