Nazir 45a (מה.) — the Talmud in English

But such a thing is impossible, and it is necessarily impossible to expound the verse in this manner. For:

Now

the

Nicanor Gates

to which the impure nazirite came—

where are they located?

In which camp are they situated? They are, after all,

in the Levite Camp,

as they were not sanctified with the sanctity of the Courtyard!

And

there is

the following beraita: “One impure through contact with the dead—

is permitted to enter the Levite Camp!”

And not only one impure through contact with the dead; even the corpse itself

may be brought into the Levite Camp!

As it is stated [Exodus 13]: “

And Moses

[who was a Levite]

took Joseph’s bones with him.”

And

what

is the meaning of the verse’s expression

“with him”? It means

that Joseph’s coffin was

alongside him,

together

with him in the Levite Camp.

It is therefore proven from this beraita that the corpse itself may be brought into the Levite Camp; all the more so, one impure through contact with the dead may be there!

Abaye proves from here that with regard to a zav as well, the verse cannot be expounded in the manner in which they expounded it.

Rather,

Abaye said: [According to the version of Tosafot and the Rosh]—

[According to the version of Tosafot and the Rosh]—

One who immersed himself that day after experiencing a discharge of zav

is not considered like a zav,

and therefore, merely by virtue of being one who immersed himself that day, he should have been permitted to enter the Levite Camp, just like one impure through contact with the dead.

Nevertheless,

he is forbidden to enter the Levite Camp on the seventh day, until the eighth day,

because he still lacks atonement,

in addition to being one who immersed himself that day.

This is because the time has not yet arrived when he can bring his offering and attain atonement through it; he can do so only on the eighth day, as the verse explicitly states.

Therefore,

he does not enter

the Levite Camp even after immersing on the seventh day, and in this respect his status is that of a zav. On the eighth day, however, when he is fit to attain atonement and is no longer one who immersed himself that day, he is permitted to enter the Levite Camp.

One impure through contact with the dead, by contrast, who does not lack atonement, is permitted to be in the Levite Camp even if he has not immersed at all.

Abaye proves his statement: one who immersed himself that day after experiencing a discharge of zav is forbidden to enter the Levite Camp only because, in addition to being one who immersed himself that day, he has the deficiency of lacking atonement. The Torah permitted him to enter the Levite Camp only on the eighth day, when he is no longer one who immersed himself that day and can bring his offering.

And if

we say as we have explained—that the Nicanor Gate

stands in the Levite Camp—

why does the verse call it

by the name

“Tent of Meeting” [as stated with regard to a nazirite and a zav: “And he shall come before the Lord, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting”]?

The Tent of Meeting is, after all, the site of the Temple itself, which is the Camp of the Divine Presence, and not the Levite Camp!

Rather, necessarily, the verse’s intention in calling the Nicanor Gate “the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,” despite its being in the Levite Camp, is

to indicate

and introduce this new law:

Just as there,

in the site of the Temple itself,

one who lacks atonement does not enter

at all,

so too, into the Levite Camp,

such as the Nicanor Gate,

one who lacks atonement does not enter!

His prohibition against entering the Levite Camp, however, applies only while he has the additional deficiency of being one who immersed himself that day and is unable to bring his offering.

Therefore, on the seventh day, even after immersing, he may not enter the Levite Camp. With regard to this matter, the verse called the Nicanor Gate “the entrance of the Tent of Meeting” to teach us that before the eighth day, for one who immersed himself that day and also lacks atonement, this entrance is considered like the Tent of Meeting, into which one who lacks atonement may not enter.

On the eighth day, however, when he is no longer one who immersed himself that day and is fit to bring his offering, he may enter the Levite Camp and bring his offering, even though he still lacks atonement and is forbidden to enter the Temple.

The Gemara now explains: From where do we know that one who lacks atonement is forbidden to enter the Temple even after immersing and waiting for sunset?

And there,

in the Temple itself,

from where do we know

that one who lacks atonement is forbidden to enter?

As it was taught:

It is stated in the section of Hukkat: “

He shall be impure”—

to include one who immersed himself that day,

who is forbidden to enter the Temple, although he is permitted to enter the Levite Camp. “

His impurity is still upon him”—

to include one who lacks atonement,

who, although he immersed the previous day and is no longer one who immersed himself that day, is forbidden to enter the Temple.

The section of the nazirite states:

The nazirite’s offerings:

“This is the law of the nazirite: On the day that the days of his naziriteship are completed, he shall bring himself to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. He shall offer his offering to the Lord: one yearling male lamb without blemish as an elevation-offering, one yearling female lamb without blemish as a sin-offering, and one male ram without blemish as a peace-offering. And a basket of unleavened bread: [ten] loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and [ten] unleavened wafers [which are not mixed with oil, but rather] spread with oil [the measure of oil for the loaves and wafers is a quarter of a log, and this is a halakha given to Moses at Sinai], together with their meal-offerings and libations. The koen shall offer them before the Lord, and perform his sin-offering and his elevation-offering. And he shall perform the ram as a peace-offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread [he shall slaughter the peace-offering with the intention of sanctifying the bread], and the koen shall perform its meal-offering and its libation.”

