Naso - Up!
The idea that connects the many different meanings of the word Naso.
After many of us spent the first night of Shavuot studying all night and then endured a long davening on the second day, you’d think the Torah would give us a break. But no -- the first Parsha after Shavuot every year is Naso, the longest Parsha in the entire Torah. We’ve referenced in the past that the root of the word “Naso” has the same triple meaning as “Pakod.” But actually, “Naso” is even more complex than “Pakod,” it has at least nine meanings: to matter; to count numbers (as when the Jewish people were counted in the desert); to hold a leadership position such as “Nasi,” president of the tribe; to carry; to lift up; to join in marriage- “nesuin”; to create music (as in Psalms 81, “Seu” zimra); to engage in the Kohanim blessing of the Jewish people, “Nesiat kapayim”; and to behead someone
בְּעוֹד שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים יִשָּׂא פַרְעֹה אֶת־רֹאשְׁךָ מֵעָלֶיךָ וְתָלָה אוֹתְךָ עַל־עֵץ
In three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hang you on a tree [Genesis, 40:19]
All these meanings share a common denominator: they each convey the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
We can see this clearly when we look at each definition: When someone is beheaded, the whole person dies (as we know from the halachic principle of “p’sik reisha.)” The president of a tribe represents the entire group, and with an effective leader, a group can achieve much more than individual members acting on their own. Similarly, when playing music and harmonizing multiple musical parts you create a sound incomparably richer than its individual parts. The same is true about marriage, which entails a union that promises much greater potential than either person could have alone. In the Birkat Kohanim, the last verse says:
יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
God will lift His face to you and grant you peace
the word for peace, “shalom,” also means “wholeness,” “shaleim,” because the blessing will elevate everything, helping the Jewish people fulfill their mission in the world.
And finally, as we mentioned last week, the Jewish people are not counted simply to collect data but for a profound purpose. The counting ensures that everyone has a place and a contribution to make, thereby making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
This is a timely concept as we celebrate the “power couple” of our Shul, Rebecca and Shaul, becoming parents. Their dedication and deep involvement have uplifted the entire Center City Jewish community. As they raise their daughter, they will undoubtedly serve as incredible role models for her, just as they do for us. We wish them much nachas from their precious baby girl and that they should merit to raise her l’Torah, l’Chupa, u’limaasim tovim. Mazal tov!
Shabbat Shalom.
Eliezer Hirsch