The Nazirite’s vow: no wine, and no haircuts and, of course, impeccable service to God. While Judaism doesn’t have an ascetic tradition this ancient oath of the nazir comes rather close. Samson was perhaps the most famous of these long-haired souls sworn to service of The Divine. The oath itself originates in this week’s parsha, and on a surface level, resonates deeply right now as I, and many others, are desperately in need of a hair cut.
The oath, and the practice of being a nazir, goes deeper than aesthetics, of course. The word nazir shares the same root letters as the word z’rizut, which can be translated as “enthusiasm,” or “persistence.”
The Nazir described in our parsha is one who devotes his (or her!) life and work to the service of God. Although not a priest, this individual sets aside a number of years of his or her life in which they will set their sights only on that-which-is-greater-than-themselves, their long, unruly locks being an outward sign of this devotion.
Persistence is the name of our game at the moment. As our hair grows long and we face another stretch of Staying at Home and Staying Safe, even as summer begins to unfurl around us, we are invited to contemplate what it means for us to persist. Rabbi Marcia Plumb suggests that the z’rizut displayed by the Biblical nazirim, is a quality trait that we can cultivate as well, simply by continuing to put one foot in front of the other. Such is our task every year, though we might feel it a bit more in this particular season.
– Rabbi Callie Schulman
