From Chabad.org: Naso in a Nutshell (Numbers 4:21–7:89)
The name of the Parshah, “Naso,” means “Count” and it is found in Numbers 4:22.
Completing the headcount of the Children of Israel taken in the Sinai Desert, a total of 8,580 Levite men between the ages of 30 and 50 are counted in a tally of those who will be doing the actual work of transporting the Tabernacle. G‑d communicates to Moses the (strongly worded advice) of the sotah, the (independant woman) suspected of (having other male friends). Also given is the law of the nazir, who forswears wine, lets his or her hair grow long, and is forbidden to become contaminated through contact with a dead body. Aaron and his descendants, the kohanim, are instructed on how to bless the people of Israel. The leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel each bring their offerings for the inauguration of the altar. Although their gifts are identical, each is brought on a different day and is individually described by the Torah.
Shavuot Torah Readings in a Nutshell
Exodus 19:1-20:23; Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17
On the first day of Shavuot we read from Exodus chapters 19 and 20. The Children of Israel camp opposite Mount Sinai, where they are told that G‑d has chosen them to be His “kingdom of priests” and “holy nation.” The people respond by proclaiming, “All that G‑dhas spoken, we shall do.”
On the sixth day of the third month (Sivan), seven weeks after the Exodus, the entire nation of Israel assembles at the foot of Mount Sinai. G‑d descends on the mountain amidst thunder, lightning, billows of smoke and the blast of the shofar, and summons Moses to ascend. G‑d proclaims the Ten Commandments, commanding the people of Israel to believe in G‑d, not to worship idols or take G‑d’s name in vain, to keep the Shabbat, to honor their parents, not to murder, not to commit adultery, not to steal, and not to bear false witness or covet another’s property. The people cry out to Moses that the revelation is too intense for them to bear, begging him to receive the Torah from G‑d and convey it to them. On the second day of Shavuot we read from Deuteronomy chapters 14-16 which detail the laws of the three pilgrimage festivals — Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot — on which all Jews came “to see and be seen before the face of G‑d” in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
***
This is just after the weekly law giving and Hillel the scribe is again on the rug in the hut of Phaedrus the apothecary, his best friend. The discussion is about women.
1
Well Phaedrus, that’s it. It’s official. The book is the book and there’s nothing we can do about it and everything that goes in it is basically Torah.
Torah, huh? Interesting.
Yeah. No ifs, ands or buts. No voting rights. Taxation without representation. No law except what the leader dictates.
Hillel, I am as sick about this as you are except for one thing. What makes you think it has ever been any different?
The difference is hypocrisy. The whole point is that the 10 important laws come from God and everything else is the whim of the Egyptian.
So? Again, what makes you think it has ever been any different?
No, that’s the point. It’s hypocrisy. The 10 rules give us all agency to choose. It’s advice how to be a good person. All the things that we hate about life come from really bad people. The rules are how to be a good person. But that means you are an individual. Can’t you see what I’m saying?
I don’t see what you’re saying but I hear you. How do you expect people to live in a group without a leader?
Do you mean perpetual leaders or teachers?
What’s the difference between a perpetual leader and a teacher?
The word is perpetual. A class can end and the knowledge gained might lead to a different road. It’s okay that we teach our children how to be good people. They need to learn how to farm. Everyone needs to know how to plant seeds and take care of food.
And no animals, please.
Amen. That’s the whole thing about perpetual leaders. If there is always someone standing on our heads and preventing us from actually experiencing freedom, there is no difference between people and animals.
I agree with you. I prefer a vegan lifestyle.
There is no other way. Anything else is simply hypocrisy.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not kill or steal or disrespect your neighbor’s boundaries. Amen and amen.
2
So what do you think of all of this counting, Hillel?
It is an invasion of privacy. If this was some sort of public-mindedness, I wouldn’t mind so much. If we needed to know how many people we had because we needed to know the scope of our agriculture, this would make total sense. How many old people, how many young people, what kinds of food we should grow and why. I agree with all of this. But just having the government know about us so they can call us to war at any time is ridiculous.
You cannot escape the evil of man. There will always be those who are too lazy to learn about food and only know about killing.
I still say we can stop this with childhood education. Stop making useless people and we don’t have useless people.
But what can you do? People don’t like responsibility.
Well, what came first? The irresponsible person or the person trying to be the leader? Do irresponsible people make heroes of some? Or do we just have people who like to be leaders?
