Nazir

I am writing this week’s spiritual insight from Netanya Israel, where I took this photo of the sunset over the Mediterranean. In this week’s Torah portion Naso (Numbers 4:21–7:89), we are introduced to the Nazir, a man or women who choose to abstain from wine, cutting their hair and contact with death.  Samson is perhaps the most well-known individual who was a Nazir. The Nazir is usually thought of as an ascetic who practices self-denial, and extreme asceticism. However, there is much more to

The Strongest Man Is Not From Nazareth As children, we heard bible stories that described Samson as the “strongest man who ever lived.” Movies like Cecil B. DeMille’s 1949 classic, Samson and Delilah, captured the imagination of millions and glorified Samson’s long hair as the secret of his superhuman strength. However, the book of Judges reveals that there is more to Samson’s strength than the movie depicts. Samson was dedicated from birth to be a Nazirite [נזיר–nazir] as it says, “the boy is