How do you picture a monk? Hollywood movies and travels to the East lead most of us to imagine someone in special robes, perhaps with a shaved head, who abstains from relationships and sex for life, living in a monastery. The figure of the monk – a “nazarite”, which comes from the Hebrew word nazir meaning “consecrated” or “separated” – that emerges from our parashah is entirely different.
What is a nazir?
“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If any man or woman explicitly utters a nazirite’s vow, to set themselves apart for God – they shall abstain from wine and any other intoxicant; they shall not drink vinegar of wine or of any other intoxicant, neither shall they drink anything in which grapes have been steeped, nor eat grapes fresh or dried. Throughout their term as nazirite, they may not eat anything that is obtained from the grapevine, even seeds or skin. Throughout the term of their vow as nazirite, no razor shall touch their head; it shall remain consecrated until the completion of their term as nazirite of God, the hair of their head being left to grow untrimmed. Throughout the term that they have set apart for God, they shall not go in where there is a dead person. Even if their father or mother, or their brother or sister should die, they must not become defiled for any of them, since hair set apart for their God is upon their head throughout their term as nazirite they are consecrated to God.” (Numbers 6:1–8)
Monasticism in the Torah is a personal initiative, gender-equal, temporary, and involves abstaining from only three things: grape products, cutting hair, and contact with corpses. The Mishnah sums this up: “Three types of actions are prohibited for a nazirite: The contraction of ritual impurity from a corpse, and the shaving of one’s hair, and eating or drinking any substances that emerge from the vine.” (Mishnah Nazir 6:1).
Holy or sinful?
The monk is described as “holy to God”, but is this praise or merely clarification that the purpose must be religious? It’s genuinely difficult to tell. The ambiguity sharpens as the following verses require the monk to bring a sin offering at the end. Why a sin offering? What sin was committed? This led some sages to conclude that Judaism doesn’t recommend monasticism at all.
A dispute in the Talmud (Babylonian Talmud, Ta’anit 11) reflects this. One view holds that a monk is truly holy, undergoing a spiritual process of drawing closer to God. The opposite view declares the monk a sinner for denying permitted pleasures this world offers.
Two worldviews
Behind this dispute lie two fundamentally different worldviews. One sees material pleasure as a spiritual obstacle; the other sees it as a spiritual opportunity. The first holds that indulgence dims the spirit; the second regards that as needless self-righteousness, seeing life’s simple pleasures as inseparable from being human.
Those who view the monk as a sinner see arrogance in the enterprise – placing oneself above everyone else. And presumptuousness – who are you to turn away from this rich world when not everyone is fortunate enough to partake in it? The Jerusalem Talmud teaches that we will one day have to account for every permissible pleasure we saw but chose not to enjoy.
When is it worthy?
Drawing on Maimonides’ view that sometimes we need to go to extremes to break harmful habits before returning to balance, Israeli rabbi Shai Piron distinguishes between temporary and permanent monasticism. If it’s temporary – a means of cultivating better character for someone with an unhealthy attachment to pleasure – then it’s worthy. But if it becomes a way of life, it’s rooted in sin. The monk withdraws from life’s complexities, missing something essential about human existence.
One final observation: monasticism is sometimes a cry for help, the painful declaration of someone who cannot find their place in the world. Before we judge the monk as arrogant or presumptuous, perhaps we should listen with compassion – and see a somewhat lost soul, searching for their path, calling out for us to help them find it.
Lior Tal Sadeh is an educator, writer, and author of “What Is Above, What Is Below” (Carmel, 2022). He hosts the daily “Source of Inspiration” podcast, produced by Beit Avi Chai.
For more insights into Parashat Naso, listen to “Source of Inspiration”.
Translation of most Hebrew texts sourced from Sefaria.org
Main Photo: AI
