Nasso
Book of Numbers📜 The Story
Parashat Nasso is the longest portion in the entire Torah, with 176 verses. It continues the story of counting the people of Israel in the desert, this time focusing on the families of the Levites, the sons of Gershon, Kehat and Merari, each of whom had a special job carrying different parts of the Mishkan from place to place.
The portion also brings important laws, such as the rule that someone who stole something and wants to make things right must return what he took and add a fifth extra on top. The Torah teaches us here how important it is to fix our mistakes and be honest.
One beautiful part of the portion is the laws of the Nazir, a person who chooses on his own to become extra holy by not drinking wine, not cutting his hair and not coming near the dead, for a certain period of time. It is a special way to show love and closeness to holiness.
The portion also contains the Priestly Blessing, one of the most famous and beloved blessings: May God bless you and guard you, may God shine His face toward you and be gracious to you, may God turn His face toward you and grant you peace. Kohanim still bless the people of Israel with these words today.
Finally, the portion describes the dedication of the Mishkan, when for twelve days a prince from a different tribe brought the very same dedication offering as the one before him. The Torah repeats and lists the offering of every single prince separately, to honor each tribe on its own.
💡 Worth Knowing
- Nasso is the longest parsha in the Torah, with 176 verses.
- This portion contains the Priestly Blessing, the traditional blessing kohanim still say over the people today.
- The mitzvah of the Nazir appears here for the first time: someone who vows to be a Nazir does not drink wine, does not cut his hair and does not become impure through contact with the dead.
- Twelve tribal princes brought identical offerings over twelve days for the dedication of the Mishkan, and the Torah lists each one separately in his honor.
- The portion continues the census of the Levites by the families of Gershon, Kehat and Merari, each of whom carried a different part of the Mishkan.
🏆 Parsha Champion
Answer the questions correctly and become the Parsha Champion!
If someone stole something, what must he do besides return it?
🔤 Word Search
Find the words from the parsha, tap the first letter, then the last letter of each word.
- LEVITES
- NAZIR
- BLESSING
- PRINCES
- OFFERING
- WINE
- TRIBES
- MISHKAN