The Nazir's Path: Embracing Sanctity and Personal Responsibility

0:01 he may be in dire need of a haircut and in dire need of a drink, a l'chaim. He may have even missed some of the important funerals that he had to attend in the town, but all those are just notches in his belt of greatness, as this holy Nazarite wears the crown of God upon his head, and we can encapsulate perhaps, perhaps, the entire greatness of this nazir and just one little teaching in rashi, and it holds a powerful lesson for us. The posick says this is the law of the nazir on the day that he has completed his term, his stint of Nazirus Yavi Oso, he shall be brought to the Oelmoed to bring his karbon.

0:48 That serves as the completion stage, the marking of the end of his Nazirus, hence the bringing of the karbon. Rashi, though, interjects. Interestingly enough, he seems to find some sort of trouble in the verse. That needs explanation and clarification. Yavi Oso, what does it mean? He is brought, says Rashi. It means Yavius Atzmo. You're supposed to read it not as assertively but rather reflexively, that this person should not be brought, but rather he brings himself, yavius Atzmo, in the gray mirror mashkiach. Rabbi Rucham L'Vovitz, the spiritual dean of Yeshiva Asmir during the Roaring Twenties, points out that this is what epitomizes the Nazir Yavi es atmo.

1:33 He chooses with his own das, with his atmo, by himself. He thinks he chose to jump out of the crowd. He chose to be different than the rest of the pop culture following nation. That deifies pleasure. He chose to become glorious and to wear the crown of Hashem on his head because he brings himself wherever he goes. He's yafli because the Ebenezer says kol ha'oilam hoylich achar tavasim. The whole world deifies pleasure seeking. And this person said, for just a few days, I'm going to abstain for the sake of Kedusha. You wear the crown of Hashem on your head because yavi es atzmo, you thought for yourself, you made a decision.

2:21 You didn't just follow what everyone else said, and not only that, but you did it for the sake of purification and becoming more moral and more just, diametrically opposed to this. We can contrast this to the Mitzorah, the gossiper, the illicit speaker. The Apostle says that he should bring a carbon vehuva. He is brought because he lacks that ability to think a carbon vahuvah. He is brought because he lacks that ability to think for himself and to choose what he wants and then to resolve to do it and then carry it out. He just talks about others and follows others, and he becomes a mitzvah, and he must be brought.

3:02 Choose to think for yourself. Choose to let the Torah impress upon you what the Torah wants from you, and he becomes a mitzvah and he must be brought. Choose to think for yourself, choose to let the Torah impress upon you what the Torah wants from you, and then you choose what has real value in your life and you choose to put on the top of your totem pole the most valuable things, to maybe knock a couple rungs down. All of the things that society tells us has value, but truthfully, it pales in comparison to the things that you know have deep worth. Y'all be a satsmo. Think for yourself. Thanks for watching.