Live Long and Prosper!
At Jewish Newport
June 6, 2020
Thank you to Rabbi Marc Mandel
Edited by Beth Levine
Our parsha this week is Naso. Most of it is about sin offerings, the Nazarite vows, skin eruptions, the tasks of the Levites and about a wife suspected of infidelity. How do we know if a wife is unfaithful? She just has to drink the magic water, and the truth will be revealed. It sounds like voodoo!
There is more than one truth revealing liquid. In vino veritas. In wine there is truth. In Wikipedia, we learn that the ancient Greek historian, “Herodotus asserts that if the Persians decided something while drunk, they made a rule to reconsider it when sober. Authors after Herodotus have added that if the Persians made a decision while sober, they made a rule to reconsider it when they were drunk (Histories, book 1, section 133).[5]
If you are sober all the time, or drunk all the time, it would be difficult to emulate the Persians.
There is one gem in the parashah,
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
דַּבֵּ֤ר אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹן֙ וְאֶל־בָּנָ֣יו לֵאמֹ֔ר כֹּ֥ה תְבָרֲכ֖וּ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אָמ֖וֹר לָהֶֽם׃ (ס
יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ יְהוָ֖ה וְיִשְׁמְרֶֽךָ׃
יָאֵ֨ר יְהוָ֧ה ׀ פָּנָ֛יו אֵלֶ֖יךָ וִֽיחֻנֶּֽךָּ׃
יִשָּׂ֨א יְהוָ֤ה ׀ פָּנָיו֙ אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְיָשֵׂ֥ם לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃
וְשָׂמ֥וּ אֶת־שְׁמִ֖י עַל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַאֲנִ֖י אֲבָרֲכֵֽם׃
“The LORD spoke to Moses, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons. Thus shall you bless the people of Israel. Say to them,” ‘The LORD bless you and protect you! The LORD bless you and protect you! The LORD bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace!’ Thus they shall link My name with the people of Israel, and I will bless them.’”
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Rabbi Marc Mandel of Touro Synagogue shared some words by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis about the parashah, Naso,
“God conferred upon our Patriarch Abraham the privilege of bestowing blessing, as the verse states, ‘And you shall be a blessing.’ That honor was passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob. In this parashah, Hashem instructs Moses to bequeath this privilege to Aaron and all his descendants, the Kohanim, in perpetuity. In the Land of Israel, the Kohanim bless the congregation daily. Outside of Israel, the Kohanim pronounce the blessings on the holidays. However, no matter where we reside, the blessings are part of our daily prayers.”
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When the Kohanim bless the congregation, there is some Jewish theater involved. In fact our services often have a theatrical touch. And like any theater, there are always members of the audience, myself included, who like to gab. Leonard Nimoy was one of those who took the priestly blessing to heart. Nimoy has explained many times how Star Trek’s Vulcan greeting came from the priestly blessing. Each time the story comes out differently. Watch the video to see an early example. https://youtu.be/Xp5SKWfFyhw
Live Long and Prosper!
Shabbat Shalom from Jewish Newport!
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