What a roller coaster of two months! Eight weeks ago we relived the ten plagues, the redemption from Mitzrayim, and the splitting of the sea on Pesach. The last seven weeks we counted Sefirat HaOmer, culminating with our recommitment to the Torah on Shavuot last week.
Among the many mitzvot we were busy with over the last two months, counting the Omer is one of those mitzvot that seems so small in comparison, yet can sometimes cause much aggravation.
Did you ever hear in your homes the following refrains during Sefirat HaOmer?
“Did you count?”
“What are we up to?”
“Can you remind me tonight?”
“Did I say it with a bracha last night?”
“Did I miss it… again this year?”
What is so challenging about counting the Omer? Do we also have trouble remembering other mitzvot? Maybe. Why is remembering Sefira so challenging?
In this week’s Parshat Naso, we learn about the nazir. This is a person who takes upon themselves severe restrictions in order to get themselves back on track. No grapes, no wine, no shaving their hair or beard, no contact with a corpse, even on the death of their parents or siblings chas v’shalom. Then at the completion of their set time as a nazir, they must bring a number of offerings and return to their regular life.
This section in the Torah seems oddly placed, right between the portion about the sotah, a married woman who is suspected of acting inappropriately with another man, and the Birchas HaKohanim.
Rashi (Bamidbar 6:2) quotes the Gemara (Sotah 2a) asking, why is the portion of the nazir immediately following the portion of the sotah? The Gemara answers that the story of the sotah is a wake-up call for the observer. Something isn’t right in the sotah’s marriage. One or both spouses are not happy, leading to them looking for support and connection elsewhere. They were slipping and one thing led to another, allowing them to find themselves in a compromising situation.
A person who sees a sotah in disgrace should remove wine from themselves, because of the need to separate themselves from the profane in order to rededicate themselves to the holy. It is a wake-up call to one who is slipping in their observance, and shakes them to their core. Something has to change, and they are the only ones who can do it. So they take upon themselves severe restrictions to get themselves back on track.
But even if you got the wake-up call, a flash of inspiration that motivates you, what makes it stick? The key is in the structure and the routine.
The Kli Yakar (Bamidbar 6:2) shares an interesting phenomenon. The nazir must take on the restrictions for at least 30 days in order to ensure reform. One needs to implement the habit for at least 30 days to make it stick
And that is why counting Sefira is a tricky one. The challenge is that it takes time to make it routine, but during that initial period, if even one day is missed, it compromises the ability to continue counting with a bracha.
The nazir is teaching us that extreme behaviors are sometimes needed for our pendulum to swing back and find balance when we are blown off course. The nazir was out of sync and out of touch with their religious observance. The nezirus period is 30 intense days to refocus and rebalance their connection to Hashem.
By learning about the nazir, we are encouraged to take stock of our own lives to find balance. After our own recent 49 days of reflection, we can now reengage with new commitments that are sustainable for the long term in a more balanced way, without the need to go to extreme measures.
Following the laws of nazir, the Torah pivots to the Birchas Kohanim. Rav Hirsch (Bamidbar 6:22) explains that Hashem Himself is conferring these blessings on us.
The nazir has taken the initiative on his own to transform his life. The nazir put in the time and effort, and now according to the Sifre (Bamidbar 6:23), Hashem is blessing them with material and spiritual prosperity, as well as Torah knowledge, inspiration, and peace.
The nazir worked feverishly for 30 days straight to get it right so that when he finishes, he will have new behaviors in place to lead a more moral, meaningful, and spiritually-connected life.
Now is a perfect time for each of us to take stock, and learn from the nazir and the counting of the Omer. We have a new lease on life, an opportunity to implement change and strengthen our connection with Hashem, His Torah, and one another. Let’s make it stick, and may Hashem bless each one of us with good health, spiritual and material wealth, coupled with satisfaction, success, and peace.