## Sforno on Numbers Chapter 6

###### Sforno on Numbers 6:2:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:2:1)

**כִּי יַפְלִיא.** יַפְרִישׁ עַצְמוֹ מִן הַבְלֵי וְתַעֲנוּגוֹת בְּנֵי הָאָדָם.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
כי יפליא, he will separate himself from all the vanities and physical pleasures in life.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:2:2
[Sforno on Numbers 6:2:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:2:2)

**לִנְדֹּר נֶדֶר נָזִיר.** לִהְיוֹת נָזוּר וּפָרוּשׁ מִן הַתַּעֲנוּגִים הַמֻּרְגָּלִים.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
לנדור נדר נזיר, to become a Nazirite and the life of self denial which comes with this.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:2:3
[Sforno on Numbers 6:2:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:2:3)

**לְהַזִּיר לַה׳.** לְהַפְרִישׁ עַצְמוֹ מִכָּל אֵלֶּה לְמַעַן יִהְיֶה כֻּלּוֹ לַה׳, לְהִתְעַסֵּק בְּתוֹרָתוֹ וְלָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו וּלְדָבְקָה בוֹ.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
'להזיר לה, to separate himself from all the pleasures in order to devote himself exclusively to the service of the Lord, to study His Torah and practice walking in His ways.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:3:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:3:1)

**מִיַּיִן וְשֵׁכָר יַזִּיר.** לֹא יְסַגֵּף עַצְמוֹ בְּצוֹם שֶׁמְּמַעֵט בִּמְלֶאכֶת שָׁמַיִם כְּדִבְרֵיהֶם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה, וְלֹא יְצַעֵר גּוּפוֹ בְּמַכּוֹת פְּרוּשִׁים כְּמִנְהַג צְבוּעִים וְכוֹמְרִים, אֲבָל יַפְרִישׁ עַצְמוֹ מִן הַיַּיִן, שֶׁבָּזֶה הוּא מְמַעֵט אֶת הַתִּפְלָה מְאֹד וּמַכְנִיעַ יִצְרוֹ, וְלֹא יָתִישׁ כֹּחוֹ בָּזֶה כְּלָל.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
מיין ושכר יזיר, he is not to flagellate himself, or practice fasting, but only to abstain from wine and intoxicating liquids. The former methods of self-denial would result in a diminished ability to serve the Lord with all one’s faculties. Flagellation, a common practice among certain types of monks and “holy men,” is not allowed, but becoming a teetotaler does reduce the urge to let oneself go and engage in demeaning activities due to drunkenness


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:5:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:5:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:5:1)

**תַּעַר לֹא יַעֲבֹר עַל רֹאשׁוֹ.** וּבָזֶה יַשְׁלִיךְ אַחֲרֵי גַוּוֹ כָּל מַחֲשֶׁבֶת יֹפִי וְתִקּוּן שֵׂעָר.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
תער לא יעבור על ראשו, by not coiffing his hair through trimming it to certain shapes, he automatically abandons all manner of preening himself.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:5:2
[Sforno on Numbers 6:5:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:5:2)

**קָדוֹשׁ יִהְיֶה.** נִבְדָּל מִן הַתַּאֲווֹת הַחֻמְרִיּוֹת.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
קדוש יהיה, separate from base urges and addiction to the pleasures of the flesh.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:6:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:6:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:6:1)

**עַל נֶפֶשׁ מֵת לֹא יָבֹא.** לֹא יְחַלֵּל עִסְקֵי קְדֻשָּׁתוֹ לְהִתְעַסֵּק בִּכְבוֹד מֵתִים, כְּמוֹ הָעִנְיָן בְּכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל. וּכְאָמְרָם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: ״הַמִּבְּלִי אֵין קְבָרִים בְּטִבֶרְיָא שְׁלַחְתִּיךָ בְּנְצִיבִין״ (ירושלמי חגיגה א:ז).

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
על נפש מת לא יבא; he must not desecrate his sacred activities by honouring the dead and thereby downgrading his spiritual concerns. In this respect he is much like the High Priest. Our sages report that a father who had sent his son to study Torah in an advanced academy in Tiberias heard that his son was engaged in doing charitable deeds there. When the father heard about it he sent the following message to his son: “are there no opportunities to perform such charitable deeds in our town that I had to send you to Tiberias to do this?” (Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 1,7) The point is that there are other people who can perform the charitable deed of burying the dead so that the services of the Nazirite are not required.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:8:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:8:1)

**קָדוֹשׁ הוּא לַה׳.** יִזְכֶּה לֵאוֹר בְּאוֹר הַחַיִּים וְלִהְיוֹת מוּכָן לְהָבִין וּלְהוֹרוֹת כָּרָאוּי לִקְדוֹשֵׁי הַדּוֹר. וּלְזֶה נִרְאֶה שֶׁכִּוֵּן אֶלְקָנָה בְּאָמְרוֹ ״אַךְ יָקֵם ה׳ אֶת דְּבָרוֹ״ (שמואל א א:כג), כְּלוֹמַר אֲנִי מַסְכִּים לְהַדִּירוֹ בְּנָזִיר וְאֵינִי מְבַקֵּשׁ מֵהָאֵל יִתְבָּרַךְ דָּבָר אַחֵר בְּעַד הַיֶּלֶד זוּלָתִי שֶׁיָּקֵם אֶת דְּבָרוֹ שֶׁיִּהְיֶה קָדוֹשׁ לַה׳.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
'קדוש הוא לה. He will merit the light available for those enjoying eternal life, as well as be able to instruct the spiritual leaders of his generation. This may have been what Elkanah referred to when he said: “may the Lord keep His word” (Samuel I 1,23). What he meant was that he agreed with Chanah his wife’s vow that the child she would bear would spend his life on earth as a Nazirite. He did not add any additional request regarding the child that would be born to them. If G’d would allow Chanah’s prayer and vow to come true this would be more than enough satisfaction for him.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:13:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:13:1)

