Haftarah of Naso

Shoftim 13:2-25

This Haftarah takes place at the end of the time of the Shoftim (Judges), when there was no central government in Israel, and each tribe dealt as best as it could with challenges and threats from the surrounding nations. Whenever the situation got particularly dire, G-d would appoint an ad-hoc leader who would be tasked with rescuing them from their enemies. The Haftarah tells the story of the birth of the last of these leaders, Shimshon.

In the town of Tzor'ah, near Beit Shemesh, there lived a man named Manoach, and his wife, Mrs. Manoach. They did not have any children. One day, an angel appeared to the woman and told her that she would have a son who would grow up to be a hero and fight the enemies of Israel, the cruel and powerful Philistines. In order to do that, he would have to be dedicated to G-d, a "Nazir", from birth.

According to the Torah in Parshat Naso, a Nazir is forbidden to drink wine, cut his hair, or come in contact with dead bodies, for a pre-determined amount of time. This child would be a unique type of Nazir, as the restrictions would apply to him for his entire life, even in utero.

2) There was a man from Tzar'ah, from one of the Dan families,

named Manoach.

His wife was barren, and had not given birth.

(ב) וַיְהִי אִישׁ אֶחָד מִצָּרְעָה מִמִּשְׁפַּחַת הַדָּנִי

וּשְׁמוֹ מָנוֹחַ

וְאִשְׁתּוֹ עֲקָרָה וְלֹא יָלָדָה:

3) An angel of Hashem appeared to the woman;

He said to her:

"You are barren and have not given birth;

you will become pregnant and give birth to a son.

(ג) וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ ה' אֶל הָאִשָּׁה

וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ

הִנֵּה נָא אַתְּ עֲקָרָה וְלֹא יָלַדְתְּ

וְהָרִית וְיָלַדְתְּ בֵּן:

4) Now please watch yourself,

and do not drink wine or liquor,

and do not eat anything impure.

(ד) וְעַתָּה הִשָּׁמְרִי נָא

וְאַל תִּשְׁתִּי יַיִן וְשֵׁכָר

וְאַל תֹּאכְלִי כָּל טָמֵא:

5) For you are about to be pregnant and give birth to a son;

a razor shall not touch his head,

for the boy will be a Nazir of G-d from birth,

and he will begin to save Israel from the Philistines."

(ה) כִּי הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן

וּמוֹרָה לֹא יַעֲלֶה עַל רֹאשׁוֹ

כִּי נְזִיר אֱ-לֹהִים יִהְיֶה הַנַּעַר מִן הַבָּטֶן

וְהוּא יָחֵל לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים:

Mrs. Manoach comes home and tells her husband what just happened to her. She is not sure if the being that spoke to her was a human messenger of G-d, or an actual angel. It seems that even the former could have been very frightening in appearance, and the thought of it being the latter was too much to contemplate.

6) The woman came,

She spoke to her husband, saying: "A Man of G-d came to me,

he looked like an angel of G-d, very frightening,

and I did not ask him where he comes from,

and he did not tell me his name.

(ו) וַתָּבֹא הָאִשָּׁה

וַתֹּאמֶר לְאִישָׁהּ לֵאמֹר אִישׁ הָאֱ-לֹהִים בָּא אֵלַי

וּמַרְאֵהוּ כְּמַרְאֵה מַלְאַךְ הָאֱ-לֹהִים נוֹרָא מְאֹד

וְלֹא שְׁאִלְתִּיהוּ אֵי מִזֶּה הוּא

וְאֶת שְׁמוֹ לֹא הִגִּיד לִי:

7) He said to me,

'You are going to be pregnant and give birth to a son,

and now don't drink wine or liquor,

and don't eat anything impure,

for the boy will be a Nazir of G-d,

from birth until the day he dies.' "

(ז) וַיֹּאמֶר לִי

הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן

וְעַתָּה אַל תִּשְׁתִּי יַיִן וְשֵׁכָר

וְאַל תֹּאכְלִי כָּל טֻמְאָה
כִּי נְזִיר אֱ-לֹהִים יִהְיֶה הַנַּעַר

מִן הַבֶּטֶן עַד יוֹם מוֹתוֹ: פ

Manoach does not doubt his wife or the message that she received, but is uncertain that he has all the relevant instructions for raising such an individual. He begs G-d for more information.

