Parashat Nasso

Parasha Thoughts

By Rabbi David Cohen

וְהִתְוַדּ֗וּ אֶֽת־חַטָּאתָם֮ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשׂוּ֒ וְהֵשִׁ֤יב אֶת־אֲשָׁמוֹ֙ בְּרֹאשׁ֔וֹ וַחֲמִישִׁת֖וֹ יֹסֵ֣ף עָלָ֑יו וְנָתַ֕ן לַאֲשֶׁ֖ר אָשַׁ֥ם לֽוֹ׃

And they shall confess their sins which they perpetrated, and he shall make restitution for his sin. (5

The Torah does not frequently mention Vidui, confession. Interestingly, the Torah mentions confession here specifically in reference to theft. Why? The Chidushei Ha’Rim responds with a very powerful idea. Theft is a primary category of sin. Hashem has given us every organ and limb of our body for a particular purpose – to serve Him. When we veer from that goal we are guilty of theft – not simply petty theft, but stealing from Hashem.

When we violate the “terms” of our “loan” from Hashem, we are acting as thieves. In other words, every sin, regardless whether it is manifest against man or Hashem, is by its very nature an act of theft.

Shabbat Shalom