The Weekly Message
June 15, 2024
Parshas Naso
"One who sees a Sotah in her disgrace, should abstain himself from wine"
The topic of נזירות - (one who) abstains, immediately follows the parsha of סוטה - unfaithful woman, to teach us: "One who sees a Sotah in her disgrace, should abstain himself from wine" (Sotah 2a). Chazal are imparting an important lesson to every member of Klal Yisroel; no matter how righteous and vigilant a person may be to avoid immodesty and impurity, nevertheless, no one is totally impervious to the sights and sounds of טומאה - profanity, defilement, licentiousness and corruption. All it takes is merely to "see a Sotah in her disgrace" and the chain reaction can be disastrous and destructive to the middos and character of a Jew in his personal and family life. One needs to "abstain himself from wine" - from any activity that may bring him to sin.
How much more so in today's day and age, warns R' Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz zt"l, must we be vigilant in our efforts to abstain from sin. Everywhere we turn, every place we go, we are faced with the "Sotah in disgrace" syndrome sights and sounds of immodesty and character corruption which is a way of life by the gentiles. If Chazal make it clear that even a tzaddik is not impervious and he must "abstain himself from wine" - we, who are on a much lesser degree of righteousness, must work even harder and strive with even greater effort to avoid the influence and negative inspiration that is commonplace in the streets and marketplaces of the world.
In this age of "סוטה בקלקולה" it is incumbent upon us for the sake of our children, our families and ourselves to create barriers separating us from the "winds of society" and its corruptible influences so that we can live as a holy nation - Klal Yisroel.