On 1 Tishri 5787, I formally undertook the vow of nezirut—the sacred discipline of the Nazir described in Bemidbar 6.
This is not a symbolic gesture, a temporary exercise in self-improvement or a public claim to greater righteousness. It is a solemn Torah undertaking involving three principal obligations: abstention from wine, grapes and grape products; allowing the hair of the head to grow without cutting it; and avoiding the ritual defilement associated with the dead.
The institution of the Nazir reaches back to the Torah itself. The Hebrew word נזיר, Nazir, describes one who is separated or consecrated for a particular period of service to G-D. The Nazir voluntarily withdraws from certain ordinary permissions, not because those things are inherently forbidden, but to establish a distinct discipline of restraint, holiness and spiritual concentration.
Throughout Jewish history, nezirut has represented both extraordinary devotion and extraordinary responsibility. Shimshon was consecrated as a Nazir before birth, while the Tanakh and our Sages preserve other examples of people whose lives were marked by comparable dedication. The Torah nevertheless makes clear that nezirut is not casual asceticism. It is a binding condition governed by precise obligations and consequences.
Ordinarily, when no duration is specified, nezirut is understood as lasting thirty days. A person may also undertake it for a year, another defined period or for life. Today, however, even a vow expressed for a fixed period presents a profound difficulty. At the conclusion of nezirut, the Torah requires the Nazir to come to the entrance of the Ohel Moed, bring the prescribed offerings and complete the required procedure, including the cutting of the hair.
Without the Beit HaMikdash, those offerings cannot presently be brought. The passage of the intended period therefore does not, by itself, provide the Torah-prescribed completion of the vow. A person who undertakes nezirut today must understand that its obligations may consequently remain in force for the rest of his life, unless the vow is validly annulled by a competent halachic authority.
I began this undertaking with an awareness of that possibility. I do not publish this statement to invite admiration or discussion of my personal spiritual standing. I publish it because the visible and practical consequences of nezirut may otherwise be misunderstood, particularly by those who encounter me through my communal, religious or public responsibilities.
This undertaking concerns my own obligation before G-D. It is not a recommendation that others follow the same path. Our Sages repeatedly warned against making vows casually, and no person should contemplate nezirut without serious Torah study, mature reflection and competent halachic guidance.
My purpose is not withdrawal from Jewish communal life, but greater discipline within it: greater vigilance over conduct, speech and appetite; greater consciousness of responsibility; and a more deliberate dedication of daily life to the service of G-D.
May G-D grant me the strength, humility and constancy to honour what I have undertaken.
/s/ Rami ben Ze'ev