One benefit of focusing on the Hebrew letter for
the entire month is having a chance to explore the richness of the Torah
portions for the whole month and their contribution to our understanding of the
ideas related to the concepts that the letter conveys. This is certainly true
for the letter Zayin and the month of Sivan.

In our initial Dvar Torah for this
month we opened with three ideas related to Zayin that did not seem connected:
Zayin as crown, weapon, and sustenance: Each of the three Torah readings that we
read during the month of Sivan help us understand these ideas as well as their
interrelationship. The Torah readings of Naso, Beha'alotecha, and Shelach each
contribute to our understanding of Zayin in different ways. As we looked at the
Zayin in these three Torah portions we also noticed the pairing of the Zayin
with the letter Nun in words, graphics and concepts. This isn't surprising,
since the word Zayin, spelled Zayin-Yud-Nun, provides a clue that in order to
fully understand the letter Zayin, its connection to the letter Nun (and Yud) is
essential.

Parsha Naso

Parsha Naso, among many other topics, discusses the
laws of the Nazir, the person who voluntarily takes on vows of abstinence from
wine, intoxicating beverages and all grape products, does not cut his/her hair,
and does not come in contact with a corpse (the word Nazir is spelled Nun-
Zayin-Yud- Reish). In the law that outlines his restrictions against coming in
contact with the dead, the verse in the Torah states, " he shall not contaminate
himself to them upon their death, for the crown of G-d is upon his head
(Bamidbar 6:7). Usually the word in Hebrew for crown is Keter. In this case,
the word for crown is Naizer (Nun-Zayin-Reish) from which comes the Hebrew word
Nazir. We mentioned at the outset that the letter Zayin, by itself, graphically
represents a crown. It is one of seven letters that "wears" a crown (the
three-pointed "crowns") and it is the word Zaynin (the plural of Zayin) that
describes to the Torah scribe the shape each crown takes. The word for the
Nazir's crown has both the Nun (one of the other seven crowned letters) and the
Zayin, two crowned letters that are "on" the Reish (the letter Reish means the
head).

One of the reasons given for why someone would want to take Nazirite
vows in the first place is that the person is trying to achieve greater
spiritual connection. Often this desire is based on the fact that the person has
gone off course spiritually and is seeking to re-center himself by taking
measures that push him in the opposite direction. e.g. he became frivolous, so
he temporarily restricts himself in the hopes of re-gaining control over
himself. Because Judaism does not advocate an ascetic life, we are taught that
Nazirite vows are to be temporary in order to regain balance and be centered.
The idea of centering is a basic concept connected to the Zayin, as it relates
to its gematria of 7. Six things of equal size, for example circles, exactly fit
around a seventh circle (in the center) of the same size. So, if you draw a
circle of any particular size, you can draw exactly six circles of the same size
around that central circle -- no more and no less (if you want them all to
touch). This idea relates to the concept that the seventh is actually at the
center and is the focus of the other six. The best example of this in Judaism is
the 7th day, Shabbat. Although it is the 7th day, it actually stands at the core
of the week. All of the other days revolve around it. It serves as the center
for the three days before it and the three days after it (that is one reason why
a person can make Havdalah up until Tuesday night-the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday
following that Shabbat are still connected to it). Even though the seventh
appears to be the final element in a linear progression, it is actually the core
around which everything else revolves.

When we are called "Am m'kadeshei
Shevi'i", "the nation that sanctifies the Seventh," we can understand this to
refer to the Jewish people sanctifying that which is at the core -- the
Shabbat. Shabbat (as well as other "time-sevens" such as the Sabbatical year of Shmitah)
are about resting and relying on G-d. This hints to us that the core is about
reliance on G-d, but that the other six, be they days of the week, the six years
prior to Shmitah, etc. are about a struggle that stays centered on the core.
[Working the six days of the week with an eye toward Shabbat in a way that is
holy and spiritual even though it is "ordinary."; working the fields in
compliance with Torah - leaving the gleanings, the corners, etc. for 6 years
with the central realization that G-d is the ultimate Provider not only during
the Shmitah year, but all of the other years as well]. Zayin seems to speak to
us about the tension and paradox between struggle and letting go --finding
balance between our effort--active trust in G-d and our passive trust in G-d to
provide our needs.

The person who takes on Nazirite vows is attempting to
recenter himself on the core. If the Naizer, the "crown" of the Nazir is like
the crowns on the Torah letters, it has three points - two signifying extremes
in either direction and the one in the center which represents balance. The
person who takes Nazirite vows hopes to "wear the crown" representing the
holiness of a balanced relationship with himself and G-d.

Balance is further connected with the letters Nun and Zayin. The word Ozen (Alef-Zayin-Nun) means ear, whose inner meaning relates to the inner sense of the ear, which is
balance. Zayin and Nun's connection to balance is also represented by the words
for male, Zachar, and female, Nekevah. When male and female, Zachar and
Nekevah, are unified and balanced this represents the perfect union. All of us
struggle to find and maintain balance. The laws of the Nazirite teach us that it
is sometimes necessary to take corrective action to bring us back to the center
-- to center the crown upon our heads.

Beha'alotecha:

"G-d spoke to Moshe, saying, 'Speak to Aaron and say to him: When you kindle the lamps, toward the face of the Menorah shall the seven lamps cast light.'" (Bamidbar:8:1-2)
Beha'alotecha opens with the command to light the seven (Zayin) branched
Menorah. Rashi comments that the three wicks on the right and the three on the
left were all direcrted toward the Menorah's central stem, concentrating light
toward the center. Again we see a linear seven being transformed to an inner
circle (core) surrounded by six elements.

