Nazir 47a (מז.) — the Talmud in English

Mishna:

a. In the beraita above, on page 46a, Rabbi Eliezer and the Sages disagreed as to how a nazirite becomes permitted to engage in the acts prohibited to a nazirite. According to the Sages, he becomes permitted through 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 have been performed.

This dispute leads them to disagree about the law stated in our Mishna.

b. According to Rabbi Eliezer, who maintains that the nazirite may not perform the shaving that is prohibited to a nazirite until he has performed all the acts, it follows that he cannot shave until he has brought all the sacrifices that will permit him to perform the mitzva shaving, since he cannot perform the mitzva shaving before he is permitted to shave.

c. A nazirite who became impure may not shave, for this is a law governing the entire “shaving of purification”: it may be performed only in a state of purity.

If one of the bloods was sprinkled upon him—

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

but he was not yet fit for shaving according to Rabbi Eliezer, who maintains that he becomes permitted only after all the sacrifices have been offered—

and

afterward

became impure—

Rabbi Eliezer

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

says:

He

invalidates everything.

As the Gemara explains, he invalidates all the sacrifices he had brought.

The reason is that since he became impure before offering all of them, this is like one who became impure in the morning, before offering even one of them, and who is unfit for shaving throughout the entire day. Thus, the first sacrifice he brought is considered as though he brought it within the period before the completion of his naziriteship, when he was unfit for shaving.

And the Sages—

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

say:

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

he shall bring his remaining sacrifices and purify himself.

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

An incident occurred involving Miriam the Tarmodite [

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

upon whom one of the bloods had been sprinkled.

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

in critical condition

to the point of death.

She went and found that she had died,

and she became impure through contact with her.

And the Sages said: She shall bring her remaining sacrifices and purify herself.

Gemara:

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

The explanation of their dispute [according to Rav Mattana’s interpretation in the discussion on pages 5 and 6] is as follows:

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

And although “part of the day is like the entire day,” this applies only in the sense that if he brought his sacrifices on the thirtieth day after part of the day had passed, he fulfilled his obligation, since he is considered to have brought them after the completion of his naziriteship.

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

With regard to impurity, however, “part of the day is like the entire day” is not effective to establish that he observed thirty days of naziriteship in purity.

According to Rabbi Eliezer, “For anything after the completion of the naziriteship, he invalidates seven days” [the wording of the Gemara above, on page 16a, in explaining his position].

In his view, “part of the day is like the entire day” applies even with regard to impurity. Therefore, he is not judged by the law of invalidation like another nazirite who becomes impure, since with regard to impurity as well, once part of the thirtieth day has passed, he is considered like one who became impure “after the completion of his naziriteship.”

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

It was taught

in the Mishna: One upon whom one of the bloods was sprinkled and who then became impure,

Rabbi Eliezer says: He invalidates everything.

The Gemara now assumes that Rabbi Eliezer’s statement that he “invalidates everything” is to be understood literally: he invalidates the initial days, like any nazirite who becomes impure. Since he has not yet shaved, and according to Rabbi Eliezer’s own position he still bears the designation of nazirite, he invalidates the initial days.

Therefore, the Gemara asks:

But did Rabbi Eliezer not say

in the Mishna above, on page 16a:

Anyone

who becomes impure

after the completion of his naziriteship invalidates seven

days

only,

and does not invalidate everything?!

How, then, do we learn in our Mishna that he invalidates everything?!

He said

in answer,

Rav:

What

does “invalidate”

also mean, as Rabbi Eliezer states?—

He invalidates

all

the sacrifices

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

The Gemara supports its explanation, that the subject of the Mishna is the sacrifices and not the days of naziriteship:

It is also logical

as we explained:

For it was taught

in our Mishna:

And the Sages say: He shall bring his remaining sacrifices and purify himself.

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

She went and found that she had died,

and she became impure through contact with her.

And the Sages said: She shall bring her remaining sacrifices and purify herself.

It is thus clear that we are discussing the sacrifices.

And we conclude: Indeed,

infer from this!

We have completed [the study of] you, chapter “Three Species.”

Mishna:

A High Priest and

likewise

a nazirite

may not become impure

even

for their relatives

who have died.

If

both of them—the High Priest and the nazirite—

were traveling on the road and encountered an unattended corpse

for which there was no one to bury it, and both of them are permitted to become impure for it:

Rabbi Eliezer says:

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

the priest

[the High Priest, and all the more so an ordinary priest]

shall become impure, but the nazirite shall not become impure.

And the Sages say: The nazirite shall become impure, but the priest shall not become impure

[an ordinary priest, and all the more so a High Priest].

Rabbi Eliezer said

to the Sages:

The priest shall become impure, since he does not bring an offering for his impurity,

but the nazirite shall not become impure, since he does bring an offering for his impurity.

The Sages said to him:

On the contrary,

the nazirite shall become impure, since his sanctity is not an eternal sanctity,

but the priest shall not become impure, since his sanctity is an eternal sanctity.

Gemara:

And the Gemara explains:

Granted,

this is readily understandable in explaining the dispute between the Sages and Rabbi Eliezer concerning

a High Priest and a nazirite—

for

this one,

the Sages,

holds

that

the High Priest is preferable.

But

if

this one,

Rabbi Eliezer,

holds

that

the nazirite is preferable.

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

Through this anointing he becomes a High Priest.

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

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

A High Priest consecrated in this manner is called “one with many garments.”

b. There is a distinction between “an anointed priest” and “one with many garments” with regard to bringing “the bull brought for all the mitzvot” [also called “the bull of the anointed priest”].

If the anointed priest was an outstanding scholar, erred, and issued himself an erroneous ruling of permissibility concerning one of the mitzvot for which deliberate violation is punishable by karet and inadvertent violation by a sin-offering, and, relying on his ruling, performed the act—

the Torah instituted a special offering for him, and he brings “the bull of the anointed priest” for the sin he committed as a result of his erroneous ruling.