As we noted in last week's shiur, Sefer Bamidbar opens with the establishment of "machane Yisrael" (the Israelite camp) in the wilderness, in preparation for their epic journey towards Eretz Yisrael.
In Parashat Naso, the Torah discusses a number of unique halakhic subjects, including the case of the nazir, which begins "If a man or a woman assumes a special nazirite vow (neder nazir), to separate himself to God" (v. 1).
In our parasha we arrive at what seems to be the conclusion of the lengthy process of building the Mishkan and its inauguration. However, it is in fact only in chapter 8, with the anointment and readying of the Levi'im, that this great endeavor is finally over.
The priestly blessing is a daily mitzva in Israel and in Sephardic communities, but Ashkenazic Jewry confines it to the holidays. What is the justification for this custom, and how does it emerge from biblical and rabbinical sources?