And what? You think we are all the same?
In some ways we are. We can learn to be responsible. We can understand that we understand things. We can know basic truths. I’m not saying that everybody is exactly the same. Some people have talents in one area more than others.
There are some very smart people but there are some truly, truly stupid people.
I can’t tell if you are heckling me or making legitimate argument.
No, I agree with you. It’s good to have a government because we need certain public safety nets that are not possible incomplete anarchy. If people are going to live together, like we did when we were in Egypt in the ghetto, there are always problems with people interacting with each other, stealing from each other, harming each other and otherwise causing mischief. It is the basic problem of urban blight. You can’t have anarchy in an urban setting.
Maybe that’s the answer. Maybe we have those who live in the outlying areas and we learn to live how we live and then there are all of the city dwellers and they have to learn to live well for themselves.
I agree with you. Except for one thing. They keep changing the prices of the food so that everyone in the outlying sectors end up slaves just like the people who live in town. It’s not the government, it’s the monetary system that’s killing us.
The monetary system and all the people who don’t do anything but the monetary system. Those are the people we have a problem with.
Congratulations. Those are the people who run the place. Even the Egyptian. Especially the Egyptian.
3
Women.
Yeah.
What’s the story with Eva?
Phaedrus, I don’t know what to tell you.
She will never only be your woman.
I do not have my head in the sand.
Too many children playing in the sandbox.
I do not believe in slavery.
You are not that enlightened and you are not that gay.
She is her own person. I do not own her. I do not keep slaves.
But you agree that we are all slaves? This is what we have been talking about from the beginning. You and I both see the hypocrisy of having laws dictating freedom but yet never being free of our servitude. But yet, it is killing you to know that she goes with other men.
Other people, Phaedrus. She is not only fixated on men.
Why don’t you see other women?
We had a long discussion about venereal disease today. He had people raise their garments and show us their genitals. Do you want to ask me how sexy I feel after seeing and smelling the results of playing with the wrong women?
But what about Eva? How clean can that river be?
Why do you think we are friends?
Sorry. I forgot that this is why you first came to me.
It is a gift that keeps on giving.
You know what? I think you should do some independent writing. I think you should spread yourself around the way your woman shares herself?
You might have a point. Too bad it’s illegal to have your own opinion.
4
I’m thinking of being a Nazarite.
Why?
I don’t like alcohol. I don’t want to drink alcohol anymore. There are better things in life than alcohol and honestly, I feel like when I drink alcohol, nothing ever changes. You work and then you drink alcohol and you clear everything out of your head and in the morning, you are right back where you were the day before. It’s redundant. There’s no growth. Nothing ever changes. And everything’s belligerent.
What does Eva say about that?
Eva doesn’t want the world to change. I keep telling her that every time one of her indiscreet meetings goes public, we end up having to pay fines to the priests. This business of being a free woman is very expensive.
Hillel, are you telling me that the only reason Eva takes money to have sex with men is to help pay the fine to the priests when she gets caught?
No. That’s business. We’re not talking about business. We’re talking about making love.
No, Hillel. We are not talking about making love. We are talking about making money. Your woman is in business just like me.
You are crazy. It is illegal for women to own anything. Women aren’t property to me but they are to everyone else. I think she is simply free to love who she likes.
Why are you so blind? Do you think she loves the men that she sleeps with?
I don’t understand what you’re talking about. You can’t make love with someone unless you love them.
Maybe you can if you’re a woman.
Oh. I never thought about that.
Not even after she gave you that disease?
Yeah, I guess there is more to this than I was thinking. What do you think I should do about it?
I’m working on it. I know there is a cure. In the meantime, I advise you to do some private writing. You need to improve your mind and stop thinking with the other parts of your body.
And what about love?
Trust in God. God is good. Nature always provides.
5
So, where is Eva now?
She is still at the Mishkan.
Why didn’t you stay?
It’s too much. I don’t like rich people. I don’t like meat people generally and the entire shepherds association is there giving gifts. It’s disgusting. The stench is horrible.
But your woman stayed there.
Yes, my woman stayed there. Stop saying it like that. She’s not my woman.
But you love her.
Yes. I love her very much. I love her more than anything. I would give anything to live in some kind of perfect harmony with her.
Do you believe it is even possible?
I want it to be possible. My body wants it to be possible.
Here is one thing that I have noticed in my studies of plants and herbs. In order for life to exist, two completely separate species need to come in contact with each other. Without pollinators, nothing can grow. But the pollinator is always separate. It is symbiosis but completely independent of one another.
