Last week our youngest son participated in his school's Renaissance Faire, where each student researched an important figure from the Renaissance and then presented their biographical
information to the audience of parents in the form of a monologue and a poster display. Our son got a real kick out of being Cosmo di Medici. One of his good friends was one of my favorite Renaissance figures, William Shakespeare. She pointed out that in his plays Shakespeare created many words and phrases we use today, such as "a wild goose chase" (Romeo and Juliet), “in my heart of hearts” (Hamlet), and referring to jealousy as "the green-eyed monster" (Othello).
Othello centers around jealousy - Iago's jealousy of Othello, which leads him to sow Othello's jealousy and distrust of his wife, Desdemona. While I am not generally a fan of the Sotah ritual (where a husband who suspects an unfaithful wife can bring her to the priest to do a ritual trial to prove her innocence or guilt), I was thinking something like it sure could have helped Othello. He too was in a fit of jealousy, which is how the husband is described in this week's parsha.
"a fit of jealousy comes over him and he is wrought up about the wife who has defiled herself—or if a fit of jealousy comes over him and he is wrought up about his wife although she has not defiled herself" (Bamidar 5:14)
Though I imagine that under this rule a woman could be unfairly accused, this ritual trial did give an opportunity to clear her name. The rabbis added in extra layers of procedure with warnings and witnesses before the ritual trial could be performed, so, as Rabbi Dr Josh Kulp points out in his introduction to learning Sotah, it "more likely that the woman has truly committed adultery,
and that she is not just a victim of a jealous rage." (Which, of course, is EXACTLY what happens to Desdemona)
Connecting Shakespeare to the parsha is fun, so this week's side dish will call to mind the "green-eyed monster" with this Spring Green Vegetables side dish.
Naso also contains the laws of the Nazir - someone who elects to take on additional restrictions, which are: not cut one’s hair, not go near a dead body, not eat grapes or drink wine. These choices separate the nazir and add extra layers of rules for that person. Why would someone take this on? Rashi gives one explation " Why is the section dealing with the Nazarite placed in juxtaposition to the section dealing with the Sotah? To tell you that he who has once seen a Sotah in her disgrace should abstain from wine, because it may lead to adultery." I would broaden this to say that something has happened in the nazir's life that led him to re-examine his choices and he decided that living more strictly was what he needed at that time. What I like about the nazir is that it is temporary. You can make this life change when you need it and change back again when you feel comfortable to do so.
While a nazir couldn't eat the next dish, I think any dish using grapes, raisins, or wine would work. (Isn't it interesting that it's ALL grape products and not just wine?! Mabye it's a fence around wine, but still so interesting) A green salad with grapes would work, a wine based chicken or meat dish would work. I think I'd lean towards a grape (re: raisin) dessert. This Old Fashioned Raisin Cake looks delicious both for Shabbat dinner AND to be eaten at breakfast the next morning (it's almost like a muffin, so that's totally okay, right?!)
Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!
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