Nazir 47a — the Talmud in English

MISHNA:

1. In the beraita above, 46b, Rabbi Eliezer and the Sages disagreed as to how the nazirite becomes permitted from the prohibitions of naziriteship: according to the Sages, he becomes permitted after a single act, namely, after the sprinkling of one of the bloods, whereas according to Rabbi Eliezer, he becomes permitted only after all the acts.

And this disagreement brings them to disagree about the law stated in our Mishna.

2. According to Rabbi Eliezer, who holds that he is not permitted to perform the shaving prohibited to a nazirite until he performs all the acts, it follows that he cannot shave until he brings all the offerings that will permit him to perform the shaving of the mitzva, since he cannot perform the shaving of the mitzva before he is permitted to shave.

3. A nazirite who became impure cannot shave, for this is a law concerning the entire “shaving of purity”: it is performed only in purity.

If one of the bloods was sprinkled upon him—

and he became fit for shaving according to the Sages, who hold that the sprinkling of one of the bloods permits him to shave,

but he is not yet fit for shaving according to Rabbi Eliezer, who holds that he becomes permitted only after all the offerings have been sacrificed—

and

afterward

he became impure—

Rabbi Eliezer

follows his own position, and since according to him he became impure before he became fit for shaving, therefore he

says:

He

invalidates everything.

As the Gemara explains, he invalidates all the offerings that he brought.

And the reason is: since he became impure before he sacrificed all of them, this is like one who became impure in the morning, before he had sacrificed even one of them, and he is unfit for shaving throughout the entire day; and the first offering that he brought is as though he brought it within the period of fullness, during days when he was unfit for shaving.

And the Sages—

in accordance with their position, that the impurity occurred after he had already become fit for shaving—

say:

He does not invalidate the offering that he already brought, because he had already been fit for shaving before he became impure; rather,

he shall bring his remaining offerings and become pure.

That is, he shall bring his remaining offerings after he becomes pure.

An incident involving Miriam the Tarmodite

the name of a woman who was a nazirite, from the city of Tarmod,

upon whom one of the bloods was sprinkled.

And they came and told her about her daughter, who was

in danger

of dying.

And she went and found that she had died,

her daughter, and she became impure through her—

And the Sages said: She shall bring her remaining offerings and become pure.

GEMARA:

We learned in the Mishna above, 16a: One who said, “I am hereby a nazirite” [with ordinary naziriteship of thirty days], became impure on the thirtieth day [before bringing his offerings], invalidates everything. Rabbi Eliezer says: He invalidates only seven days.

And the explanation of their disagreement [according to Rav Mattana’s position in the discussion on pages 5 and 6] is:

According to the Sages, he invalidates everything, because since he is still standing within his days of naziriteship, for the thirty days of his days of naziriteship have not been completed, he is like any other nazirite, who invalidates everything.

And although “part of the day is like the whole day,” this applies only with regard to the fact that if he brought his offerings on the thirtieth day after “part of the day” had passed, he has fulfilled his obligation, because he is considered to be “after the fullness.”

But initially he must wait until the thirty-first day, even though “part of the day is like the whole day.”

But with regard to impurity, “part of the day is like the whole day” does not help to say that he observed thirty days of naziriteship in purity.

According to Rabbi Eliezer, “anyone who becomes impure after the fullness invalidates seven” [the wording of the Gemara above, 16a, in explaining his position].

And according to him, we say “part of the day is like the whole day” even with regard to impurity. Therefore, one does not apply to him the law of “invalidation” like an ordinary nazirite who became impure, since also with regard to impurity, once part of the thirtieth day has passed, he is considered like one who became impure “after the fullness.”

Therefore, he invalidates only seven; that is, he must wait seven days until he becomes pure, and then he will be able to bring his offerings in purity.

It is taught

in the Mishna: If one of the bloods was sprinkled upon him and he became impure,

Rabbi Eliezer says: He invalidates everything.

The Gemara now assumed that Rabbi Eliezer’s statement that “he invalidates everything” is to be understood literally: he invalidates the initial days, like an ordinary nazirite who became impure. For since he had not yet shaved, and the name “nazirite” still applied to him according to Rabbi Eliezer himself, he invalidates the initial days.

And therefore the Gemara asks:

But Rabbi Eliezer said [

in the Mishna above, 16a]:

Anyone

who becomes impure

after the fullness, seven

alone does he

invalidate,

and he does not invalidate everything!

And how, then, did we learn in our Mishna that he invalidates everything!?

Said

he answered,

Rav:

What is the meaning of “

invalidates”

also, which Rabbi Eliezer says?—He

invalidates

all

his offerings

that he brought, and not all the days of his naziriteship, as was explained in the Mishna.

And the Gemara supports what it explained, that the subject of the Mishna concerns the offerings and not the days of naziriteship:

This too is evidently so,

as we explained:

For it is taught

in our Mishna:

And the Sages say: He shall bring his remaining offerings and become pure.

And there was also an incident involving Miriam the Tarmodite, upon whom one of the bloods was sprinkled, and they came and informed her that her daughter was in danger.

And she went and found that she had died,

and she became impure through her.

And the Sages said: She shall bring her remaining offerings and become pure.

It is thus explained that we are discussing the offerings.

And we conclude: Indeed,

infer from it!

We shall return to you, chapter “Three Kinds.”

Mishna:

A High

koen and a

nazir

do not become impure

even

to their relatives

who died.

In Tosafot they explained the reason that the tanna put a High koen before a nazir: it is because the section of the High koen is written in the section of Emor, which precedes the section of Naso, where the section of the nazir was stated. If

both of them—the High koen and the nazir—

were walking on the road, and they found a met mitzva

who has no buriers, and both of them are permitted to become impure to him:

Rabbi Eliezer says:

Since there are two here, and one of them is sufficient, therefore

the koen [

High, and all the more so an ordinary koen ],

should become impure, and the nazir should not become impure.

And the Sages say: The nazir should become impure, and the koen should not become impure [

the ordinary koen, and all the more so the High koen ].

Rabbi Eliezer said to them

the Sages:

The koen should become impure, since he does not bring an offering for his impurity,

and the nazir should not become impure, since he brings an offering for his impurity.

They said to him

the Sages: On the contrary,

the nazir should become impure, since his sanctity is not an everlasting sanctity,

and the koen should not become impure, since his sanctity is an everlasting sanctity.

Gemara:

And the Gemara explains:

Granted,

this is simple in explaining the dispute of the Sages and Rabbi Eliezer concerning

a High koen and a nazir—

for

this one,

the Sages,

held

that

a High koen is preferable.

But

if

this one,

Rabbi Eliezer,

held

that

a nazir is preferable.

a. A High koen is anointed with the anointing oil made by Moses.

Through this anointing he becomes a High koen.

Likewise, a High koen who was anointed with the anointing oil is called an “anointed koen.”

However, once King Josiah concealed the anointing oil [as explained in Yoma 52b], the High koanim were sanctified by serving in the eight garments of a High koen.

And a High koen who was sanctified in this manner is called “one of many garments.”

b. There is a distinction between an “anointed koen” and “one of many garments” regarding bringing “the bull that comes for all the commandments” [which is also called “the bull of an anointed koen”].

The anointed koen, if he was an exceptionally distinguished sage, and he erred and ruled for himself a mistaken permission concerning one of the commandments for which one is liable to karet for intentional violation and a sin-offering for unintentional violation, and relying upon his ruling he performed an act—

the Torah innovated for him a special offering, and he brings “the bull of an anointed koen” for his sin, which he sinned because of his mistaken ruling.