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Parshas Naso is of course the longest Sedra in the entire Torah, and the Pessukim found therein discuss many different topics, which touch on many areas of the Torah. While two topics that are discussed consecutively may at first seem unrelated, Chazal tell us that there is in fact a connection to be found. For instance, the Torah teaches us the Halachos of the Isha Sota, and then immediately turns to the Dinim of Nazir. The Gemarah in Sota, which is quoted by Rashi here, explains that these seemingly disparate topics are connected because “Kol HaRoeh Sota Bikilkula Yazir Atzmo Min HaYayin”, one who sees the destruction of the Sota should thereafter become a Nazir. We see then that the Pessukim are not random, and that when the Torah puts two Parshios next to each other there is a message to be heard. It would therefore seem appropriate to examine the Pessukim that come next in the Sedra, in the hopes of discovering why they are placed next to the Parsha of Nazir, and what that can teach us.

Immediately following the Pessukim that discuss the Nazir, a concept which we are acquainted with only in the theoretical sense, the Torah speaks about a topic that is much more common. The Passuk says: “Daber El Aron V’el Banav Lemor, Ko Sevarchu Es Bnei Yisroel”, and continues with the three-part, fifteen-word, Bracha known as Birchas Kohanim. While the Torah tells us that this the Bracha of the Kohanim, and these are the words they say when the issue public or private Brachos, they are also incorporated into our daily Nusach HaTefillah as part of Birchas HaTorah, and used by many who give Brachos to their children on a weekly basis, making these words extremely familiar to us all. It is not immediately apparent, however, how and why they may be connected to Nazir. Surely if the Torah chose to teach us this Mitzvah just after the discussion of Hilchos Nizirus, we should be able to discern some thread that links the two.

Although most of the Rishonim on the Chumash do not address this question, the Chizkuni does find a simple connection between Birchas Kohanim and the Nazir: the Kohanim and the Nazir are both Kadosh—the Kohanim by birth and the Nazir by virtue of his Nezirus. It is therefore fitting that these two Parshios are adjacent to each other. The Chizkuni does not himself mention this, but there is a Madrash that expresses a similar thought: the Lekach Tov says that Birchas Kohanim is next to Nazir because the Kedusha of the Nazir is the same as the Kedusha of the Kohen Gadol himself.

At first glance the words of the Chizkuni and the Medrash are quite satisfying: the Torah wished to convey a message about the Kedusha attained by the Nazir and so the Pessukim which are said by the Kohanim, themselves an Am Kadosh, are mentioned at this point. If this was the case though, we would expect that the Torah would teach a Mitzvah that is tied to their Kedusha of the Kohanim, such as the special Dinei Tumah V’Tahara that apply only to the Bnei Aharon. In addition, as we mentioned, Birchas Kohanim is something that is said by us all at various times—it is not reserved for the Kohanim alone. Why did the Torah choose this Mitzvah—which is neither specific to Kohanim or directly connected to their level of Kedusha—to teach us about the Kedusha of the Nazir? This question is especially relevant to the explanation of the Lekach Tov, which specifically mentions the Kohen Gadol who is no different than any other Kohen when it comes to the Brachos. Why would the Torah use the Mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim specifically to teach us this message?

If we gain a new insight into the Mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim, however, we may be able to understand why the Torah puts these two sets of Pessukim together, and what this teaches us about the Kedusha of the Nazir, and really each of us.

As we noted, the Torah introduces the Birchas Kohanim with the words “Ko Sevarchu Es Bnei Yisroel”, which literally mean “so shall you bless Bnei Yisroel”. The words “Ko Sevarchu”, are notable, however, as the Torah could certainly have used a more familiar formulation to tell us the same thing. The Ba’al Haturim seems sensitive to this, and points out that the word “Ko” is noteworthy as it is used other times in Tanach, specifically pointing to three instances: in Parshas Lech Lecha, when Hakadosh Baruch Hu says to Avrom “Ko Yihiyeh Zaracha”; in Parshas Vayera when Avraham, while on the way to the Akeida, says “V’Ani V’Hana’ar Nelcha Ad Ko”; and in Sefer Yehoshua where the Bnei Yosef use the words “Ko Borecheni Hashem” in relation to their Nachala in Eretz Yisroel. Now the word “Ko” is used elsewhere in Tanach, but the Tur must be telling us that there is a specific connection between these three uses of the word and Birchas Kohanim. It is of course necessary to examine each one in order to discover what this connection might be.

In Parshas Lech Lecha, Avrom is told by Hashem that the reward for his Avodas Hashem will be great, and Avrom replies with a question: “Hen Lo Nasati Li Zerah V’Hinei Ben Baisi Yoresh Osi.” In response, Hashem takes Avrom outside and asks him to count the stars, which is obviously impossible, promising him “Ko Yihiyeh Zaracha.” This is the first usage of the word “Ko” mentioned by the Ba’al HaTurim.

On the simplest level, we can understand the conversation between Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Avrom as relating to material rewards: Hashem promised Avrom great riches, and Avrom responded that without heirs the riches would be passed onto his servants. Hashem therefore showed Avrom the stars, promising that his children would one day be thusly numerous, providing Avrom with heirs to his fortunes. It is however a little difficult to believe that Avrom’s concerns were limited to material riches, rather one would assume that he was speaking of his Ruchniyasdik inheritance—without the proper offspring to carry on his legacy, what was the purpose of all of Avrom’s Avodas Hashem? How then can we understand the response that Hashem gave him: pointing to the stars and saying “Ko Yihiyeh Zaracha”?

Rabbeinu Bachya offers a unique interpretation of these words that may in fact answer this question. Hashem showed Avrom the stars, which are not all uniform in their size or brightness and said “Ko Yihiyeh Zaracha”, your offspring will be like the stars. In doing so, Hashem referred to the accomplishments of Bnei Yisroel in Ruchniyos: some will be larger than others, some brighter and some dimmer, but they will all give off light. This interpretation can well serve to explain how the words “Ko Yihiyeh Zaracha answered Avrom’s questions about his spiritual heirs. Not all of Avrom’s offspring would be equal, but they would all be stars on some level, and his legacy would carry on.

The words “Ko Yihiyeh Zaracha” can therefore be seen as refereeing to the fact that individual members of Bnei Yisroel are each Nimshal L’Kochavim, whether they glow dimly or brightly. With this in mind, let us turn to the next occurrence of the word “Ko”.

As Avrohom, along with Yitzchok, Eliezer and Yishmael, approach the Eretz HaMoriah, Avrohom lifts his eyes and sees his destination. He instructs Eliezer and Yishmael to wait as he and Yitzchok continue on their journey: “Shevu Lachem Po Im HaChamor, V’Ani V’Hanar Nelcha Ad Ko.” Rashi there explains that Avrohom used the word Ko in reference to the promise Hashem made: “Erah Heychan Hu Mah SheAmar Li HaMakom Ko Yihiyeh Zarecha.” Literally, this means “we will see where the promise of Ko Yihyeh Zarcha is.” Again, the simplest understanding of these words is difficult to swallow: Avrohom, having been instructed to slaughter his only child, is wondering what will be of the promise Hashem made that his children would be as numerous as the stars. How though are we to reconcile this with all that we know about Avrohom, the original Ma’amin B’Hashem?

With Rabbeinu Bachya’s rendering of the words ”Ko Yihiyeh Zaracha”, however, these words can be better understood. Avrohom was willing and ready to sacrifice Yitzchok, to bring him as a Korban Olah, but he knew that Yitzchok would have to be on a very high Madreigah to be Zoche to this fate—not everyone can be an Olah Temimah worthy of the Mitzbeach. Therefore, he said “Erah Heychan Hu Mah SheAmar Li HaMakom Ko Yihiyeh Zarecha”, let us see if in fact my offspring are able to shine like the brightest star. Hashem had promised Avrohom that his heirs would be found across the spectrum of Ruchniyasdik accomplishment, with some being Zoche to the shine extremely brightly. He now found an opportunity to put this promise to the test, to see if in fact his very son would be Zoche to this goal.

A similar, yet strikingly different, use of the word “Ko” is found in the third Passuk quoted by the Ba’al HaTurim. The Pessukim in Sefer Yehoshua discuss the Chalukas HaAretz at length, describing the process by which each Shevet was assigned its Nachala, as well as the general boundaries of each parcel. The Pessukim there relate that the Bnei Yosef approached Yehoshua, complaining that their Nachala was too small to contain their masses. They formulated their request in a most interesting way: “V’Ani Am Rav Ad Asher Ko Borecheni Hashem”. Rashi there explains that they were an unusually large Shevet and they included the word “Ko” in their plea for a larger portion as if to say “The Bracha of Ko Yihiyeh Zarecha was Mekuyam in our Shevet.” Why though would it be nessecary to mention this? IF they were in fact too large for their assigned piece of land, and they could therefore be allotted a different portion, why would the Bracha of Ko Yihiyeh Zarecha be relevant at all?

