Parshas Naso 5785
- Torah Tavlin
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
ויעתר מנוח אל ה' ... יבוא נא עוד אלינו ויורנו מה נעשה לנער היולד ... (שפטים יג-ח)
Manoach and his wife Tzlelponi were childless until one day an angel appeared and informed her that she would give birth to a child who was to be a lifetime Nazir - the famed Shimshon HaGibor. The Navi says that the angel first came only to Tzlelponi, but then it came again after Manoach pleaded for the “messenger” to reveal himself to him as well. Why was it so important to Manoach to be able to see the angel? Did he not believe his wife was telling the truth?
The Zohar explains that Manoach was not on the same spiritual level as his wife - and he knew it. As such, he was afraid that the special child was only promised to her and not to him. But what would it matter anyway? He explains that ramifications would be that the child would not be linked to Manoach’s strengths - only to his wife’s. Chazal teach us that there are three partners in the formation of a child: Hashem, the father, and the mother. In fact, each partner gives a critical component to the child’s development which sets the tone for the child’s entire life, and even Manoach knew this. Despite his deficiencies in spirituality, Manoach understood the critical role he played in his future son’s development, and as such he begged Hashem to allow the “messenger” to return so that he could clarify what his role was with this child.
The Zohar explains that we often think that our input may be insignificant, however we should take a lesson from Manoach to always see ourselves as important - despite how pointless our involvement may seem.