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Week 74 - Wednesday - 25 April 2001

NAZIR: CHAPTER 1: MISHNAH 6

"I am a nazir from here until such-and-such a place," they estimate how many days from here until such-and-such a place, if less than thirty days - nazir for thirty days. And if not - nazir for that number of days.

Kehati

It was taught above that one who says, "I am a nazir from now until the end of the world," is a nazir for thirty days. The reason for this is that he did not mean to specify the duration of the nezirut, but rather intended to say, "I am a nazir for one large." Similarly, according to the Gemara, one who says, "I am a nazir from here until such-and-such a place," and he was not about to set out for that place, whether it was close by or distant, he is a nazir for thirty days, for this wording also only implies undertaking one large period of nezirut.

This mjshnah discusses a person who has "started a journey", i.e., who was about to go to a specific place, and undertook a nezirut from here to that place.

If one says, "I am a nazir from here until such-and-such a place" - it was already mentioned above that this case (as explained in the Gemara) refers to someone who "started a journey" to go to that place; we assume that a person about to set out on a journey is afraid of the dangers of the journey, and therefore undertook nezirut (Tosafot). It is apparent that he intended in his vow to be a nazir for the number of days that he would travel from here to such-and-such a place, therefore they estimate how many days - the journey takes - from here until such-and-such a place, if - the time needed to travel to such-and-such a place is - less than thirty days - then he is a - nazir for thirty days - for the minimum period of nezirut is thirty days, as was taught in mishnah 3, above.

And if not - if the time needed to travel is not less than thirty days, but rather thirty days or more, then this one is a - nazir for that number of days - which a person takes to travel from here to such-and-such a place.

NAZIR: CHAPTER 1: MISHNAH 7

"I am a nazir as the number of days of the sun," he counts nezirut as the number of days of the sun. Rabbi Yehudah said, It once happened that when he completed, he died.

Kehati

It was taught in mishnah 4, above, that if a person says, "Behold, I am a nazir as the hair on my head," then, according to the Sages, it is as if one said, "Let there be nezirut on me as the number of the hairs of my head," and he is a nazir for his entire lifetime, for separate periods of nezirut of thirty days each. This mishnah teaches that not only the person who makes the period of his nezirut depend on the hairs of his head and such like is a nazir for separate periods, but there are also cases in which one who makes the period of his nezirut depend on the number of days is not a nazir for one period, but rather for separate periods of nezirut.

If a person says, "I am a nazir as the number of days of the sun" - three hundred and sixty-five days in the solar year, since he said, "as the number of days of the sun," and not, "as the days of the sun," we do not say that he undertook one period of nezirut for this number of days, but rather - he counts nezirut - of thirty-day periods, as the number of days of the sun - i.e., three hundred and sixty-five periods.

Rabbi Yehudah said, It once happened that when he completed, he died - the Gemara explains that Rabbi Yehudah heard that, just as Rabbi disagrees with the Sages regarding one who says, "I am a nazir as the hair on my head" (mishnah 4, above), and holds that he is a nazir for separate periods only if he said, "Let there be nezirut on me as the hairs of my head," he similarly disagrees with the Sages regarding this law of our mishnah, and holds that since he used the wording, "I am a nazir," and not the wording, "nezirut is on me," then he undertook one period of nezirut, and the meaning of the phrase that he added, "as the number of the days of the sun," is, all the time that the sun shines, or three hundred and sixty-five times three hundred and sixty-five days; he therefore is a nazir olam, (as explained in mishnah 4, above). Rabbi Yehudah cites an actual case as proof that the law is not in accordance with Rabbi. This then is the meaning: "Rabbi Yehudah said, It once happened" - to a person who said, "I am a nazir as the number of days of the sun, that "when he completed" - three hundred and sixty-five thirty-day periods of nezirut, i.e., thirty years, "he" - that person - "died." According to Rabbi, who holds that he is a nazir olam, the wording "he completed" is out of place here; hence a proof that he counts periods of nezirut, in accordance with the Sages. And this is the halakhah. (Rambam, Hil. nezirut 3:7).

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