nasso
parashat nasso, Numbers chapters 4—7
menu
Nasso
Count
or, again with the counting…
The parasha begins with another census.
This time we’re counting the Levite men of the three Levite families, those between the ages of 30 and 50. These are the guys who’ll be doing the actual work of schlepping the various components of the mishkan as we move from place to place in the wilderness, and each family is assigned its specific tasks.
And the Parasha finishes with this little ditty —
On the first day of offerings, Nahshaon brought to the altar, one silver bowl, one spoon of gold, and a whole bunch of animals to slaughter.
On the second day of offerings, Nathanel brought to the altar, one silver bowl, one spoon of gold, and a whole bunch of animals to slaughter.
……………
On the twelfth day of offerings…
Yada Yada Yada.
Seventy-eight verses of this. No wonder Parasha Nasso is the longest parasha in the Torah! You could go out for coffee during the reading of those verses, come back, and not have missed hagbah (the raising of the Torah at the end of the reading).
Commentators throughout the centuries have suggested various reasons, but they haven’t settled on why the Torah lists each chieftain, and the gifts he brought on behalf of his tribe, one by one. They all brought the same gifts! Why not say, these are the names of the chieftains, and these are the gifts that each of them brought?
Done. Finished. Fartik!
According to Chabad.com, the Lubavitcher Rebbe explained it like this, and to the rebellious individualist in me, it makes sense.
The blessing of the kohanim
The blessing reads like this:
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According to Chabad.com, the Lubavitcher Rebbe explained it like this: Often we tend to see a tension between conformity and creativity, between tradition and innovation. On the one hand, we recognize the bedrock of absolutes upon which a meaningful existence must rest, the time-tested truths which transcend cultures and generations; on the other, we are faced with the powerful drive to create, to personalize, to grow and soar with our individualized talents and tools.
(Summarization by me) Week after week, every Shabbat, we all recite the same words of the Siddur (prayer book). In relating to God, the Rebbe asks, how is the individual in a person to be satisfied with a common formula for every person? Is monotony the price we must pay for perfection? Does creativity compromise truth? He says, NO. An entire nation, including individuals of every conceivable character and calling, can do the very same deed, down to every last detail, and still imbue them with their uniquely personal input.
But there’s a lot of other stuff going on in this parasha as well, so don’t go for coffee just yet.
We also learn about the magic potion that will prove whether or not a woman has been unfaithful to her suspicious husband. (No mention of a potion for philandering husbands…)
And, we learn the details about choosing to become a nazir, an ascetic by choice, for a period of time.
And we learn about the priestly blessing, the very specific words that the Kohanim are charged to use when blessing the congregation.
Somehow, every time I hear those words, the little hairs on the back of my neck tingle.
Even today, millennia later, it’s an elaborate ceremony. And I know I’m not alone in finding this to be very intense to experience.
Leonard Nimoy was so enthralled by the ritual that he incorporated the hand position of the priests into the Vulcan salute.
Y’varekh’cha Adonai v’yeesh’m’recha
Yaeir Adonai panav eileycha veechuneicha
Yeesa Adonai panav eilaycha v’yasem l’cha shalom
May Lord bless you and protect you;
May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you;
May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
And after each line, the congregation replies, kein y’hee ratzon/may it be Your will.
Each line builds upon the one before it. The first contains three words, the second, five, and the third, seven.
What are each of them actually asking for?
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May you be given the material gifts of good health and financial well-being so that you are not distracted from spiritual pursuits by those concerns.
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May you be gifted with some of God’s grace, so that you can live in harmony with others and avoid the strife that can infect a relationship.
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May God see YOU! Among the billions of humans upon the earth, from among all the humans that have existed since the dawn of humanity, may God see you and love you and care for you.
So, what is it about the Priestly Blessing that makes it so magical?
The Kohanim in my synagogue are nice guys. In fact, just about everyone there, no matter their gender or tribal affiliation, is a nice “guy.” (If that weren’t true, I’d be going somewhere else…)
On any given day, they’re just guys. They’re Bob or Mike or Harry or Bernie. But when they play their part in this ancient ritual they’re transformed. They’re not those guys. They’re the Kohanim. The Priests. That’s why they cover their faces with their tallitim (prayer shawls).
They begin by removing their shoes, just as Moshe removed his shoes as he stood before the burning bush, when he knew he stood on hallowed ground. (stripping the insulation from the wiring…)
As they stand on the bima, their hands (also covered by their tallitim) outstretched in formation of a Shin, as they chant the words in unison, I can feel, can almost see, the blue light (ok, I guess I do see…) emanating from the tips of their fingers, a light that creates a tallit of light that wraps around everyone present. I can feel my soul reaching out to grasp that light, to draw it in to nourish me, to comfort me, to fill me with an unexplainable peace.