**יָבִיא אוֹתוֹ.** כְּבָר בֵּאֲרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה הוּא יָבִיא אֶת עַצְמוֹ, וְזֶה כִּי אָמְנָם כָּל הַקָּרֵב אֶל מִי שֶׁיְּחַדֵּשׁ דָּבָר מֵעַצְמוֹ נֶאֱמַר שֶׁהוּא מוּבָא אֶל הַמְחַדֵּשׁ בּוֹ עַל יְדֵי נִכְבָּד מִמֶּנּוּ, כְּזֶה שֶׁאֵין חָבוּשׁ מַתִּיר עַצְמוֹ. וְלָזֶה נִכְתַּב בִּמְצֹרָע בְּטֻמְאָתוֹ וּבְטָהֳרָתוֹ ״וְהוּבָא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן״ (ויקרא יד:ב), וּבְסוֹטָה ״וְהֵבִיא הָאִישׁ אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ אֶל הַכֹּהֵן״ (במדבר ה:טו), וְכֵן בְּעֶבֶד ״וְהִגִּישׁוֹ אֲדֹנָיו אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים״ (שמות כא:ו). אָמְנָם בְּנָזִיר אֲשֶׁר יְחֻדַּשׁ בּוֹ גִּלּוּחַ וּבוֹ יֵהָפֵךְ לְאִישׁ אַחֵר, אֵין נִכְבָּד מִמֶּנּוּ שֶׁיְּבִיאֵהוּ, אֲבָל הוּא יָבִיא אֶת עַצְמוֹ.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
יביא אותו, our sages in B’rachot 8 have already explained this to mean that the Nazirite is to bring himself, as it were. Normally, when someone is being prepared for a higher status than that he had attained in the past, such a person is being “brought” to his new assignment by someone superior to himself. This is why the person afflicted with tzoraat is brought to the Temple. Here. the Nazir presents himself in the Temple instead of being brought, i.e. presented by someone superior. Compare Leviticus 14,2 concerning the צרוע, and concerning the Sotah where the Torah had also written in Numbers 5,15 that the husband was to bring his wife to the priest. Similarly, a Jewish servant, asking to extend his term of service beyond the original 6 years, is brought to the door post to have his ear pierced by his master. (Exodus 21,6). Contrary to all this, the Nazirite at the end of his term who will once more begin to shave the hairs of his face and head, thus becoming “a new man,” brings himself. The reason is simple. There is no one on a higher spiritual niveau who could act as the one “bringing” him, i.e. presenting him.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:24:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:24:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:24:1)

**יְבָרֶכְךָ.** בְּעֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים, שֶׁאִם אֵין קֶמַח אֵין תּוֹרָה (אבות ג:יז).

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
יברכך, with material wealth. The reason this is the first of the blessing is explained by our sages in Avot 3,17 אם אין קמח אין תורה, “if there is no flour, (no economic base) a Torah environment cannot flourish.”


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:24:2
[Sforno on Numbers 6:24:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:24:2)

**וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ.** מִן הַגַּזְלָנִים.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
וישמרך, and protect you from those who steal material possessions.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:25:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:25:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:25:1)

**יָאֵר.** יְגַלֶּה עֵינֶיךָ בְּאוֹר פָּנָיו לְהַבִּיט נִפְלָאוֹת מִתּוֹרָתוֹ וּמִמַּעֲשָׂיו, אַחַר שֶׁתַּשִּׂיג צְרָכֶיךָ בְּבִרְכָתוֹ.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
יאר, may He grant light to your eyes to see and appreciate all the wonderful things G’d has done and keeps on doing. You should become aware that all that you achieve is due to His blessing.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:26:1
[Sforno on Numbers 6:26:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:26:1)

**יִשָּׂא ה׳ פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ.** לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם, כְּעִנְיַן ״כִּי עִמְּךָ מְקוֹר חַיִּים וְכוּ׳״ (תהלים לו:י), וּכְאָמְרָם (ברכות יז.) ״צַדִּיקִים יוֹשְׁבִים וְעַטְרוֹתֵיהֶם בְּרָאשֵׁיהֶם וּמִתְעַנְּגִים מִזִּיו שְׁכִינָה״.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
ישא ה' פניו אליך, giving you a vista of the world to come which awaits you. The line is similar in essence to what David said in Psalms 36,10 כי עמך מקור חיים באורך נראה אור, “with You is the fountain of life; by Your light do we see light.” It also reflects the statement of our sages in B’rachot 17 that in the world of the future the righteous sit with their crowned heads and enjoy the radiations of G’d’s glory.


###### Sforno on Numbers 6:26:2
[Sforno on Numbers 6:26:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Numbers/r/6:26:2)

**וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם.** מְנוּחַת שָׁלוֹם, שֶׁהוּא הַנִּצְחִיּוּת בְּלִי תַּעֲרֹבֶת עֹנֶשׁ הָרָאוּי לְכָל שָׁלֵם לְחַיֵּי עוֹלָם.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
וישם לך שלום, the serenity of peace which is equivalent to an infinite, unbroken and undisturbed existence, not tainted by punishment, something which is a feature of life in the world to come.