Naso

There is an interesting sequence of pesukim in our parsha that seemingly don't go together. One posuk’s topic is about making restitution for monies that one stole, והשיב את אשמו. The next presents the laws of giving a tenth to the kohen, איש אשר יתן לכהן לו יהיה. Finally, the Torah describes the laws of the wayward wife, איש איש כי תשטה אשתו.

To explain why the posuk of giving maaser comes right after the posuk that deals with the sin of stealing, the Bina L’Itim explains, people live with a misconception concerning what is theirs and what is not. They think the money they have in the bank account is theirs while the money given to charity is not. It is this outlook that causes people to decrease their contributions, stealing from the charity that one is required to give. However, this perception is false; the money one gives away to holy causes is permanent, whereas one’s personal fortune is temporary. This posuk teaches us את קדשים לו יהיו, that what one donates to holy causes, shall be his. The Gemara tells us of King Munbaz who, during a famine, used a large part of the Royal Treasury to sustain his subjects. His brothers and family came to him complaining, “your fathers increased the fortunes they inherited, but you waste yours.” Replied Munbaz , “my fathers deposited in this world, while I deposit in the next​. They saved for others, while I save for myself.” Charity is an investment in one's future.

Concerning the next posuk, Rashi brings the Gemara that explains why the subject of the Sota is next to the subject of giving maaser - to teach us that, whoever has truma and maaser and doesn't give it to the kohen, in the end he will have to approach the kohen to bring his wife the Sota. It appears that the Gemara is saying that because one didn't give the maser, his wife will go astray and become a Sota. Now, asks the ,ברכת שמעון what does the sin of the husband have to do with his wife's actions? Also, every person has his own right to choose to do right or wrong so how is it possible that a woman will sin as a punishment for the sin of the husband? If anything, the Gemara should have said that the man will get tzaraas and himself need to come to the kohen?

The אוצר התורה brings a story about a wealthy man in 1928 who, at the age of forty six, suffered a massive heart attack. The doctor told him that if he continues working at his current pace, he will only live another five years. He decided to retire and enjoy the remainder of his life in Florida. He purchased annuities that would support him comfortably for forty years, and moved into a beautiful home. He began distributing large amounts of money to charity. His favorite tzedaka was the Ponevezher Yeshiva. One day he called R’ Berel Wein. “Rabbi, I’m now eighty six years old, and a terrible thing has happened. I’ve outlived my income. When I was younger, the doctors only gave me five years to live. I conservatively bought forty years of annuities. Now, all my doctors are dead and my annuity has been spent. I’ve lived within my means but beyond my years. I’m going to have to sell my house and change my entire standard of living at such an old age”. R Wein knew that the Ponevezher rosh yeshiva was coming into town, so he told him not to do anything yet. When R’ Kahanamen came to see him and listened to his story, he knew that this man had given over a million dollars over the years to the yeshiva. He was shocked and said this can't happen. R Wein started to explain to the rabbi how it happened, but the Rav was one step ahead. He said to his friend, “ for forty five years you supported Torah, now Torah is going to support you. Rav Kahanamen made a startling decision . He immediately put the man on the yeshiva's payroll and for the remaining two years of his life he was officially a fundraiser for the Ponevezher Yeshiva. As they left, Rav Kahanamen said to R’ Wein, “charity is a two-way street. It benefits the giver as well as the receiver. We’ll just redirect some of his money back to him.

Perhaps, with this concept, we can understand why the man who doesn't give, will end up with his wife by the kohen. When a person doesn't give and is stingy, it's not only with the kohen but with his wife, too, causing fighting and contention which can cause his wife to go astray and end up needing the kohen. It's not so much a punishment but rather a natural outcome of his actions. Charity is a two-way street; if one gives, one gets back. If one doesn’t give, he can lose everything. Let's take this opportunity to increase what we give, for in the end it's really what we get!