Nasso: Nachalat Yaakov: Jealousy: Impure or Holy?

The 25th of Iyar is the Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Yaakov Lowberbaum of Lissa, the author of numerous books, including Netivot haMishpat, Nachalat Yaakov, and Derech haChaim. He died on May 25, 1832.

“In the spirit of jealousy had passed over him and he had warned his wife, and she had become defiled, or a spirit of jealousy had passed over him and he had warned his wife and she had not become defiled (Numbers 5:14).”

Why does it repeat in the verse “a spirit of jealousy had passed over him?” We can explain this based on the Talmud (Sotah 3a) that teaches there is a debate whether this spirit of jealousy is rooted in impurity or purity. If it develops than in fact she had become defiled then we know that the spirit of jealousy was rooted in purity. If it developed that she had not become defiled then his spirit of jealousy was rooted in impurity.

We do not always know the source of a feeling. We cannot be certain if it is rooted in positive forces or negative area we have to pay attention to what develops from our feelings and how we use them so that we can determine where those feelings are rooted. (Nachalat Yaakov; Nasso)