The Letter Nun

Not only is the letter Zayin a letter at the center, it shares this quality with the letter Nun.
It is taught that the letter Nun (the 14th letter) is the center letter of the
Hebrew letters when we count the five final letters for a total of 27.

With the image of the seven branched Menorah still burning as an image we can see a
further Nun -Zayin connection later in Be'ha'alotecha. In the middle of the
Torah portion we see two verses in the Torah, set off by two inverted Nuns (the
only inverted letters in the entire Torah). "When the Ark would journey, Moshe
said, 'Arise, G-d, and let your foes be scattered, let those who hate You flee
from before You.' And when it rested, he would say, 'Reside (return)
tranquillly, G-d, among the myriad thousands of Israel." (Bamidbar 10:35-36).
Sforno explains that the Ark went first to protect the Jewish people from snakes
and scorpions in the Midbar. The ark served as a protective "weapon", another
concept connected to Zayin, for the Jewish people. The Ark, the vessel
containing the Torah and the Tablets serve as an instrument for us in our
struggles. The Talmud (Shabbat 115b-116a) comments on the remarkable presence of
the inverted Nuns that bracket these two verses and declares that these verses
are therefore to be considered a separate book of the Torah. With these two
verses as a separate book, the book of Bamidbar now is three books: the section
before these two verses, these two verses, and the section after these verses.
This brings the number of books in Torah to 7 (Zayin) .

Shelach

The Zohar teaches us that to acquire the Land of Israel, it is necessary to struggle with
the material world and not be daunted by its difficulties. The land of
spirituality is a land of contrasts. If we refuse the struggle, certainly we
will fail. G-d will help us overcome our difficulties and enable us to reach the
very heart of the kingdom -- a magnificent land flowing with milk and honey. It
is in the Land of Israel that the Jewish people can fully carry out the mitzvot
of the Torah and benefit from G-d's Divine Providence. It was not promised that
this would happen without a struggle. Ten of the 12 spies that Moshe sends to
scout out the land of Israel return with a mixed report. While they admit that
it indeed flows with milk and honey, they bring fear to the people by
recounting the insurmountable odds they encountered- the fortification of the
cities, the size of the people, etc.

Only Calev speaks up and says "We shall surely ascend and conquer it, for we can surely do it." (Bamidbar 13:30). He does not deny the report; he trusts that the struggle will be successful because G-d has promised the land and will help them. G-d will be their Zayin, their
"weapon" in their battles for conquest.

Calev and Yehoshua (bin Nun) recognize that just as receiving the Torah was the purpose of the exodus from Egypt, conquering the Land of Israel and inhabiting it was the purpose of G-d bringing them through the Midbar. There the people, the Torah, and the Land would be
unified. The people failed to see that they were on the threshhold of coming
home, coming to their center. They reacted as if the journey could come to an
end by staying in the Midbar, perhaps living as a nomadic desert tribe sustained
by G-d's abundant caring. And their "punishment" was to indeed be nomadic for 40
years, to come to the realization that they would only be "going in circles"
unless the circling was for a purpose- to find the center.

In contrast to their supposition, the Land of Israel, not the Midbar, is the place where G-d's
Providence is most fulfilled. Even the spies, who had evil intentions, perceived
that the land flowed with milk and honey. The flow, Zavat (Zayin-Vet-Tav) would
sustain (Zan) the Jewish people as the manna did in the Midbar. The seven fruits
of the Land of Israel symbolize, again, the core concept, that G-d is at the
center of our being sustained. G-d as the Zan, the Provider would take care of
the Jewish people in a different way once they were in the Land. The Land would
require effort and struggle, but there they would be successful, ultmimately.
By refusing the struggle and not trusting G-d to continue the sustenance and
protection in the Land, the Jewish people forfeited the Zayin, the 7th, their
core, the place where they, with the Torah could live in harmonious balance.
This remained out of reach until Yehoshua bin Nun, Joshua the son of Nun would
cross the Jordan and take the Jewish people into the Land. It would then take 7
years to conquer the land and another 7 years to divide it!

Summary

Parsha Naso, with its instruction to one wishing to take Nazirite vows, teaches us that
each of us struggles to maintain spiritual balance and that sometimes it is
necessary to over-compensate in order to re-center. The crown, the Naizer of the
Nazir, both symbolizes our struggle and our victory. All of our endeavors in
both the spiritual and material world need a focus. In Beha'alotecha we are
taught that the 7-branched Menorah gives us a visual reminder to focus all of
our energies on the central point -- to serve G-d. It, too, may be a struggle to
keep our focus on the central flame and it is the struggle we want to engage in.
We have to do battle, but G-d ensures the ultimate victory. The 10 spies who
bring the evil report of the Land of Israel refuse to engage in the struggle.
Rather than seeing that the Land represented the core of their world, the center
around which everything else revolved, they saw the pitfalls and dangers lurking
there. Cutting themselves off from the struggle, they also cut themselves off
from the Zavat, the flow of milk and honey that would have nurtured them.

In the month of Sivan, the month we celebrate the revelation of the Torah at Mount
Sinai, we also appreciate that the Torah is our central focus. Whenever we make
the error of not seeing G-d as our provider and protector, we find ourselves in
an "inverted" state and the Torah neither travels or rests in the center of our
lives. May we all merit the disappearance of the inverted Nuns and the
restoration of the Torah to the center of our lives.