Parashah Naso
14th Sivan, 5786 / May 30th, 2026
By Jonathan Mann
This Week’s Readings:
Torah: Numbers 4:21 – 7:89
Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25
Brit Chadashah: Acts 21:17–26
The Torah portion is Naso, “Elevate” from Numbers 4:21–7:89. The parsha begins with God instructing Moses to count the Gershonite men who will be carrying the Tabernacle. I want to highlight two sections from the Torah portion: The law of the sotah and the law of the nazir. The law of the sotah outlines the process of testing whether a wife suspected by her husband of having “gone astray,” committing adultery is guilty. In the Talmud, Chullin 141a, the rabbis discuss why God allows His name, written on a scroll, to be washed away. The text reads, “Great is peace between a man and his wife, as the Torah said that the name of the Holy One, Blessed be He, which is written in sanctity, shall be erased on the waters.” I think the rabbis are right: this law reveals God’s hatred of the sacred covenant being broken, His justice, and desire for peace between a husband and his wife.
The law of the nazir presents the requirements for taking a Nazarite vow, to set oneself apart for God. This involves abstaining from wine or any fermented drink until the period of consecration is complete. Rashi raises the question, “Why is the section dealing with the nazirite juxtaposed to the section of the adulterous woman?” His answer: “To tell us that whoever sees an adulteress in her disgrace should vow to abstain from wine, for it leads to adultery. [Sotah 2a].” These sections conclude with God instructing Moses how the Aaron’s sons should bless Israel. The blessing begins, “Adonai bless you and keep you!” (Num 6:24). The Aramaic translation, Targum Jonathan, interprets this verse as God keeping Israel from “demons of the night…demons of the noon, and of the morning.” God is keeping Israel from the demonic gods of the nations. The Torah portion concerns God’s covenant love for us and his desire to keep us from going astray from our holy relationship with Him, a relationship that is reflected in marriage.
The Haftarah portion, Judges 13:2–25, recounts a time when Israel was unfaithful to God, and even in this moment, God appears in human form to a married couple from the tribe of Dan. God tells Manoah’s wife, who is barren, that she will have a son who will “be a Nazarite to God from the womb. He will begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines” (v. 5). Even through Israel’s unfaithfulness, God blesses this family with a child, Samson, whom He calls to Himself as a lifelong Nazarite. Manoah expresses his fear, saying, “We will surely die, because we have seen God” (v. 22). His wife reassures him that they are protected because God accepted their offerings and revealed Himself to them. God comes down to this couple, appearing to them in human form, explaining the details of their son’s birth, reaching out to Israel in love, and fulfilling His promise.
The Brit Chadashah portion, Acts 21:17–26, is one of the most important texts for Messianic Judaism. Paul arrives to Jerusalem to meet with Jacob and other leaders of the Jerusalem community of Yeshua-followers. They inform Paul that myriads of Jewish people who follow Yeshua and are zealous for the Torah are being told that Paul is leading Israel astray, telling them “not to circumcise their children or to walk according to the customs.” Paul can tell these devout Jewish followers of Yeshua that the rumor is false, but actions speak louder than words. Jacob tells Paul to purify himself along with four Nazarites and pay the expenses them to fulfill the requirements of completing their vow in order to demonstrate that “there is nothing to the things they have been told about you, but that you yourself walk in an orderly manner, keeping the Torah.” And this is exactly what Paul does.
I think what we learned from the parsha helps elucidate the significance of Paul supporting his Jewish brothers in fulfilling this mitzvah in particular. Naso is concerned with the sanctity of God’s relationship with Israel. He cherishes our relationship with Him; He wants to bless us and keep us from going astray. The accusation against Paul is that he is teaching Jewish people living among the gentiles to “go astray,” committing adultery against God. The sign of this betrayal is failing to circumcising their sons, not living faithfully to the commandments stipulated in the covenant. To put it another way: the accusation is that Paul is telling Jews they are free to go after the gods whom they have not known––who they have not been in relationship with. When Paul purifies himself and pays for the expenses of the four Nazarites to complete their vow, he demonstrates that he is not leading Jewish people astray, but leading them to remain faithful to God, to follow Him. He clarifies his teaching loudly through his actions––through how he lives.
What can we take home from the parsha? I want to encourage you to let your life reflect your covenant relationship with God. Live out your Judaism because you are Jewish followers of Messiah Yeshua. Circumcise your sons, pray in synagogue, celebrate Shabbat, and let the fruits of the spirit flow from you in how you treat those around you.