Rabbi Nevins comments on the concept of hereditary holiness – it conflicts with our egalitarian principles. Yet, the mystical ritual of the priestly blessing is something that continues to be highly valued. He continues to discuss the merits, or lack thereof, of the person who today holds the heritage of the kohanim; the Tanakh is clear about the requirement for the kohanim to be honorable in order to fulfill their office.
Rabbi Barenblat relates the census in this week’s parashah, which stipulates that each person matters. She ties the theme to the loss of life from recent anti-Semitic attacks, as well as the violence from the war in Gaza. She observes that, according to the Torah, the death of any human being is the destruction of an entire world.
The role of the Nazirite was to essentially renounce desire; the text is unclear as to why someone would make this choice. The Torah has mixed views on this, whether it is a positive or negative practice. Maimonides even contradicts himself. Rabbi Sacks states that according to Maimonides, there are actually 2 models of a virtuous life, instead of just 1. They result from 2 ways of understanding the meaning of a moral life.