Naso - Approaching With Happiness

Every week the Rabeinu Bechayai sums up the theme of the parshah in an introduction to his weekly commentary. He encapsulates the theme in a verse from Mishlei - the Book of Proverbs.

 It is a joy for a righteous man to do judgment, and a ruin for those who commit violence. 

שִׂמְחָה לַצַּדִּיק עֲשֹוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וּמְחִתָּה לְפֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן

Mishlei 21:15

The Theme: Do Mitzvot with Happiness
The Rabbeinu Bechayai explains that this verse comes to mean that we have an obligation to approach and undertake mitzvot with happiness and simcha. He explains that performing mitzvot out of happiness and joy is in itself a mitzvah.



The Nazir
One of the places we see this theme reflected in the parshah is with the Nazir. In the period of his Nazirute as he abstains from wine, and doesn't his hair, the Torah relates that when he comes into accidental contact with a dead body, his Nazir time restarts. He needs to purify himself again, and bring special offerings, and the period that he had already practiced  as a Nazir is lost.

 The kohen shall prepare one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering and atone on his behalf for sinning by coming into contact with the dead, and he shall sanctify his head on that day.

וְעָשָׂה הַכֹּהֵן אֶחָד לְחַטָּאת וְאֶחָד לְעֹלָה וְכִפֶּר עָלָיו מֵאֲשֶׁר חָטָא עַל הַנָּפֶשׁ וְקִדַּשׁ אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא 

Bamidbar 6:11

The Kli Yakar brings an interesting perspective on this situation noting the Gemorah Nazir.

For even R. Eliezer ha-Kafar who says that a nazirite is accounted a sinner, means only the nazirite who has contracted ritual impurity; for, since he must nullify [his previous abstinence]  in accordance with the rule laid down by the Merciful One, But the former days shall be void, because his consecration was defiled,  there is a danger that he may break his nazirite vow (Since he may not be able to control his desire for wine for the longer period) 

Nazir 3A

Since a Nazir cannot come in contact with dead body, this gemorrah asserts that he was not careful about this aspect and there for becomes impure and must take the action to restore his pure state and restart the Nazir count. The Kli Yakar explains that it is a wonder, from R. Eliezer Ha-Kfar's viewpoint, that he emphasizes the Nazir's relationship to wine, rather than with dead bodies.

Why focus on wine, when the mistake in this scenario was not being careful enough about coming in contact with dead bodies?

Wine or the Dead
If the Nazir is commanded on the eighth day to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the kohen for being concerned about wine, then why is this offering brought only at the point when he encounters a dead body? Furthermore, R. Eliezer calls the Nazir a sinner despite this being an entirely accidental event?

The Kli Yakar explains the position where R. Eliezer as calling the Nazir a sinner, since if this Nazir had been a simple and straighforward person and conduct his life by the law, he would never have had to make a Nazirite vow. For someone that needs to take upon himself to distance himself from permitted items - like wine - he knows by nature that he doesn't have the inherent faculties to stop his inner drives and so he goes and takes a vow against the Yetzer Harah.

This caused him concern, for everything that is vowed against becomes even more desirable. This is why one that takes a vow is called a sinner.

Serving With Happiness
Ultimately the Kli Yakar explains that the Nazir needs compensate for his actions for not serving Hashem with happiness, rather through bitterness. For if the this person had carried out his Nazir time with happiness, that he had been happy in being a Nazir and not feeling burdened by the prohibitions of the Nazir period, then he would have been more careful and not fallen into the impure situation.

Since in this scenario, he fell into predicament of being defiled by a dead body, this understates his lack of concern and lack of happiness. This fatal flaw provided the entry for where the Yetzer Harah could come in and undermine the Nazir.

And the righteous will rejoice, yea, they will exult before G-d and they will delight with joy.

 וְצַדִּיקִים יִשְׂמְחוּ יַעַלְצוּ לִפְנֵי קל-קים וְיָשִׂישׂוּ בְשִׂמְחָה

Tehilim 68:4

The letter 'Bet' in BeSimcha (בשמחה) comes to mean 'BeZechut' - in the merit of. In the merit of what? Happiness! That serving Hashem with happiness is the desired way to serve, come closer, and connect with Hashem