This Shabbath we study Perashath Nassó. It includes instructions concerning the Lewiyyim, the Aharonic Blessing, the nazir (nazirite), and the ceremony of the Sotah.
Over the last twenty years, there has been a global rise in divorce rates. Many factors contribute to this phenomenon. Yet, one factor appears common to nearly every case: personal pride.
When we analyze the ceremony of the Sotah, we uncover a remarkable lesson. The Torah teaches that a jealous husband could bring his wife before the Sanhedrin if he suspected her of infidelity—after having warned her not to associate with a specific man. If two trustworthy witnesses could not be produced, and he still suspected her, he could bring the matter before the authorities. The Torah explains that the Name of the Eternal is written on a scroll, then mixed with water and dissolved. We know it is generally forbidden to erase the Holy Name. Yet in this case, Aḏonay Yitbarakh permits it.
Several lessons emerge here. First, the Eternal—praised be He—grants the husband peace of mind by allowing the matter to be clarified. Second, the Blessed One permits His own Name to be erased, so long as it brings shalom bayit—peace in the home. And lastly, we learn that one must humble themselves in order to make peace within the household.
Rabbi Me’ir once perceived through Ruaḥ haQodesh (Divine inspiration) a case in which a husband would not allow his wife back into the home unless she first spat in the face of Rabbi Me’ir. The poor woman was distraught—such an act would profane the Name of the Eternal! The neighbors pleaded with her to do it so she could return home. Rabbi Me’ir, however, devised a plan: he pretended his eye was in pain and said that it required a healing remedy made from saliva, to be applied seven times. And so it happened—this woman, full of fear and shame, approached him. Rabbi Me’ir noted her timidity and gently instructed her how to apply the “remedy.” Afterward, he said to her:
“Tell your husband not only did you spit once, but seven times!”
This great Sage imitated his Creator—humbling himself to bring peace to a home. How much more so should we, who are not nearly as great, be willing to lower ourselves for the sake of harmony?
The Talmud teaches that divorce is likened to the destruction of the Temple, and that the Heavenly Altar weeps because of it. On the other hand, when a home in Yisrael is built upon Torah and miṣwoth, it is considered as if Yerushalayim itself has been rebuilt.
May the Eternal—blessed be He—grant us the merit to rebuild Yerushalayim and the Holy Temple. Ken yehí raṣon!