Nazir 34a — the Talmud in English

Could it be Rabbi Tarfon?

Is he a nazirite?

For

since at the time when he took the nazirite vow he did not know whether it was that certain person or not, does nazirite status take effect upon him?

And it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Judah says in the name of Rabbi Tarfon: None of them

of the six in our Mishna

is a nazirite, because nazirite status was given only for an explicitly specified matter.

That is, when it is clear and explicit that it takes effect at the time of the nazirite vow.

Rather, Rabbi Judah's

matter

is that of the heap.

For it was taught in a beraita: “I am a nazirite on condition that there be one hundred kor in this heap,” and he went and found that it had been stolen or lost—

Rabbi Shimon forbids, and Rabbi Judah permits.

Since it was stolen, and his nazirite status will not be clarified.

Rabbi Shimon holds: Since, had it not been stolen, perhaps there would have been

in this heap

one hundred kor, and he would be a nazirite, now too he is a nazirite

by uncertainty, although the matter will never be clarified.

And here too, since if he were to come

if that person had come

later, and we would know that he was that certain person, he would be a nazirite, now too

even now, when he has not come

he is a nazirite

by uncertainty.

Mishna:

A koy is a living creature of a unique kind, concerning whose definition the Sages disputed.

Some say that it is a creature in its own right, and it is neither a wild animal nor a domesticated animal.

And some say that it is a hybrid of a he-goat and a doe [the he-goat is a domesticated animal, and the doe is a wild animal].

Therefore, some say that it is a species of wild animal, some say that it is a species of domesticated animal, and some say that it is a combination of both.

Therefore, if it happened that six people were standing,

and

one of them saw

it

the koy, and said:

“I am a nazirite, for this is a wild animal.”

And the second said:

“I am a nazirite, for this is not a wild animal.”

And the third said:

“I am a nazirite, for this is a domesticated animal.”

And the fourth said:

“I am a nazirite, for this is not a domesticated animal.”

And the fifth said:

“I am a nazirite, for this is a wild animal and a domesticated animal.”

And the fourth said:

“I am a nazirite, for this is neither a wild animal nor a domesticated animal.”

And there were three additional people there.

And the first of the three additional ones said:

“I am a nazirite, for one of you is a nazirite.”

And the second said:

“I am a nazirite, for none of you is a nazirite.”

And the third said:

“I am a nazirite, for all of you are nazirites.”

All of them are nazirites.

Gemara:

One [beraita] teaches:

All the

nine

are

nazirites.

And another [beraita] teaches:

Upon one person there will be

nine nazirite statuses.

And we raise an objection concerning it:

Granted,

the beraita that says

“nine nazirites,”

it can properly be established as in our Mishna,

for example, when there were more men, and he attached himself and proceeded with it.

There were nine people, and each one attached his nazirite status to those before him.

But nine nazirite statuses upon one man—

how can you find this?

Granted, six you can find,

in one who himself vowed all six vows mentioned concerning the koy,

as we learned

in our Mishna.

But three

additional ones—

how can you find this?

Rav Sheshet said: For example,

when an additional person came in addition to the nine nazirites in our Mishna, and

said: “I am a nazirite, and the nazirite status of all of them is upon me.”

That is, “I accept upon myself nazirite status corresponding to all nine nazirite statuses that you accepted.”

We have completed [the discussion of] you, chapter Beit Shammai

Mishna:

Three kinds

things

are forbidden to a nazir:

a.

Impurity.

As it is stated in the passage concerning the nazir: “He shall not come upon a dead person. For his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, he shall not defile himself for them when they die.”

b.

And shaving.

As it is stated there: “A razor shall not pass over his head, until the completion of the days for which he shall consecrate himself to the Lord. Holy shall he be; he shall let the growth of the hair of his head grow.”

c.

And that which comes from the vine.

As it is stated: “From wine and strong drink he shall consecrate himself. Vinegar of wine and vinegar of strong drink he shall not drink, and any grape infusion he shall not drink, and fresh grapes and dried grapes he shall not eat. All the days of his naziriteship, from everything that is made from the grapevine, from grape-pits to grape-skin, he shall not eat.”

And everything that comes from the vine —

such as fresh grapes and dried grapes, grape-pits and grape-skins —

combine with one another

to complete the measure.

[And above, 4a, and below, 37b, this is learned from a verse. According to the wording of the Tosafot; and see what was explained in the notes above, 4a, concerning the combining of foods and liquids, and see further there].

And the nazir is not liable

the nazirite

until he eats of the grapes an olive-bulk.

Likewise, all the prohibitions of a nazir are measured by an olive-bulk. Even wine, which is a liquid, its measure for drinking for a nazir is an olive-bulk, despite the fact that with all the prohibitions in the Torah, the measure of a liquid is a quarter-log.

And the Mishna continues and says —