Commentary for Numbers 6:2

כי יפלא means, IF HE CLEARLY UTTERS (cf. Rashi on Leviticus 22:21 and Note thereon). — Why is the section dealing with the Nazarite placed in juxtaposition to the section dealing with the סוטה? To tell you that he who has once seen a סוטה in her disgrace should abstain from wine, because it may lead to adultery (Sotah 2a).

כי יפליא, he will separate himself from all the vanities and physical pleasures in life.

דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם, "speak to the children of Israel and say to them, etc." Our verse repeated the form of address Moses was to use by calling it both the harsh דבר "speak" as well as the softer ואמרת, "and say." Why is that? Furthermore, why did the Torah switch to indirect speech when discussing the laws pertaining to a Nazirite? Perhaps the Torah wanted to address two kinds of Nazirite, the one kind being superior to the other. We learned in Nedarim 9 that Shimon the Just said that in all his years as High Priest he had only once eaten the guilt-offering of a Nazirite who had become ritually unclean during the term of his Naziriteship whose motivation for becoming a Nazirite he approved of. The Nazirite in question had described to him that he became a Nazirite as a means to fight off his evil urge. Concerning the Naziriteship of people similarly motivated the Torah used the term ואמרת, whereas concerning a Nazir who was motivated by less noble considerations the Torah used the term דבר when detailing the rules he had to observe. This is also why the Torah speaks of נזיר להזיר instead of merely saying להזיר לה׳. The Torah wanted to hint it speaks of two kinds of נזירות. The word נזיר refers to most kinds of Nazir, whereas the expression להזיר לה׳ refers to the Nazirite who is highly motivated such as the Nazirite mentioned by Shimon the Just.