8) Manoach prayed to Hashem, and said,

"Please, Lord!

Let the Man of G-d that You had sent, please come to us again,

so he could teach us what to do with the boy that will be born."

(ח) וַיֶּעְתַּר מָנוֹחַ אֶל ה' וַיֹּאמַר

בִּי אֲ-דוֹנָי

אִישׁ הָאֱ-לֹהִים אֲשֶׁר שָׁלַחְתָּ יָבוֹא נָא עוֹד אֵלֵינוּ

וְיוֹרֵנוּ מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לַנַּעַר הַיּוּלָּד:

G-d agrees, and sends the angel a second time. As before, he appears when Manoach is not around. This time, Mrs. Manoach goes to get her husband so that they could hear the instructions together. Manoach follows her to meet the messenger, and he repeats the instructions.

9) G-d listened to Manoach;

the angel of G-d came again to the woman;

while she was sitting in the field,

and her husband Manoach was not with her.

(ט) וַיִּשְׁמַע הָאֱ-לֹהִים בְּקוֹל מָנוֹחַ

וַיָּבֹא מַלְאַךְ הָאֱ-לֹהִים עוֹד אֶל הָאִשָּׁה

וְהִיא יוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּשָּׂדֶה

וּמָנוֹחַ אִישָׁהּ אֵין עִמָּהּ:

10) The woman hurried,

she ran and told her husband;

She said to him,

"Look, the man has appeared to me,

the one who had come to me the other day!"

(י) וַתְּמַהֵר הָאִשָּׁה

וַתָּרָץ וַתַּגֵּד לְאִישָׁהּ

וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו

הִנֵּה נִרְאָה אֵלַי הָאִישׁ

אֲשֶׁר בָּא בַיּוֹם אֵלָי:

11) Manoach got up and went after his wife;

He came to the man;

He said to him,

"Are you the man who spoke to the woman?"

He said, "I am".

(יא) וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ מָנוֹחַ אַחֲרֵי אִשְׁתּוֹ

וַיָּבֹא אֶל הָאִישׁ

וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ

הַאַתָּה הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ אֶל הָאִשָּׁה

וַיֹּאמֶר אָנִי:

12) Manoach said,

"When your message comes true,

how shall we act with the boy, what shall be done with him?"

(יב) וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ

עַתָּה יָבֹא דְבָרֶיךָ

מַה יִּהְיֶה מִשְׁפַּט הַנַּעַר וּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ:

13) The angel of Hashem said to Manoach,

"The woman should stay away from all that I told her.

(יג) וַיֹּאמֶר מַלְאַךְ ה' אֶל מָנוֹחַ

מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר אָמַרְתִּי אֶל הָאִשָּׁה תִּשָּׁמֵר:

14) She should not eat any grape product ,

she should not drink wine or liquor,

and she should not eat anything impure;

whatever I commanded her, she should keep."

(יד) מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר יֵצֵא מִגֶּפֶן הַיַּיִן לֹא תֹאכַל

וְיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר אַל תֵּשְׁתְּ

וְכָל טֻמְאָה אַל תֹּאכַל

כֹּל אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיהָ תִּשְׁמֹר:

Manoach wishes to thank the messenger, whom he believes to be a human prophet, and offers him food. The angel suggests that the food be offered to G-d instead. Manoach asks him his name, and he refuses to answer.

15) Manoach said to the angel of Hashem,

"Let us detain you,

and prepare before you a goat."

(טו) וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ אֶל מַלְאַךְ ה'

נַעְצְרָה נָּא אוֹתָךְ

וְנַעֲשֶׂה לְפָנֶיךָ גְּדִי עִזִּים:

16) The angel of Hashem said to Manoach,

"If you detain me, I will not eat your food;

and if you make an offering,

bring it to Hashem."

For Manoach had not realized

that he was an angel of Hashem.

