Glancing Blow

One of my favorite pastimes while visiting Yerushalaim is visiting the Seforim stores. There are many Seforim available here that I don't see in the stores in the U.S. This especially includes Seforim written by those connected to the Dati  Leumi Yehivot Hesder. As the Seforim buying public in the U.S. is overhwlemingly Charedi these other works can be difficult to find. I usually buy a Sefer or two by a Dati Leumi author and am rarely disappointed. My personal favorite bookstore for finding them is Pomerantz on Be'eri right off of King George. After perusing the offerings I decided to purchase Kol HaNevuah written by the Nazir. Please click on the link for more biographical information. He was one of the three primary students of Rav Kook.
Reading the introduction, written by his son Rav Shaar Yoshuv Cohen of Chaifa, I already got my money's worth.
He says that before teaching a class on Kabbalah his father would frequently repeat the story of the four Taanaim who entered the Pardes, i.e. they delved into the study of the deepest secrets. The Talmud teaches that Ben Azai glanced and died. Ben Zoma glanced and went insane. Acher glanced and miconstrued what he saw (and left the path of Torah). Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and left in peace.
The Nazir would comment that this is a very  important lesson to remember, when you glance, you get hurt. When you enter deeply into the foundations, you enter in peace and leave in peace.
This message struck me because this is something that I frequently see. People want very much to understand Torah, to understand the meaning of life and what it is that God wants from them. Often, they want fast, simple answers and are either unable or unwilling to invest the time and energy to really master the material. They are (rightfully) dissatisfied with the simplistic, one-dimensional answers they find and come away frustrated, and more disillusioned than they began.
The Nazir is telling us that this is to be expected. Torah is extremely complex multi-layered and multi-faceted. The more we imbibe in those layers and facets the more we comprehend and appreciate all the complexity. Concepts that seemed so difficult suddenly become clear. We see through and beyond simplistic approaches and excitedly experience the full beauty of true knowledge.
I realize that not everyone has the same background and educational opportunities. But the message still remains the same for each one of us. If we want to truly experience the Torah glancing will not suffice. Only entering with our full selves to th best of our ability will leave us satisfied.

Long Hair etc.

Yesterday's Torah portion discussed the idea of Nazir, a person who makes a vow and is thereby forbidden to cut his hair, drink wine, or defile himself by contact with the dead (e.g. attending funerals, or visiting cemeteries) for at least thirty days. Such a person is referred to as Kadosh (holy) by the Torah.
Why are these three elements needed to complete the profile of the Nazir. What do they signify? Kabbalistic thought teaches us that in the uppermost spiritual worlds all that can be seen is the infinite and unbounded kindness of God which is referred to as Chesed. In the process of creation, in order to leave room for Creation to exist, as well as to allow for free will and the ability to do wrong, this Chesed was subject to limitations and boundaries. The trait of binding and limiting is referred to as Din. We therefore live in world that is a mix of Chesed and Din and spend our lifetimes navigating the waters between them.
The Nazir, by contrast, is attempting by means of his vow and subsequent abstinence to raise himself up as much as possible to the spiritual worlds in which there is only Chesed and Din is completely absent.
It is for this reason that he is instructed to refrain from wine and all grape products. The redness of wine is a symbol of bloodshed, surely an act of Din. Death and all that is associated with it is also a product of Din. The Nazir has no place associating with either of these phenomena.
Kabbalsitic thought also teaches us that in the uppermost spiritual realms, hair represents the media through which God's Chesed is received and then transmitted to others. As that is the realm in which the Nazir wishes to temporarily repose, he should maximize his Chesed transmitting hair as much as possible.
Another way to understand the prohibition against drinking wine and shaving is that people often drink wine in order to enhance their spirit. Living in this world of a mix of Chesed and Din it can often be difficult to get in touch with one's Chesed side without the aid of some wine. The Nazir, inhabiting a world of Chesed at all times, should have no need for a boost to achieve that consciousness. Additionally, by inhabiting that upper world of the spiritual he is bringing himself to a point where Adam was prior to his sin. That is a world in which death has no part, therefore he should have no part of death.
These explanations can open our eyes to a better understanding of the most famous of all Nizirim, Shimshon (Samson). That will wait for the next post.