When you Choose Shabbat, you choose to learn that every Shabbat is different and special. This week I learned about Parashat Naso (נָשֹׂא), the 35th weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of Torah readings.
According to Wikipedia, Naso (נָשֹׂא), Numbers 4:41 to 7:89, contains 8,632 Hebrew letters, 2,264 words, 176 verses and makes up 311 lines of the Torah scroll.
Naso contains a plethora of information about the Priestly duties including the Priestly Blessing, camp purification, restitution for wrongs committed, the consecration of the Tabernacle and more.
Rabbi Michael D Klein of Temple Torat Emet offers his insights on this week’s Torah reading, Naso for Shabbat, June 15, 2024 aka 9 Sivan 5784:
“Sedra Naso could be called the Torah Portion of unfinished business. It contains such a wide variety of topics: specific information of the tasks of the other Levitical families, the commandments dealing with removing all individuals from within the encampment who are ritually unclean, making restitution for sins of theft of holy articles, laws dealing with marital infidelity, Nazirite vows, the Priestly blessings, and the specific offerings given by each Tribal leader in preparation of the dedication and use of the altar of sacrifice. One may ask, why such a disparate list of topics in one Torah reading? The answer given by the sages is similar to the preparation that one makes in the final days before embarking on a long journey.
All of these aforementioned laws represent preparations for Israel’s journey through the desert toward Israel. The majority of the Laws given in the Torah up to this point have been readying us for the traverse about to begin. Many more laws will be enumerated as the People of Israel pass through the desert. As the journey begins, the holy altar must be dedicated so that the presence of G-d is felt wherever future journeys will lead and so that the people will know that atonement is readily available and the encampment is always ritually clean. These reassurances let the people know that G-d’s commandments will be carried out and thus we are worthy of receiving the threefold blessing given by G-d through the Priestly Benediction.
Questions to Consider:
- Why are Nazarites forbidden to have strong drink, contact with the dead, or cut their hair?
- What classifications of individuals must be removed to outside the encampment and why?
- Why did the prince of each tribe bring the same offerings but on different consecutive days?
- Is there any significance to the numbers of the items brought by each prince?
- How are the 3 priestly benedictions different from each other?’
Rabbi Michael D. Klein attended Yeshiva College of South Florida and served as Torah Reader, Hebrew teacher, Chazzan and spiritual leader of various synagogues throughout South Florida. In January 2015 he became Ritual Director, Bnai/Bnot Mitzvah instructor and 7th grade Hebrew instructor for Temple Torat Emet of Boynton Beach. In October 2019 he was accepted into an accelerated track and received his shicha from Yeshiva Adath Wolkowisk and has been the Rabbinic leadership of Temple Torat Emet since August 2020. In September of 2022 he was appointed Rabbinic and Spiritual Advisor of the Florida Region of FJMC.
Choose Shabbat; choose to celebrate, to light candles, sing songs and learn a little Torah.
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