(טז) וַיֹּאמֶר מַלְאַךְ ה' אֶל מָנוֹחַ

אִם תַּעְצְרֵנִי לֹא אֹכַל בְּלַחְמֶךָ

וְאִם תַּעֲשֶׂה עֹלָה

לַה' תַּעֲלֶנָּה

כִּי לֹא יָדַע מָנוֹחַ

כִּי מַלְאַךְ ה' הוּא:

17) Manoach said to the angel of Hashem, "What is your name?

When your message comes true, we'd like to honor you."

(יז) וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ אֶל מַלְאַךְ ה' מִי שְׁמֶךָ

כִּי יָבֹא דְבָרְךָ וְכִבַּדְנוּךָ:

18) The angel of Hashem said to him,

"Why do you ask my name?

It is unfathomable!"

(יח) וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מַלְאַךְ ה'

לָמָּה זֶּה תִּשְׁאַל לִשְׁמִי

וְהוּא פֶלִאי: ס

Following the angel's suggestion, Manoach prepares an offering to G-d. The angel disappears in the flame of the altar, and finally Manoach realizes that the being he had been talking to this entire time was not human.

19) Manoach took the goat and the meal offering,

he brought it up on the rock for Hashem.

Extraordinary things took place,

while Manoach and his wife were watching.

(יט) וַיִּקַּח מָנוֹחַ אֶת גְּדִי הָעִזִּים וְאֶת הַמִּנְחָה

וַיַּעַל עַל הַצּוּר לַה'

וּמַפְלִא לַעֲשׂוֹת

וּמָנוֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ רֹאִים:

20) When the flame rose from the altar to the heavens,

the angel of Hashem went up with the flame of the altar;

while Manoach and his wife were watching,

they fell on their faces to the ground.

(כ) וַיְהִי בַעֲלוֹת הַלַּהַב מֵעַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה

וַיַּעַל מַלְאַךְ ה' בְּלַהַב הַמִּזְבֵּחַ

וּמָנוֹחַ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ רֹאִים

וַיִּפְּלוּ עַל פְּנֵיהֶם אָרְצָה:

21) And the angel of Hashem was no longer visible

to Manoach and to his wife;

then Manoach realized

that he was an angel of Hashem.

(כא) וְלֹא יָסַף עוֹד מַלְאַךְ ה'

לְהֵרָאֹה אֶל מָנוֹחַ וְאֶל אִשְׁתּוֹ

אָז יָדַע מָנוֹחַ

כִּי מַלְאַךְ ה' הוּא:

Manoach is terrified and fears that this encounter would be fatal. Mrs. Manoach keeps her head, and very logically points out that if G-d were going to kill them, He would not have bothered to tell them how to raise their child.

22) Manoach said to his wife, "We're going to die!

We saw G-d!"

(כב) וַיֹּאמֶר מָנוֹחַ אֶל אִשְׁתּוֹ מוֹת נָמוּת

כִּי אֱ-לֹהִים רָאִינוּ:

23) His wife said to him,

"If Hashem had wanted us to die,

He would not have accepted the offering from us,

and would not have shown us all this,

and would not have told us such news."

(כג) וַתֹּאמֶר לוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ

לוּ חָפֵץ ה' לַהֲמִיתֵנוּ

לֹא לָקַח מִיָּדֵנוּ עֹלָה וּמִנְחָה

וְלֹא הֶרְאָנוּ אֶת כָּל אֵלֶּה

וְכָעֵת לֹא הִשְׁמִיעָנוּ כָּזֹאת:

The child is born, and named Shimshon. He is "moved by the spirit of Hashem", which in his case manifested as extraordinary strength.

24) The woman gave birth to a son,

she called his name Shimshon;

The boy grew,

and Hashem blessed him.

(כד) וַתֵּלֶד הָאִשָּׁה בֵּן

וַתִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמוֹ שִׁמְשׁוֹן

וַיִּגְדַּל הַנַּעַר

וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ ה':

25) The spirit of Hashem began

to beat within him in the camp of Dan,

between Tzar'ah and Eshtaol.

(כה) וַתָּחֶל רוּחַ ה'

לְפַעֲמוֹ בְּמַחֲנֵה דָן

בֵּין צָרְעָה וּבֵין אֶשְׁתָּאֹל: פ

In memory of my father, Peter Rozenberg, z"l

לעילוי נשמת אבי מורי פנחס בן נתן נטע ז''ל