Photo Credit: Jewish Press
Rochelle Brand

The definition of the word nazir is often given as “monk” or “hermit,” but neither of these are true depictions of what a biblical nazir was. Basically, a person takes upon themselves abstinence from grape products, from hair cutting and from contact with the dead thus raising him/herself up to a higher spiritual level. Why would a person do this?

The commentators explain the juxtaposition of two concepts – that of a nazir and that of a sotah (a wayward wife) – based on the phrase in TehillimSur mei’ra, v’aseh tov”: Turn from evil and do good. In the Torah, sotah comes first. If one was a witness to the trials of a sotah, as an antidote to this seemingly base behavior, one would want to take upon themselves more positive actions. In the Talmud, the laws of a nazir come before the laws of a sotah which alludes to preventative measure – if you do good, you won’t succumb to evil impulses.

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Either way, it is the conclusion of the pasuk in Tehillim that we should keep in mind: Bakeish shalom v’radfayhu…seek and pursue peace. By raising ourselves up to a higher spiritual level, we not only protect ourselves from temptations, but we should do so in a manner that fosters shalom, whether it is between husband and wife, between neighbors and friends, between the nations of the world or finding inner peace. Peace be with you!

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With many years of teaching and administrative experience both in the U.S. and in Israel, yeshivot and public school, Dr. Rochelle Brand (Shelly) now serves at Head of School at SBTAG in South Florida. She received her Doctorate in Educational Administration from YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration.