Nazir 55b (נה:) — the Talmud in English

Rather, is it not referring to one

who accepted upon himself

an extended naziriteship

of more than thirty days, and, for example, he became afflicted with leprosy in the middle of his naziriteship, when he still had thirty days left to count? In that case, indeed, the days that he had already counted before becoming afflicted are included in his count and are not nullified.

And

nevertheless

it teaches

in our Mishna:

He begins counting immediately

after the days of his confirmed leprosy and his counting, whereas the days of his confirmed leprosy and his counting themselves are not included in his count.

We have thus learned that even in an extended naziriteship those days are not included in his count, which is difficult for Rav Ḥisda!?

He,

Rav Sharya,

raises the objection

he posed the difficulty to Rav Ḥisda],

and he

himself

resolves it

he resolves the difficulty]:

When Rav Ḥisda distinguished between a short naziriteship and an extended naziriteship, he was not referring to the length of the naziriteship that he accepted upon himself, whether it was extended or short. Rather, he was referring to the length of the naziriteship that remained for him when he became afflicted, whether it was extended or short. And this is what Rav Ḥisda said:

The statement in our Mishna that the days are not included in his count applies only

to

one who accepted upon himself

a naziriteship of fifty days, and spent twenty [to whom twenty days of naziriteship had elapsed],

and

only then

leprosy arose in him [he became afflicted with leprosy],

so that he had only the amount of a “short naziriteship” left to count. In that case:

He

shaves his leprosy [at the end of the days of his confirmed leprosy and at the end of the days of his counting] first,

and afterward

he observes thirty days of a nazir [he observes the thirty days of naziriteship],

because although what he counted during the days of his confirmed leprosy and his counting was included in his naziriteship count, he must count those days again in order to grow his hair.

But if, when he became afflicted, he still had an extended naziriteship left to count, then he counts the excess over the period of a short naziriteship during the days of his confirmed leprosy and his counting.

Since this is the “short naziriteship” taught in our Mishna even according to Rav Ḥisda, there is no longer any difficulty: how can it teach that he does not invalidate the earlier days?

For

in this situation, in which he had thirty days left to count,

he has

after shaving for his leprosy

hair growth,

and the days that he had already counted are included in his account and are not invalidated.

Rami bar Ḥama raises an objection

from what we learned in the Mishna below, on page 59b:

a. A leper is forbidden to eat sacrificial food until the days of his confirmed leprosy have ended and he shaves, counts seven days, and shaves on the seventh day; on the eighth day he brings his offerings, since the leper lacks atonement and is forbidden to eat sacrificial food until he brings his offerings. If he delayed his shaving, he brings his offerings only on the following day.

But one impure through contact with a corpse may eat sacrificial food once the sun has set on the seventh day of his impurity, whether he was not a nazir and is not liable to bring an offering, or whether he was a nazir who became impure through contact with a corpse and is liable to bring an impurity offering, since his impurity offering does not prevent him from eating sacrificial food.

b. One who is obligated to undergo two shavings—for example, one for leprosy and one for “impurity shaving,” or one for leprosy and one for “purification shaving”—cannot perform a single shaving that counts for both purposes. Rather, he must perform a separate shaving for each matter.

c. The Mishna cited here [which is the Mishna below, on page 59b] discusses a nazir who had two uncertain impurities, one that of a leper and the other that of impurity imparted by a corpse. The Mishna explains when he becomes purified from his leprosy and is permitted to eat sacrificial food, and when he fulfills his naziriteship and becomes permitted with regard to all the prohibitions of naziriteship.

d. The “impurity shaving” of a nazir who became impure through contact with a corpse precedes the bringing of the impurity offerings, and a nazir who became impure through contact with a corpse does not begin counting his purification naziriteship until he brings an impurity offering.

e. A nazir who became impure through contact with a corpse differs from a leper: a leper who delays shaving for his leprosy until after the seventh day brings his offerings only on the day after his shaving, as stated above in section a. By contrast, a nazir who became impure and delayed his impurity shaving until after the seventh day may bring his offerings that same day, provided that he immersed before that day.

f. The explanation of the Mishna will be presented according to Rav Ḥisda’s method; and according to one approach of Tosafot in explaining the Mishna.

g. In our discussion, only the principal laws will be explained in order to interpret the wording of the Mishna; additional details concerning the laws of the offerings will be explained below, on page 60a.

A nazir—

ordinarily, one who is obligated to observe a thirty-day naziriteship—

who was impure

through contact with a corpse

uncertainly, and

also

declared confirmed

with leprosy

uncertainly

on the first day of his naziriteship: