Parashat Naso explains that a nazir is bound by three restrictions. He may not drink wine, come in contact with a dead body (including relatives), or cut his hair.
Interestingly, the first two of these prohibitions are familiar to us from what seems to be a much different context: the kohanim, or, particularly, the kohen gadol. Towards the beginning of Parashat Emor, the Torah explicitly prohibits a kohen from coming in contact with ritual impurity (see Vayikra 21:1). However, while kohanim in general are permitted to contract ritual impurity when tending to the needs of their immediate relatives (Vayikra 21:2-3), the kohen gadol is forbidden from contact even with family members (Vayikra 21:11). In this respect, the nazir resembles the high priest; he may not come in contact with even deceased relatives (see Bemidbar 6:6-7).
The second prohibition mentioned also brings to mind the kohanim. Though no general prohibition against alcohol applies to the kohanim, in Parashat Shemini (Vayikra 10:9) the Torah forbids the kohanim from drinking before entering the Mishkan to perform the service.
We may reasonably conclude, therefore, that the institution of nezirut is meant to afford the non-kohen a unique opportunity to experience the sanctity of priesthood in the Mishkan. Even those living far from the sacred chamber and who may not perform the rituals reserved for the kohanim are granted the opportunity of attaining this level of sanctity.
We must, of course, address the third prohibition, which the kohen does not share with the nazir. Besides the fact that kohanim may cut their hair, the Torah specifically forbids the kohen gadol from growing his hair long in response to personal tragedy (see Vayikra 21:10). Does this prohibition of the nazir also involve his status as a "quasi-kohen," or does it point to a different feature of the nazir?
A careful reading of the verses both here in Parashat Naso and in Parashat Emor reveals that indeed the hair growth, too, relates to this parallel between the nazir and the kohen gadol. The Torah offers the following reason for the prohibition against the nazir's coming in contact with the dead, including relatives: "ki nezer Elo-hav al rosho" - "for his Lord's crown is upon his head" (Bemidbar 6:7). Sure enough, a similar expression is used in reference to the law forbidding the kohen gadol from leaving the Mishkan to mourn for a deceased relativ: "He shall not go outside the sanctuary… for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him… " (Vayikra 21:12; see Rashi there who explains this verse as referring to mourning). Both the nazir and the kohen gadol wear crowns: the kohen gadol's crown is the anointing oil poured over his head at his appointment to the post, whereas the nazir's crown is his uncut hair.
How does this distinction relate to the association we have drawn between the nazir and the kohen gadol?
The anointing oil was used not only for the consecration of the kohen gadol, but for the consecration of all the other accessories of the Mishkan, as well (see Shemot 30:22-30). Consecration with the anointing oil designates the given object (we refer here to the kohanim as "objects," too) as exclusively dedicated to God. It bestows upon the object a status of objective sanctity, by which it is consecrated entirely for the service of the Almighty. A nazir clearly cannot be anointed with this oil, for such a status cannot be attained voluntarily, nor can it apply on a temporary basis. Instead, the nazir symbolizes his aspirations for this total sanctity by donning his own crown, the symbolic expression of his withdrawal from mundane pursuits and his intensive spiritual yearnings.
In any event, the institution of nezirut demonstrates that kedusha is not reserved for those serving formally in the capacity of spiritual leadership. One need not work in the Mishkan to experience the sanctity of the Mishkan. By setting limits on one's involvement in the mundane world and focusing on more spiritual pursuits, one can indeed turn himself into a "kohen" of sorts, and bring the sacred aura of the Mishkan into his home and every facet of daily life.
Courtesy of Yeshivat Har Etzion - www.etzion.org.il