Nazir 16a (טז.) — the Talmud in English

And he said to him

Rabbi Oshaya said to Rabbi Yohanan:

Rabbi Yosei agrees with you

Rabbi Yosei holds as you do],

as

Rabbi Yosei

said: From this point onward

he

becomes impure.

From these words of Rabbi Oshaya, the Gemara proves that he, too, understood Rabbi Yosei’s words to mean that he becomes impure retroactively only by rabbinic decree, for the words of Rabbi Oshaya, who said in the name of Rabbi Yosei, “From this point onward he becomes impure,” present a difficulty:

But did Rabbi Yosei say that it is retroactively

as the Gemara cited from a beraita that Rabbi Yosei said this!?

Rather, Rabbi Oshaya certainly holds that

what Rabbi Yosei said was “

retroactively”

means

by rabbinic decree.

The Gemara raises a difficulty according to Rabbi Yosei, who holds: “Part of the day is considered as the entire day.” Thus, when she sees blood at the end of the day, we consider the first half of that day, which was free of blood, as an entire day of purity. Accordingly, the same should apply when she sees at the beginning of the day and then stops: We should consider the clean half of the day—after she ceased seeing—as a day of purity that counts for her as protection against the sighting that occurred on that day, for the latter half of the day is no different from the former half of the day:

And

if so, this presents a difficulty for

Rabbi Yosei:

Since he holds that “

part of the day is considered as the entire day,”

then how

can a complete zavah [a major zavah, who sees blood on three consecutive days]

[a major zava] who sees three sightings on three consecutive days,

bring an offering [as she is required to bring an offering]—

[whose law is to bring an offering]—

how can you find such a case? How is it possible that there should be such a woman!? For:

How can such a case be possible?! For:

Once she sees during half of the day [once she sees blood during the first half of the day],

[once she sees blood during the first half of the day], then

the other half of the day [the second half of the day, when she has already ceased seeing]

[the second half of the day, when she has already stopped seeing]

counts for her as protection [it counts for her as protection against the sighting during the first half of the day]!?

[counts for her as preservation of the seeing during the first half of the day]!?

In other words: Since she does not discharge blood until the end of the day, the portion of the day that is clean after the blood ceases is considered an entire day of purity, since “part of the day is considered as the entire day.” It follows that a day of purity intervenes between one sighting and the next, and this is as though she saw on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday; the clean days in between interrupt the continuity of her sightings, and she does not become a major zavah.

If so, how can a major zavah ever be found according to Rabbi Yosei!?

And we answer:

When she sees on three days adjacent to sunset

that is, for example, when she saw on the first day shortly before sunset and afterward [which accounts for two days], and also on the following day she saw shortly before sunset and afterward [which accounts for the third day],

so that there is no interval

that is, no interval that can be considered protection,

for

in such a case

her sightings count

her sightings

toward the tally [her three sightings count toward the tally]

to make her a major zavah.

In other words: Since she sees on the first day both before and after sunset, she has two consecutive sightings on two days [before and after sunset], with no protection or interruption between them.

And since she also saw on the second day close to sunset, the second day cannot count as protection, and since she continues to see at the beginning of the third day—for she also sees on the second day close to sunset, after sunset—she has a third sighting, with no interruption or protection whatsoever between it and the earlier sightings.

We will return to you, chapter “I am a nazirite.”

Mishna:

One who said

I am a nazirite,”

but did not specify for how long, but merely undertook an unspecified naziriteship, which is thirty days,

shaves

brings his offerings and shaves] on

the day

of

the thirty-first,

because the time for shaving is only after the days of naziriteship have ended.

And if he shaved on the day

of

the thirtieth,

he has

fulfilled his obligation,

because “part of the day is like the whole day.” Since he observed naziriteship at the beginning of the thirtieth day, it is as though he observed naziriteship for a full day, and it follows that he shaved after completing his naziriteship.

But if he said: “

I am a nazirite for thirty days,”

although he need not have said more than “I am a nazirite,” since unspecified naziriteship also lasts thirty days, and he added the words “thirty days”—

If he shaved on the day

of

the thirtieth, he has not fulfilled his obligation,

because we interpret his addition of the words “thirty days” as meaning that he undertook to observe naziriteship for thirty “complete” days, to which “part of the day is like the whole day” does not apply. Therefore, he has not fulfilled his obligation, since he shaved before completing the days of his naziriteship.

