Beyond Orthodox Conversion to Judaism

"And the L-rd spoke to Moshe, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, When either a man or woman shall pronounce a special vow of a Nazir to separate themselves to the L-rd" (Numbers 6: 1-2).

The Talmud asks whether it is a good thing to make vow and adhere to it or better not to have made the vow at all? We would think that it is a good thing to make the vow and adhere to it but in reality it is better not to have made the vow in the first place. The reason is that a person may make the vow but for whatever reason they are not able to keep it and will therefore need this vow to be nullified. What is the problem here?

If a person becomes a Nazirite then they are separating themselves from any product that comes from grapes ie wine, grape juice and that they will not come in contact with any dead body or cut their hair, depending how long the vow is. It definitely seems meritorious to refrain from doing these things but didn't G-d put you in this world to enjoy it? If that's true, then why are we all of a sudden becoming aesthetic and separating ourselves from things that are permissible to us?

This is exactly the disagreement that the Talmud is talking about. One opinion is that it is fine to make a vow and adhere to it because they are saying what they are going to do and doing what they are saying. They in essence are not causing themselves a stumbling block because they are fulfilling the words that they have spoken.

The flip side is that a person should not be forbidding things that are permissible to themselves lest they not be able to keep their promise! This is a real danger because there are a number of things that could come up that would lead someone to break their vow. This is why it is better to not make the vow at all so you don't have this issue!

This also leads to the fundamental question of how we look at this world. Do we look at it as inherently evil and everything is bad but I have to live here anyway even if it is bad or do we see it a place where we can grow and become more spiritual? The difference between these two philosophies is enormous.

If we look at the world as inherently evil then no matter what I do does not matter in the bigger scheme of things because of the how everything is set up. In essence my actions don't matter in a lawless G-dless world so therefore I might as well enjoy this world and do whatever I want without any repercussions!

If we look at the world though as a place of growth and a person is stuck here, then we have to make the most of it and try and become the best people we can. One way to do that is trying to reach higher levels by even forbidding things that are permissible. This gives us a higher awareness, making us ever more careful in our actions and how we interact with others.

This can be an amazing thing; we curb our appetites and don't eat that extra piece of cake or indulge in other things because we want to work on controlling our desires. We are not talking about suppressing them but controlling them in an way that has a positive and not negative effect on us!

May we merit to enjoy this world the way G-d wants and reach our potential as we go in the ways of the Torah.

Shabbat Shalom