Reply To: Short & Sweet

Naso: Never Say Never

Rashi famously explains that the reason the Mitzva of Nazir follows that of the Sotah is because anyone who sees the disgrace of the Sotah should learn to stay away from wine, which can lead to immorality.

R’ Yosef Elephant pointed out a defense mechanism that we often use instead. Imagine if today, we would hear about a woman dying as a Sotah. Our initial reaction would probably be to ask: “What neighborhood did she live in, what family did she grow up in, what schools did she attend in her youth? Oh, well with that background, it’s no wonder this is how she ended up. This would never happen to me or people in my circles.”

But this is precisely what the Torah is telling us to avoid. If we see somebody fall in a particular area, we need to realize that the same thing can happen to us if we’re not careful. When it comes to aveiros in general and immorality in particular, we cannot allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security and complacency. אל תאמן בעצמך עד יום מותך – make sure the next scandal doesn’t happen to you.

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