parsha bit: Naso

[cellio]

Parshat Naso describes the vow of the Nazarite. Our sages are divided on the value of this kind of vow. Rabbi Yitzchak, in the Jerusalem talmud, teaches that if you are present when someone is considering taking such a vow, you must shock him to his senses by asking: "Are not all the restrictions of torah enough for you? Why do you insist on restraining yourself from what the torah permits you to enjoy?" (Nedarim 9:1, Yerushalmi)

Relevant to chumrot (extra stringencies not commanded by halacha), perhaps?

Comments

[geekosaur]

Amusingly, I have a pair of diametrically opposite shiurim on the topic from a few years ago: the one from Torah.org sees the nazirite vow as something everyone should aspire to do all the time, whereas the one from Yeshivat Har Etzion thinks it is an act of desperation that should be used only when nothing else works. Both justify their viewpoints via Talmudic arguments.

[cellio]

There are multiple arguments in the talmud for each position. This isn't unusual for the talmud. :-)