The nazirite’s shaving:

“The nazirite shall shave the head of his nazirite crown at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, take the hair of his nazirite crown, and place it on the fire beneath the sacrifice of the peace-offering.”

The waving:

“The koen shall take the boiled foreleg from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and place them on the palms of the nazirite after he has shaved his nazirite crown. The koen shall wave them as a waving before the Lord; it is holy for the koen, in addition to the breast of the waving and the thigh of the gift-offering”—

and afterward the nazirite shall drink wine.

These laws are explained in the following Mishnayot.

Mishna:

The shaving

of purification: How is it performed?

If

the nazirite

brings

three animals

as offerings: one yearling female lamb for a

sin-offering;

one yearling male lamb for an

elevation-offering, and

one ram for a

peace-offering.

He slaughters the peace-offering

first,

and shaves on account of them,

meaning: once he has sprinkled the blood of the peace-offering, he shaves,

the words of Rabbi Yehuda.

Rabbi Elazar

says:

He would shave only on account of the sin-offering,

meaning that he would bring the sin-offering first and shave on its account,

because the sin-offering precedes everything else,

and it is logical that he should shave on the first one.

And if he shaved on one of the three,

meaning, if he shaved on another of the three offerings that he brings,

he has fulfilled his obligation.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says:

If he

brought three animals—

a female lamb, a male lamb, and a ram—

and did not designate

at the time of their consecration which was for the sin-offering, which for the elevation-offering, and which for the peace-offering, but consecrated them generally as the offerings of his naziriteship:

The female lamb, which is the animal

fit for a sin-offering—

shall be brought as a sin-offering.

The male lamb, which is the animal fit

for an elevation-offering—

shall be brought

as an elevation-offering.

The ram, which is the animal fit

for a peace-offering—

shall be brought as a peace-offering.

Gemara:

We learned in the Mishna: “He slaughters the peace-offering and shaves on account of them, the words of Rabbi Yehuda.”

The Sages taught:

It is written in the section of the nazirite: “

The nazirite shall shave at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting

the head of his nazirite crown.” What does the phrase “the entrance of the Tent of Meeting” come to teach?

The verse speaks of the peace-offering,

teaching that he shaves on account of the peace-offering,

as it is stated

with regard to the peace-offering: “

And they shall slaughter it at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.”

The tanna explains how he knows this:

From where

do you say

that

the verse speaks of the peace-offering,

and teaches that he shaves on account of the peace-offering?

Or perhaps it merely means

that he should shave

at the actual entrance of the Tent of Meeting!?

You must say [say so on your own]:

say it on your own]:

If so, that would be a disgraceful manner.

Rabbi Yoshiya says: It is unnecessary

to derive from logical reasoning that he may not shave at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting:

For

the Torah has said: “

and

you shall not ascend by steps upon My altar,

so that your nakedness not be exposed upon it.” That is, it is not in honor of the altar for nakedness to be exposed opposite it.

And if the Torah said this regarding one who goes to perform the Temple service, where this is not such a disgraceful manner, then by a kal va-chomer it should be said with regard to shaving.

Rabbi

Yitzhak says: It is not necessary

to learn from all this that he does not shave literally at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting:

For

it says: “

And he shall take the hair of his consecrated head and place it upon the fire

that is beneath the sacrifice of the peace offering.” -

And this implies:

One who lacks nothing other than taking and placing.

That is: At the time of shaving, he is close to the fire beneath the sacrifice of the peace offering, and requires only taking the hair and placing it beneath the fire.

This one—

the one who shaves at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting—

who

cooks his peace offerings in the city of Jerusalem,

lacks the taking

of the hair,

the bringing

of it from the place of his shaving, the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,

and the placing

of it beneath the fire.

And from here we learn that the Torah did not say that he should shave at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. Rather, the Torah intends to say that he should shave over the peace offerings, regarding which it is stated: “the entrance of the Tent of Meeting”.

Abba Hanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer

another interpretation of the verse: What the verse says,

“And the nazir shall shave at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,”

necessarily does not refer to its plain meaning, for it is obvious that this is a disgraceful practice. Rather, it comes to teach:

Whenever the entrance of the Tent of Meeting

is not open, he does not shave.

Rabbi Shimon Shezuri says:

What the verse says, “And the nazir shall shave at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,” is to be understood literally: He should shave at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

And as for what the verse says

“And the nazir shall shave at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,”

rather than saying, “And he shall shave the hair of his consecrated head at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,” it comes to teach that only the nazir shaves at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,

but a female nazirite

does not shave at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.