There is an insight from the Mincha Ketana, written by R’ Moshe Frankfurter, which may help us understand their words, however. We know that while Eretz Yisroel was divided up by Gorel, there was of course an element of Hashgachas Hashem, with each Shevet being assigned the Chelek appropriate to them. Why then would Bnei Yosef not fit in their relevant Nachala? Certainly the Kaviyachol knew what size land they would need—why would the not be assigned a large enough Chelek?

The Mincha Ketana explains, based on the Pessukim there, that in fact the Bnei Yosef were assigned a large enough Chelek, but there was a piece of their land that was still inhabited by the native Cananim. Although Bnei Yisroel were supposed to expel all those living in Eretz Yisroel, the Bnei Yosef had brokered a treaty allowing these Cananim to remain. The Bnei Yosef knew that if they expelled the Cananim from that area they may in fact have enough space, but they were afraid to battle them as they had gone against the Ratzon Hashem by allowing the Cannanim to stay, and they were afraid they would be unsuccessful in battle. It was against this background that they approached Yehoshua.

Perhaps, then, we can explain why the word “Ko”, referencing the Bracha of “Ko Yihiyeh Zarecha” was included in their plea. As we explained, Avrom was shown all the stars when this promise was made—the brightest and the dimmest, and told that some of his children would be like the large, brilliant stars, and some like the smaller, weaker ones. No matter the strength of their light, however, they are all his offspring, and heirs to his legacy. Thus, when Bnei Yosef, who had acted contrary to the Dvar Hashem, approached Yehoshua, they reminded him that regardless of their foibles they too were Bnei Avrohom, recipients of the Bracha of “Ko Yihiyeh Zarecha”, and worthy of Yerushas HaAretz.

We see then that the word “Ko” references the spectrum of Klal Yisroel—those who burn bright and those who may yet do so. There is an aspect of Birchas Kohanim which may help us understand why this word is present in this Tzivuy as well.

Whenever the Kohanim give their Bracha to the Tzibbur, they make a Bracha: “Asher Kideshanu B’Kedushaso Shel Aron ViTzivanu Levarech Es Amo Yisroel B’Ahava”. It is clear from this Bracha that the actual Mitzvah of Birchas Kohanim includes an element of Ahava, love. In fact, if there is someone in the Tzibbur that a Kohen has a personal hatred for, he is not allowed to say Birchas Kohanim—the Brachos must be given with love.

This may not always be easy however. Kohanim, as we explained, are imbued with an extra level of Kedusha and they give their Brachos “B’Kedushaso Shel Aron.” It may then be difficult for them to feel true love for members of Klal Yisroel who act with less than perfect Kedusha, and they may not be able to properly bestow their Brachos upon these elements. Therefore, the word “Ko” is used in the Tzivuy of Birchas Kohanim, to remind the Kohanim that just as there are various strengths of stars, the brightness of Bnei Yisroel varies as well, but each is to be regarded as one of the Bnei Avrom nonetheless. With this reminder, it may be easier for the Kohanim, on their lofty level, to feel love even for those who are on a lower level, as they are Kochavim as well.

This may also help us understand the connection between Nazir and Birchas Kohanim.

A common person, who for whatever reason chooses to make the appropriate Neder, becomes a Nazir. By virtue of his commitment to a separation from Tumah and Taiva he is elevated to the level of a Kohen Gadol, as the Lekach Tov expresses. This is the power of a Yid: because we are Bnei Avrom, we have the ability to one day shine brightly even if we begin as a smaller type of star. This too is a message for the Kohanim as they approach the Tzibbur with the charge of giving a Bracha B’Ahava: remember the Nazir who raised himself up to unimaginable levels, and know that each member of the Tzibur before you is capable of the same by virtue of the promise made to Avrom: “Ko Yihiyeh Zarecha.”

This is a message for all of us as well, Kohanim or otherwise. When dealing with any other member of our great nation, and especially when examining our own capacity for growth, we must remember that there is a star waiting to shine brightly.