Session 22: Parashat Naso

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925

Parashat Naso includes a description of the nazirite vow, from the word nazir, meaning separate or consecrated. A nazirite was a Hebrew man or woman who took the nazirite vow never to cut their hair and never to make physical contact with a corpse or gravesite. For example, the characters Samson and Samuel each live as nazirites. In addition to these conditions, the first requirement of the nazirite vow is to abstain from alcohol. The prohibition on alcohol consumption indicates that alcohol played a significant role in the day-to-day experience of the ancient Israelites, just as it does in our culture, suggesting more similarity between our societies than we might assume as contemporary readers.

Humanity’s relationship with alcohol is long and varied. Drinking is associated with merriment and cheer, and also with debauchery, anger, and immorality. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby–considered by many to be the “great American novel”–places alcohol at the center of its story, fueling the revelrous parties at Gatsby’s mansion and facilitating the violence and self-destruction that eventually subsume the entire plot.

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