Torah Community Connections

Week 77 - Tuesday - 15 May 2001

NAZIR: CHAPTER 6: MISHNAH 8

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, If he brought three animals and did not specify - the one fit to be a hatat shall be sacrificed as a hatat, to be an olah shall be sacrificed as an olah, to be a shelamim shall be sacrificed as a shelamim. He would take the hair of his nazir head and cast beneath the cauldron. And if he shaved in the medinah - he would cast beneath the cauldron. To what does this refer? To the tiglahat of cleanness; but in the case of the tiglahat of uncleanness, he would not cast beneath the cauldron. Rabbi Meir says, All cast beneath the cauldron, save only for the unclean one in the medinah.

Kehati

This mishnah continues with the laws of the tiglahat of cleanness, and teaches that even though regarding all sacrifices the owner is obligated to designate the sacrifice, i.e., he must say, "This animal is to be a hatat," or "an olah," etc., nevertheless regarding the nazir sacrifices he is not obligated to designate each one of his sacrifices; for if he said,

"These animals are for my nezirut" it is sufficient. The mishnah also teaches what the nazir does with the hair of his head after he shaves it.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says, If he brought three animals - for nezirut sacrifices, and did not specify - which is for the hatat, which is for the olah, and which is for the shelamim, the one fit to be a hatat - i.e., the ewe lamb, shall be sacrificed as a hatat, the one fit to be an olah - i.e., the he-lamb, shall be sacrificed as an olah, the one fit to be a shelamim - i.e., the ram, shall be sacrificed as a shelamim - since in the case of the nazir sacrifices it is clear which animal is fit to be the hatat, which is fit to be the olah, and which is fit to be the shelamim , the designation is not a necessary precondition. This is the halakhah. After the nazir shaved the hair of his head (in the nezirim chamber, which was in the Women's Courtyard in the Temple, in the southeastern corner - Tractate Mid. 2:5), He would take the hair of his nazir head - and pour over them some of the gravy of the shelamim sacrifices (a baraita quoted in the Gemara), which were cooked in the nezirim chamber (Mid. 2:5), and cast beneath the cauldron - he would burn them in the fire underneath the pot of the shelamim, as it is written, "and shall take the hair of his nazir head, and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of shelamim" (Num. 6:18).

And if he shaved in the medinah - i.e., outside the Temple, in Jerusalem, he would also cast beneath the cauldron - he would bring his hairs to the Temple, and would burn them under the pot of the meat of the shelamim. According to another version, "And if he shaved in the medinah, he would not cast beneath the cauldron" (Tosafot; Bartenura). To what does this refer - that the nazir casts his hair beneath the cauldron? To the tiglahat of cleanness - when he shaves his hair after completing his term of nezirut in a state of cleanness; but in the case of the tiglahat of uncleanness - the hair of his head that the nazir shaves after he became unclean, he would not cast beneath the cauldron - for putting the hair of his head on the fire was only said regarding the clean nazir. Rabbi Meir says - Whoever performs the tiglahat of cleanness, whether in the Temple or in the medinah, and similarly whoever performs the tiglahat of uncleanness in the Temple, All cast - their hair - beneath the cauldron - of the shelamim, save only for the unclean one in the medinah - for the hair of the person who performs the tiglahat of uncleanness in the medinah is buried.

NAZIR: CHAPTER 6: MISHNAH 9

If he was cooking the shelamim or preparing it shaluk, the priest takes the cooked shoulder of the ram, and one loaf of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and puts on the palms of the nazir and waves them, and afterwards the nazir is permitted to drink wine and to become unclean by corpse related uncleanness. Rabbi Shimon says, When one of the bloods was sprinkled for him, the nazir is permitted to drink wine and to become unclean by corpse related uncleanness.

Kehati

This mishnah is a continuation of the preceding mishnayot. It deals with the details of the laws of the tiglahat of cleanness, and teaches the procedure regarding the shelamim of the nazir. We have already mentioned (4:6, above) that the shelamim of the nazir are different from other shelamim, for other shelamim may be eaten during two days and one night, while the shelamim of the nazir may be eaten only during one day and a night. There are also two other differences between the shelamim of the nazir and other shelamim: (1) four types of bread are brought with other shelamim: three types of unleavened bread - cakes, wafers, and loaves of fine flour soaked (see Lev. 7:12), and one of "loaves of leavened bread," while regarding the shelamim of the nazir it is written, "and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour kneaded with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil" (Num. 6:15) - the nazir brings with his shelamim only two types of unleavened bread, loaves and wafers, ten of each kind; (2) only the breast and the thigh are set aside for the kohen from the other shelamim, while the kohen takes from the shelamim of the nazir - in addition to the breast and the thigh - the cooked shoulder as well, as is specified in the Num. 6:19.

If he was cooking - i.e., after he cooked, the - meat of the - shelamim or preparing it shaluk - i.e., after it had been cooked a lot; according to another interpretation, after it had been cooked a little, the priest takes the cooked shoulder of the ram - besides the breast and the thigh which he takes prior to the cooking, he takes the cooked shoulder from the cooked meat of the ram of the shelamim, and - similarly, he takes - one loaf of unleavened bread from the basket - which the nazir brings with the shelamim, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and puts - it all - on the palms of the nazir and waves them - the kohen places his hand under the hands of the nazir, and brings his hands forward and back, and raises and lowers them, as it is written, "And the kohen shall take the cooked shoulder of the ram when it is cooked, and one unleavened loaf from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall place them upon the palms of the nazir, after he has shaven his nazir head. And the kohen shall wave them for a tenufah (wave-service) before the Lord; they are holy for the kohen, in addition to the breast of waving and the thigh of heaving" (Num. 6:19-20); and afterwards - after all this procedure, the nazir is permitted to drink wine and to become unclean by corpse related uncleanness - as it is written, and "after that the nazir may drink wine" (the continuation of v.20, ibid.).

Rabbi Shimon says, When one of the bloods - the blood of one of his sacrifices, was sprinkled - on the altar, for him - on his behalf, the nazir is permitted to drink wine and to become unclean by corpse related uncleanness -even though he has not yet shaved and has not brought the rest of his sacrifices, and he has not done the other things listed in our mishnah. The Gemara explains Rabbi Shimon's reasoning: it is written here, "and after that the nazir may drink wine," and it is written above, "after he has shaven his nazir head" (v. 19); just as "after" in the above verse refers to a single action, i.e., the shaving, for it is written, "after he has shaven," here too, "after" refers to a single action; hence we learn that from the time when the blood of one of his sacrifices is sprinkled on his behalf, the nazir is permitted to drink wine, etc., for all the other things were stated only as an obligation, and not as a prerequisite. This is the halakhah (Rambam, Hil. Nezirut 8:5).

Return to Mishna Yomit Index

Visit the Mishna Yomit Archives