I see your point. I wish to live with her but I can’t because she is her own person.
This is why we made the concept of a wife. It gives the illusion. But really, it means only that she is a slave to her husband and nothing more.
So what am I?
You are a slave to your wife.
You know, Phaedrus, I’m starting to think that your idea of becoming an independent writer is a good one. I think I need to hear my own voice for a while.
That was how I became an apothecary.
Indeed.
6
Here. There is a message for you.
For me? Give it to me.
What does it say?
Eva has asked me to return to the tent of meeting. She says there are some people I should meet.
There are many rich people there today. Maybe it’s a good idea. Being rich is better than being poor.
Not when you are a scribe. When people know you are a scribe, all they do is demand your attention. Everyone thinks that you will automatically write down everything they say. I can’t stand it. I can’t stand what it feels like when a rich person uses me to glorify themselves. I feel like…
I understand. It is the same for me. All anyone wants to do is tell me their problems. Oh, Phaedrus, You are my best friend. You are the only one with the knowledge to help me. My life is so bad and I so need something to feel better.
This is the worst thing and the best thing about being friends with you. You make me feel like a hypocrite but for some reason it doesn’t hurt so bad when it comes from you.
I’m a good apothecary.
But you also work for money so you are also a hypocrite and a whore.
Of course. I am a dazzling urbanite. I like to be in nature but I cannot stay there. There is nothing interesting there. In town there is many interesting things.
You are well known for having the most interesting female clients.
I’m the one who introduced you to Eva.
Don’t remind me.
Listen, go to the meeting. Money is not so bad. And who knows, maybe you’ll get invited to some rich houses and eat amazing food and get to play with beautiful slave girls. Come on, money is not so bad. You can’t only believe in the morality of a decent independent life. You can’t really be that philosophical.
I think I can just live in nature. I think I can just grow food. I understand you, my friend. I understand that you like being a businessman and I much appreciate your business. But I believe that God provides and let means we can just live agriculturally for ourselves and share fairly with our communities. I still believe we do not need cities just like I do not believe we need national leaders. I believe we can work out our problems reasonably amongst ourselves and just live carefully and grow lots of food.
Listen, you should definitely do some independent writing. I have a lot of people who should listen to you. I think you should definitely write down your thoughts and let people know how you feel. If nothing else, you are a good alternative voice.
Well, I will tell you one thing. If we continue down this road we are on right now, the world will never know anything but war, poverty and slavery even until everything and everyone everywhere is dead and poisoned. I really don’t think it’s a joke.
7
So Hillel, what are you going to do?
I don’t know, Phaedrus.
Is the decision so difficult to make?
No. The individual decisions are very easy to make. The problem is that there are many questions. Too many questions. Even an infinite number of questions. I don’t know how to come up with a concrete answer to a liquid question.
Well, let’s break up the question into individual parts.
Okay, what do you suggest?
Let’s start with right now. Are you going to go to the party, stay here or go somewhere else?
Okay. But before I answer the question, what would be your suggestion?
You can stay. I like your company. But we will have other people and I have other friends. You can go there to the 10th and be with Eva. Or, I suppose you could go off and be by yourself.
I’m already by myself.
Yes. I understand that. Okay then. Let’s think a little bit into the future. If it was this evening and the day was over, what did you do that was the best thing and what did you do that was the worst thing?
If I’m going to sleep with Eva, I should go to the tent and hobnob with the wealthy donors. If I am a gentleman for her, if she comes home with me, I will be with her. If I wish a fight, I can stay here or go somewhere else and when we meet, there will be hell between us.
I don’t really like either of those scenarios.
Neither do I. But I know a very interesting piece of wisdom. It is the wisdom of very passive people. Perhaps I will just wait for the weather from the sea.
My friend, we are in the desert. What sea?
Exactly. The world will continue to turn and life will continue to happen. Perhaps I will simply not react and pretend nothing has happened. I am just visiting with my friend the apothecary and all the possibilities of this are very nice. Or I can go to a place where I am not happy in the hope that my woman pays some attention to me later on. If you don’t mind my company, I think I’ll stay here a while longer. Maybe the note never came to me.
Well, if you insist. I will send a note myself. I believe my friend has a sister you might like to meet.
This is why I love you my friend. You always know what someone needs to make them happy.
God is good. Nature provides.