One who undertook two naziriteships

[in an unspecified manner], each of which lasts thirty days:

He

shaves

the

first naziriteship

on

the

day

of

the thirty-first, and the second naziriteship he may shave even initially on

the

day

of

the sixty-first day of the first naziriteship, which is the thirty-first day of the second naziriteship. For on the thirty-first day of the first naziriteship, after shaving, he began counting the second naziriteship,

and it follows that the thirty days of the second naziriteship were completed on the sixtieth day, and he shaves on the following day, the sixty-first. And if he shaved the first naziriteship

on

the

day

of

the thirtieth—

which fulfills his obligation after the fact, since “part of the day is like the whole day”— \-

he

shaves

initially

the second naziriteship

on

the

day

of

the sixtieth, which is the thirty-first day from the beginning of the count of the second naziriteship.

And if he shaved the second naziriteship

on

the

day

of

the fifty-ninth—after he shaved the first on its thirtieth day—

he has

fulfilled his obligation, just like any other nazirite who shaves on the thirtieth day and thereby fulfills his obligation.

And this is the testimony that Rabbi Pappaias testified: concerning one who undertook two naziriteships

in an unspecified manner:

That if he shaved the first naziriteship

on

the

day

of

the thirtieth,

he

may shave

the second naziriteship

initially on

the

day

of

the sixtieth.

And if he shaved the second naziriteship

on the

day

of

the fifty-ninth,

he has fulfilled his obligation.

The thirtieth day

of the count of the first naziriteship

counts for him toward the count

both ways: that is, both for the first naziriteship and for the second naziriteship. Its beginning counts toward completing the thirty days of the first naziriteship, while its end counts as the beginning of the count of the second naziriteship.

One who said, “I am a nazirite,”

an unspecified naziriteship:

If he

became impure

on

the

day

of

the thirtieth—before bringing his offerings and shaving—

he invalidates the entire count,

since he is still within the days of his naziriteship, which are thirty days.

Rabbi Eliezer says: He invalidates only seven days,

that is, he waits seven days until he becomes pure and brings his offerings in a state of purity; his reason is that, in his view, “part of the day is like the whole day” applies even to this matter, so that the invalidation is considered to have occurred after he had already observed his entire naziriteship.

“I am a nazirite for thirty days,”

although he unnecessarily added the words “thirty days,” since it would have sufficed for him to say “I am a nazirite,” because unspecified naziriteship lasts thirty days; it necessarily follows that he intended to obligate himself to observe thirty complete days, to which “part of the day is like the whole day” does not apply.

Therefore, if he

became impure

on

the

day

of

the

thirtieth, he

invalidates the entire count by Torah law, even according to Rabbi Eliezer, since “part of the day is like the whole day” cannot apply, as his words indicate that the days must be complete.

“I am a nazirite for one hundred days”:

If he

became impure

on

the

day

of

the

hundred, he

invalidates the entire count,

since, according to the Sages, “part of the day is like the whole day” is ineffective with regard to invalidating the count, and he is still within the days of his naziriteship, thereby invalidating the entire count. Rabbi Eliezer says: He invalidates only thirty

days. Although, according to Rabbi Eliezer, “part of the day is like the whole day” applies even with regard to invalidating the count, Rabbi Eliezer derives from the verse, “This is the law of the nazirite on the day that the days of his naziriteship are completed,” that one who undertook explicitly stated naziriteship and became impure on the day of its completion is to be given the status of a nazirite, meaning an additional naziriteship equal to the duration of unspecified naziriteship, which is thirty days.

And if he

became impure

on

the

day

of

the

one hundred and first, he

invalidates thirty days. Although this is after the completion of his naziriteship, the Sages decreed that impurity on the one hundred and first day be treated like impurity on the thirtieth day of unspecified naziriteship. Just as on the thirtieth day of unspecified naziriteship he invalidates the entire count, meaning thirty days, so too, if he became impure on the one hundred and first day, he invalidates thirty days.

Rabbi Eliezer says: He invalidates only seven

days, since according to his view, even if he became impure on the thirtieth day of unspecified naziriteship, he invalidates only seven days, and all the more so on the one hundred and first day.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna:

“One who said, ‘I am a nazirite,’ and became impure on the thirtieth day, invalidates the entire count; Rabbi Eliezer says: He invalidates only seven”: