parsha of the week: rabbi avi billet

Putting up fences, and barring juice with wine

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One of the laws discussed in Parshat Naso concerns the Nazir – a person, man or woman, who chooses to remove himself or herself from society to a limited degree, through not consuming wine and grape products, refraining from cutting hair, and avoiding becoming tameh through contact with a dead body.

Much has been written as to why a person would want to take on these borderline ascetic practices, and those answers are beyond the scope of this essay. Suffice it to say, Seforno reminds even those who will take on ascetic practices that there is a realm of asceticism that the Torah supports (although perhaps begrudgingly), and there is a level that is “too far,” that puts the ascetic at risk.

“He shouldn’t torture himself with fasting — which takes him away from serving G-d, and he should not flog himself or torment his body — as is the way of ascetics in other religions. He must merely separate himself from wine, which otherwise leads to licentiousness. This way, he will not weaken himself (through denial of necessary food).”

Getting back to the Nazir, what is a little troubling is the prohibition on grape products other than wine.

A restriction on wine is completely understandable. We all know what a little too much wine can do to the mind, to reason, and to one’s ability to think and act rationally. But grapes? Raisins? You can eat as many of these as you want and never even get close to drunkenness, because without fermentation, there will be no alcohol! So why doesn’t the Torah give allowance for eating raw and unprocessed grapes, while disallowing the Nazir from imbibing in wine?

The simple answers that are offered by some of the commentaries seem intuitive. It’s a fence to prevent a slippery slope – consuming grapes will lead to consuming wine (Ibn Ezra). Grapes are what produce wine, so it’s one step removed. (Alshikh) Alshikh goes on to say that “anyone who distances oneself from sin, and from that which causes sin … there is no doubt that he will be considered holy.”

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