Miller's Musings Parshas Naso: Learned from the Worst
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There are some experiences that can change your life forever. We are told, for instance, that those who saw a woman that has committed adultery in her disgrace, would be so impacted by this vision that they would need to abstain from drinking wine so as not to fall victim to the same fate. This is given as the reason the Parsha that deals with an accused adulteress is juxtaposed to that of the Nozir; the individual who vows to not partake of wine or grape products. It would seem that witnessing someone who has sunk so low and suffered such ignominy would have such an effect that you would need a response to ensure you do not sink to such depths. But while it is clear that seeing such degradation would influence a person, would it not produce the opposite result and ward us off such behavior without a need for creating barriers? We would surely never want to suffer this form of humiliation ourselves!
The way we are affected by particular occurrences does not always go the way we might expect. A human being is composed of a myriad complex psychological and spiritual processes, mechanisms and relationships that can only be understood by means of the only genuine source of truth; our Torah. Reb Yosef Leib Bloch answered our question through the analogy of seeing someone so intoxicated that he is rolling in the street. Although one may think this would dissuade us from touching alcohol, in actual fact there will be those who will inquire from him which wine was so powerful to have elicited such a response, so that they too can try it. Apparently this would also be an innate urge within us upon seeing this disgraced woman and therefore requires refraining from that which may bring us to similar dishonor. In a similar vein Reb Eliyohu Meir Bloch described the workings of the Yetzer Horah, who, faced with something that may deter us from following his bidding, works twice as hard to entice us towards sin. So although the natural impact of seeing this woman would be to push us away from following suit, the Yetzer Horah will double his efforts and therefore we need to employ our own strategies to avoid his clutches. The Torah knows who we are better than we do and it seems that becoming a Nazir is what is necessary here to save ourselves from ourselves.
There are so many reasons for not doing the wrong thing, not least of which is the damage it causes to us. We are told that nobody sins without some spirit of foolishness entering them. To do that which is so clearly detrimental to ourselves and can have such long-lasting an effect is clearly someone not thinking in a logical and reasoned way. But if we cannot think of ourselves, then we must at least think of each other. It is clear that doing wrong can influence others to copy our behavior if we are someone others look up to. But we have seen here how our negative acts can impact in ways we may never have conceived, even when we would think we hold no sway over another. If we sincerely care about one another, then a good place to start is by thinking about our own spirituality. Steering clear from sin not only protects you from untold damage, it protects those around you as well. Don’t be selfish. Do what is right.
*May this Shabbos protect us from sin, for ourselves and each other*
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