Naso

This Parsha and haftarah contain the topic of a nazir.  A nazir is one who may not eat grapes or drink wine.  He also may not be metamay to meisim or shave his hair.

The pesukim in the haftarah bring a story with a man named Manoach and his wife who did not have any children.  A malach came to the wife of Manoach and said, “don’t drink wine… and don’t eat food that is tamay.  For behold you will have a child and a razor you shall not lift on his head for he will be a nazir Elokim from the stomach and he shall save Bnei Yisroel from the Plishtim.”

She told Manoach what happened.  Manoach then davened to Hashem that the malach Elokim should come and show them what to do with the na’ar that shall be born.  Hashem sent a malach who said to Manoach, “all that I told the isha keep; what comes from the vineyards, grapes, don’t eat… and everything which I commanded her keep.”

Rav Schwab zatzal asks, didn’t Manoach know the parsha of nezirus?  What did he need to know and what did he daven for?  Also, what did the malach add the second time?  It seems that he just repeated what he said the first time.

Rav Schwab explains the following: Manoach did not want to know about nezirus.  Rather, he was asking a question about chinuch.  Manoach’s question was “how can I bring up my child as a nazir if I myself am not a nazir?  I won’t have special kedusha and issurim, and he will?” The malach then answered, “you, Manoach, shall keep all the hilchos nezirus as I told to the isha (who when she is pregnant has to keep these halachos).”

Rav Schwab explains that a person is unable to raise his children with contradictions; differently than how he himself acts.  If a father wants his child to do something good, which he himself doesn’t do, one hundred measures of tochacha won’t help!  There is a story told about a father who would shush his son during davening while he himself talked away. The son grew up anticipating the time when he would be able to talk in shul without being shushed, and he could shush his own child!

Therefore, says the malach to Manoach, “you too shall keep hilchos nezirus, and teach your child to be as yourself!” May Hashem help us teach our children and students to practice as we ourselves preach!