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Week 74 - Tuesday - 24 April 2001

NAZIR: CHAPTER 1: MISHNAH 4

"I am a nazir as the hair on my head," and "as the dust of the earth," and "as the sand of the sea" - he is a nazir for ever and shaves once every thirty days. Rabbi says, This one does not shave once every thirty days. And who is the one who may shave once every thirty days? The one who says, "I undertake nezirut as the hair of my head," and "as the dust of the earth," and "as the sand of the sea."

Kehati

We learned in mishnah 2, above, of three categories of nazirs: a nazir for a fixed period of time, a Samsonian nazir, and a permanent nazir [nazir olam]. There is also a fourth category which the Gemara calls "a nazir forever” [nazir le-olam]. The Gemara quotes a baraita: "I am a nazir all the days of my life,” “I am a nazir forever” - then he is a lifelong nazir. Even for one hundred years, even for one thousand years - he is not a nazir olam, but rather a nazir le-olam." The meaning of the last part of the baraita, that one who says, “I am a nazir for one hundred years," or, "I am a nazir for one thousand years," is that he is a nazir le-olam, and is legally considered a nazir for a fixed period of time; since, however, this period of time is longer than his lifetime, his nezirut takes effect for the duration of his life, i.e., his entire lifetime. He is different from the nazir olam, for the nazir olam may lighten his hair with a razor at twelve month intervals, while the nazir le-olam - if he took a vow for one period of nezirut - may not shave at all.

This mishnah discusses one who made the period of his nezirut dependent upon the hair of his head, or upon the dust of the earth, who, according to all opinions, is a nazir for all the days of his life; the Tannaim disagree, however, whether this wording constitutes the adoption of one nezirut, or of many periods of nezirut.

If a person says, "I am a nazir as the hair on my head," and - or, "I am a nazir as the dust of the earth," and - or, "I am a nazir as the sand of the sea" - then he is a nazir forever - i.e., a nazir le-olam, for his entire lifetime, for the number of each of these things upon which he made the duration of his nezirut dependent is more than the days of his life (Rashi), and he shaves once every thirty days - since he made his nezirut dependent upon things which are distinct entities, such as hairs, dust, or sand, it is as if he said, "The periods of my nezirut, as the number of the hairs on my head (or as the number of the dust of the earth, etc.) are on me"; he therefore must observe repeated periods of thirty-day nezirut for the duration of his life, and he shaves and brings sacrifices at the end of each thirty days.

Rabbi says, This one - one who says, "I am a nazir as the hair of my head," etc., does not shave once every thirty days - for the phrasing does not imply separate periods of nezirut, but rather one long period of nezirut; it is as if he said, "I am a nazir for one thousand years," and he is considered a nazir le-olam, who does not shave at all (Rashi; Rabbeinu Asher). According to another explanation, he is considered a nazir olam, who lightens with a razor at twelve month intervals (Rambam; Hameiri; Bartenura).

And who is the one - the nazir le-olam, who may shave once - at the end of - every thirty days? One who says, "Let there be nezirut on me as the hair of my head," and "as the dust of the earth," and "as the sand of the sea" - for he did not say, "I am a nazir," but rather "Let there be nezirut on me", which implies undertaking separate periods of nezirut, as the number of the hairs on his head, etc. The law is not in accordance with Rabbi.

NAZIR: CHAPTER 1: MISHNAH 5

"I am a nazir a houseful," or "a basketful," they examine him: if he said, "I took a large nezirut - nazir for thirty days; and if he said, "I took an unspecified nezirut - they view the basket as if it were full of mustard seeds, and he is a nazir all his days.

Kehati

"I am a nazir a houseful," or "a basketful" - and we are not certain whether his intention was one long period of nezirut, and as if he had said, "I am a nazir from now until the end of the world, as was taught above (mishnah 3), or whether he intended to specify the time period of his nezirut, i.e., that it would be as the number of items that the house or the basket are capable of containing, as if he had said, "I am a nazir as the hair of my head," as was taught in the preceding mishnah. Therefore - they examine him - they ask the vower what he intended when he said, "a houseful" or "a basketful": if he said, "I took one large nezirut" - I had in mind one long period of nezirut; then he is a nazir for thirty days - as one who says, "I am a nazir for one large" (mishnah 3, above); and if he said, "I took an unspecified nezirut" - and I only intended them to mean however the Rabbis would interpret them (Bartenura): they interpret his words as if he had said, "I am a nazir as the number of items with which the house or the basket can be filled," and since he said "a basketful," without specification, they view the basket as if it is full of mustard seeds - for mustard seeds are extremely small, and the number of them in a basketful is more than the number of days in his life, and it is as if he had said, "I am a nazir as the hair of my head," and he is a nazir all his days - according to the opinion of Rabbi, this person has taken a vow for one period of nezirut lasting his entire lifetime, as a nazir olam or a nazir le-olam, as was explained in the preceding mishnah, whereas according to the First Tanna in the preceding mishnah, he has undertaken separate periods of nezirut for his entire lifetime, and he may shave once every thirty days (Tosafot).

According to another interpretation, even the First Tanna agrees here with Rabbi, that the wording "basketful" and suchlike implies one period of nezirut, which includes many days, as this basket includes many seeds, for the basket joins together all the mustard seeds within it; therefore, according to all opinions, this person is a nazir olam (Hameiri).

Some read "barrelful" [melo havit] in this mishnah, instead of "houseful [melo ha-bayit]"; Hameiri writes that this seems to be the correct version, since "barrelful" is similar to "basketful."

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