How does this happen?
Generally speaking, we say a bruchah, a blessing, while performing a mitzvah to declare that we are doing it with intent. We say,
“Baruch Atah Adonai, our God and the God of all that is, who has commanded us to ———— (fill in the blank).
Before performing the priestly blessing, the Kohanim add in the words, “Who has made us holy with the holiness of Aaron.”
But the most striking difference between this bruchah and all others is the last word. b’ahavah. With love.
So, is there’s a prerequisite for a Kohen to perform this mitzvah? Must he perform it with love, with a feeling of love in his heart toward each and every person in the room? How can a person be compelled to love?
The answer is…
When I light Shabbat candles or ritually wash my hands for example, I say the applicable brachot and then I perform the action.
Me. I light the candles.
Me. I wash my hands.
Me.
But, as Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks explained, when the Kohanim perform the priestly blessing, they are doing nothing.
They’re just standing there, sticking out their hands, eyes shielded, like a child waiting to receive a birthday present.
Except that they’re not waiting to receive anything. They’re just standing there.
Each of them has become a conduit.
The blessing, the love, does not come from them, it goes through them. It comes directly from Adonai, TheName that God, the Transcendent Infinite, uses when connecting with us personally.
Imagine that! The Infinite One, Who Was before time and space, Who Is right now, Who Will Be eternally, is focusing on ME.
A piece of dust appearing for a nano-second in the universe and then is gone.
ME!
It’s that jolt of God-Love, coming directly from the source, consolidated by and passing through the channel of the Kohanim and coming directly at me, that has my soul all a-flutter.
And it’s me who’s the child, smiling, hands outstretched, my heart beating faster, waiting to receive my present.
Whew! Let’s Eat!
So, what shall we eat?
Why this menu for Parasha Nasso?
A few reasons—
There are several, seemingly unconnected themes in this Torah portion. Yet, there is a common thread, and I have my daughter to thank for pointing it out to me.
What do members of the Levite families, the Nazir, the Sota, a congregation receiving the priestly blessing, and a chieftain bringing gifts to the mishkan have in common?
They all have choice.
A community, a family, has its responsibilities, but it’s for them to sort out amongst themselves who will take what specific job.
No one is required to take the vows of a nazirite.
A sota can refuse to drink the elixir that will either condemn or exonerate her.
Energy flows. Whether or not the light turns on depends upon whether or not you choose to flip the switch.
It turns out that each chieftain chose to bring the same gifts, but it was still a choice.
For each of these—the schlepper, the nazir, the sota, the receiver of blessings, and the gift-giver, the essence of the matter is the heart. It’s an emotional journey.
You start with a tough exterior, work your way through the mushy stuff, the meaty stuff, and if you keep at it, if you keep on going, you’ll find your way to the heart, the sweetest place. It takes some perseverance, and, as you navigate the thorns, it takes a good deal of bravery as well. But you will find joy along the way. And when you get there, you’ll know it was worth the journey.
So, what’s for dinner? Stuffed Artichokes, of course!
The rest of the menu kind of fell into place around them.
Why did I choose to go with Tomato Soup? Honestly, I was just in the mood for it. But, hey! The artichoke recipe is Italian, Italian cooking uses a lot of tomatoes…. it works.
If you’re not cooking for vegetarians and you enjoy a fish course for Shabbat, you can pick up one of those frozen logs of gefilte fish as a nice second course. You can keep it simple by keeping to the package directions. I’m serving it with a small salad, so that those who say “no, thanks” to the fish still have a second course.
The Harvest Grains Pilaf is made from one of my favorite Trader Joe’s products. It combines Israeli couscous with baby chickpeas, red quinoa, and orzo. If you haven’t got a Trader Joe’s near you, you can find it at Amazon. Or, just make this recipe with standard Israeli couscous, or any grain that you choose. It’s a great way to take a very simple side dish and, in only a few extra minutes, take it up a few notches.
As for the dessert…Cannolis are one of my favorite Italian desserts. The cream is super easy to make. It’s the shells that are more time consuming. You can buy cannoli shells ready-made in some markets, or you can find them here (It’s the brand I used to get in NYC), But this no-bake cannoli pie that uses a vanilla or chocolate (your choice!) cookie crust is a quick and fun alternative. Just remember to strain the ricotta the day before.