Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Nazir

Folio 60a

GEMARA. A Tanna taught: [The procedure laid down in the Mishnah] applies only in the case of a short naziriteship,¹  but in the case of a naziriteship of [say,] a year, he may eat sacred meats [only] after two years, and drink wine and touch the dead after four years,²  It has been taught further in connection with this: He must poll four times.³  At the first polling he brings a pair of birds, a bird as a sin-offering, and an animal as a burnt-offering.⁴  At the second [polling] he brings a bird as a sin-offering and an animal as a burnt-offering. At the third he [again] brings a bird as a sin-offering and an animal as a burnt-offering. At the fourth he brings the sacrifice [due on terminating the naziriteship] in purity.

It has just been said: 'At the first polling he brings etc.' [In this way] whatever the facts are he offers the correct [sacrifice]. For if he was certainly a leper but was not defiled, the pair of birds are [in discharge of] his obligation,⁵  the bird as a sin-offering [is a sacrifice offered] in doubt and is to be buried, and the burnt-offering is a free-will offering. He cannot however be shaved [a second time] seven days hence,⁶  for perhaps he is not a confirmed leper and the All-Merciful has said [of the nazirite]. There shall no razor come upon his head until [the days] be fulfilled.⁷  If, on the other hand, he was not certainly a leper but he was defiled, then the bird as a sin-offering is [in discharge of] his obligation,⁸  the pair of birds, being prepared without [the Temple court]⁹  are not [in the category of] profane [animals] brought into the Temple-court,¹⁰  whilst the animal as a burnt-offering is a freewill-offering. Finally, if he was neither a leper nor defiled, then the pair of birds are [in any case] prepared without [the Temple-court],¹¹  the bird as a sin-offering is to be buried, and the animal as a burnt-offering is [in discharge of] his obligation [as a clean nazirite].¹²

But surely he requires a guilt-offering?¹³  — [The author of this Baraitha] is R. Simeon who says that he brings one and makes a stipulation.¹⁴

At the second and third polling a pair of birds is unnecessary for these have been prepared.¹⁵  What [doubt] is there [remaining]? That perhaps he was actually a confirmed leper?¹⁶  [Because of this he offers] one [of the two birds as a sin-offering,]¹⁷  for the doubt on account of the tale of days¹⁸  and one for the doubt on account of defilement.¹⁹

At the fourth polling he brings the sacrifice in purity and stipulates

1. Of thirty days duration.
2. Tosef. Naz. VI, I.
3. At the end of each thirty days or year.
4. The purpose of the offerings will be explained immediately.
5. V. Lev. XIV, 2.
6. The normal period of separation between the two pollings of a leper; Lev. XIV, 9.
7. Num. VI, 5. He must therefore wait another whole period before he can shave the second time. Hence he can eat sacred meats only after two periods have elapsed.
8. Ibid. 10.
9. Lev. XIV, 5 seq.
10. And so can be offered even though he may not have been a leper.
11. And so can be offered even if he is not a leper.
12. This permits him to poll and the other sacrifices can be brought later.
13. After the second polling on recovery from leprosy (Lev. XIV, 10). Until it was brought he could not eat sacred meats.
14. V. Men. 105a. He stipulates that if a guilt-offering is not due, the animal is to be a voluntary peace-offering. Since the author is R. Simeon, there was no need to mention the guiltoffering.
15. At the first polling.
16. When he must now bring sacrifices due after his tale of days; Lev. XIV, 9.
17. Brought at the second and third pollings.
18. The seven days that must be counted between the two pollings of a nazirite, but which have here become a whole period.
19. The burnt-offering is brought on each occasion in case he should have completed his naziriteship in purity.

[A nazirite] who was in doubt whether he had been defiled but certainly been a confirmed leper, may eat sacred meats after eight days,²  and may drink wine and touch the dead after sixty-seven days,³  One who was in doubt whether he had been a confirmed leper but had certainly been defiled, may eat sacred meats after thirty-seven days,⁴  and may drink wine and touch the dead after seventy-four days.' One who was certainly defiled and certainly a confirmed leper may eat sacred meats after eight days, and may drink wine and touch the dead after forty-four days.⁵

R. Simeon b. Yohai was asked by his disciples: May a ritually clean nazirite who was a leper poll once only⁶  and have it reckoned for both purposes?⁷  — He replied: He cannot poll in this way.⁸  They then asked him: Why? — He replied: If both [the nazirite and the leper polled] in order that it should grow again,⁹  or both [polled] In order to remove [the hair],¹⁰  your suggestion would be sound, but as it is the nazirite [polls] to remove [the hair] and the leper [polls] to let it grow again. [They then said:] Granted that it should not count [for both pollings] after the period of confirmed leprosy, let it still count [for both] after his tale of days?¹¹  — He replied: If both were required to poll before the sprinkling of the blood [of the sacrifice], your suggestion would be sound, but here the leper polls before the sprinkling of the blood¹²  and the nazirite after the sprinkling of the blood.¹³  [They next suggested that though the one polling] should not count both for the days of his leprosy and his naziriteship, yet it ought to count for the days [both] of his leprosy and of his defilements.¹⁴  [R. Simeon, however,] said to them: If both [polled] before bathing, your proposal would be sound, but the defiled [nazirite polls] after bathing¹⁵  and the leper¹⁶  before bathing.¹⁷

[Another version of the discussion is as follows.]¹⁸  They said to him: You have given a good reason why ii should not count [both] for his tale of days and for his naziriteship, but why should not [one polling] count for his period of confirmed leprosy as well as for his defilement, since in both cases [the polling] is to allow [the hair] to grow? — He replied: In the case of a ritually clean nazirite who is a leper, [the purpose of] the one [polling]¹⁹  is for [the hair] to grow again and the other²⁰  is to remove [the hair], whilst in the case of a defiled nazirite who is a leper, the latter [polling takes place] before bathing and the former after bathing.

1. And was never a leper nor unclean.
2. Since the shaving for leprosy may take place immediately he is seen to be clean and he has still to walt eight days.
3. For he must wait thirty days after the second polling for leprosy before he may shave on account of the doubt whether he was defiled, and then he counts thirty days for his naziriteship in purity.
4. As a defiled nazirite, he polls on becoming clean at the end of seven days and then again for his clean naziriteship after thirty days. Since he may have been a leper, these two pollings now count for the leprosy and as he was certainly unclean he can poll after seven days for the uncleanness and again after thirty days for his clean naziriteship.
5. Seven for the leprosy, seven for the defilement and thirty for the clean naziriteship; Tosef. Naz. VI, z.
6. If the termination of his naziriteship and his recovery from the disease coincided.
7. This is really an objection to the Mishnah which requires him to poll four times, i.e., separately for each contingency. (R. Asher.)
8. And he must poll twice.
9. I.e., if both were required to remove the hair a second time as the leper must.
10. With no subsequent obligation to let it grow.
11. Since after the tale of days (Lev. XIV, 9), the leper also polls to remove his hair.
12. He shaves on the seventh day and offers the sacrifice on the eighth day. (Lev. XIV, 9-10).
13. V. Num. VI, 16-18.
14. I.e., when the end of leprosy and defilement coincide.
15. He shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing (Num. VI, 9) i.e., after bathing.
16. V. Lev. XIV, 9.
17. Tosef. Naz. V, 4, where the arguments are transposed in part.
18. So Tosaf. and R. Asher consider the next passage.
19. Viz., the polling because of the confirmed leprosy.
20. Viz., the polling after the naziriteship.