Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Nazir

Folio 8a

MISHNAH. [IF A MAN SAYS,] 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE AS THE HAIRS OF MY HEAD, OR THE DUST OF THE EARTH, OR THE SANDS OF THE SEA,' HE BECOMES A LIFE-NAZIRITE, POLLING EVERY THIRTY DAYS. RABBI SAID THAT SUCH A MAN DOES NOT POLL EVERY THIRTY DAYS;¹  THE MAN WHO POLLS EVERY THIRTY DAYS IS THE ONE WHO SAYS, 'I UNDERTAKE NAZIRITESHIPS²  AS THE HAIR ON MY HEAD, OR THE DUST OF THE EARTH, OR THE SANDS OF THE SEA.' [IF HE SAYS,] 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE AS THE CAPACITY OF THIS HOUSE, OR AS THE CAPACITY OF THIS BASKET,' WE INTERROGATE HIM. IF HE SAYS THAT HE HAS VOWED ONE LONG PERIOD OF NAZIRITESHIP, HE BECOMES A NAZIRITE FOR THIRTY DAYS, BUT IF HE SAYS THAT HE HAS VOWED WITHOUT ATTACHING ANY PRECISE MEANING [TO HIS STATEMENT], WE REGARD THE BASKET AS THOUGH IT WERE FULL OF MUSTARD SEED, AND HE BECOMES A NAZIRITE FOR THE WHOLE OF HIS LIFE.³  [IF HE SAYS,] 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE, AS FROM HERE TO SUCH AND SUCH A PLACE,' WE ESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF DAYS' [JOURNEY] FROM HERE TO THE PLACE MENTIONED. IF THIS IS LESS THAN THIRTY DAYS, HE BECOMES A NAZIRITE FOR THIRTY DAYS; OTHERWISE HE BECOMES A NAZIRITE FOR THAT NUMBER OF DAYS. [IF HE SAYS], 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE, AS THE NUMBER OF DAYS IN A SOLAR YEAR'' HE MUST COUNT AS MANY NAZIRITESHIPS AS THERE ARE DAYS IN THE SOLAR YEAR. R. JUDAH SAID: SUCH A CASE ONCE OCCURRED, AND WHEN THE MAN HAD COMPLETED [HIS PERIODS], HE DIED.

GEMARA. WE REGARD THE BASKET AS THOUGH IT WERE FILLED WITH MUSTARD SEED, AND HE BECOMES A NAZIRITE FOR THE WHOLE OF HIS LIFE. But why [mustard seed]? Surely we could regard it as though it were full of cucumbers or gourds, and so provide him with a remedy?⁴  — Hezekiah said: This is a matter on which opinions differ, the author [of our Mishnah] being R. Simeon, who has affirmed that people do undertake obligations in which the use of an ambiguous formula results in greater stringency than the use of a precise one.⁵  For it has been taught: [If a man has said,] 'I intend to be a nazirite provided this heap [of grain] contains a hundred kor,⁶  and on going to it, he finds that it has been stolen or lost, R. Simeon declares him bound [to his vow] since whenever in doubt as to a nazirite's liabilities, we adopt the more stringent ruling.⁷  R. Judah, however, releases him since whenever in doubt as to a nazirite's liabilities, we adopt the more lenient ruling.⁸

R. Johanan said: It is even possible that [the author of the Mishnah] is R. Judah. For in the case just mentioned, the man has possibly not entered into a naziriteship at all [if there were not one hundred kor in the heap],⁹  whereas in this case [mentioned in the Mishnah,] he does at any rate enter into a naziriteship.¹⁰  On what grounds can he be released from it?¹¹  But why not regard the basket as though it were full of cucumbers and gourds, and so provide him with a remedy?¹²  — Such an idea ought not to cross your mind, for he has undertaken one [unbroken] naziriteship,¹³

1. But becomes a nazirite for life and may never poll.
2. [H]
3. (a) One naziriteship for every grain of mustard, [or, (b) one long naziriteship during which he can never poll].
4. [By enabling him to poll at the end of every thirty days (according to (b) p. 23, n. 6).]
5. As here, the reference to a basketful without specifying its contents, results in naziriteship for life.
6. A dry measure; v. Glos.
7. So that, as we are not certain that the heap contained less than 100 kor, he must observe the naziriteship.
8. Tosef. Naz. II, 2.
9. And therefore we do not declare him a nazirite lest he should eventually bring profane animals into the sanctuary, v. infra p. 102.
10. For some period of time, whatever the basket is regarded as containing.
11. And therefore he must he a nazirite for life.
12. I.e., let him keep as many naziriteships as the basket will contain gourds or cucumbers. The questioner imagines that in R. Judah's view he becomes a life-nazirite, who can poll every thirty days. cf. supra, p. 21, n. 4.
13. And if he brings his sacrifices at the termination of the number of days that the basket would contain gourds or cucumbers, he may he bringing profane animals into the sanctuary, as his naziriteship may he of longer duration. Thus he becomes a nazirite for life, during which he can never poll.

Is it then a fact that R. Judah agrees with Rabbi? Have we not learnt: [IF HE SAYS,] 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE AS THE NUMBER OF DAYS IN A SOLAR YEAR,' HE MUST COUNT AS MANY NAZIRITESHIPS AS THERE ARE DAYS IN THE SOLAR YEAR. R. JUDAH SAID: SUCH A CASE ONCE OCCURRED, AND WHEN THE MAN HAD COMPLETED [HIS PERIODS], HE DIED? Now if you say that this man, [by using this formula,]¹  undertook [consecutive] naziriteships,²  we can understand why [R. Judah says that] when he finished,³  he died. But if you say that he undertook a single naziriteship,⁴  could it ever be said of such a man that he had 'COMPLETED'?⁵  Moreover, could [R. Judah] possibly agree with Rabbi, seeing that it has been taught: R. Judah said: [If a man says,] 'I intend to be a nazirite, as the number of heaps of the fig crop,⁶  or the number of ears [in the field] in the Sabbatical year,'⁷  he must count naziriteships as the number of heaps of the fig crop, or the number of ears [in the field] in the Sabbatical year?⁸  — [Where he explicitly mentions the word] 'number', it is different.

But does Rabbi make a distinction where the word 'number' [is used]? Has it not been taught: [If a man says,] 'I intend to be a nazirite as the number of days in a solar year,' he must count as many naziriteships as there are days in the solar year; if [he says] 'as the days of a lunar year,' he must count as many naziriteships as there are days in a lunar year. Rabbi said that this does not hold unless he says, 'I undertake naziriteships as the number of days in the solar year or as the number of days in the lunar year'?⁹  — R. Judah agrees with Rabbi on one point, and differs from him on the other. He agrees with him on one point, viz: that what is undertaken is a [single] naziriteship,¹⁰  but differs from him on the other, for whilst R. Judah distinguishes between [the cases] where the word 'number' is mentioned and where it is omitted, Rabbi does not so distinguish.

Our Rabbis taught: [A man who says,] 'I wish to be a nazirite all the days of my life,' or 'I wish to be a life-nazirite,' becomes a life-nazirite. Even if he says a hundred years, or a thousand years, he does not become a life-nazirite, but a nazirite for life.¹¹

Our Rabbis taught: [If a man says,] 'I wish to be a nazirite plus one,' he must reckon two [naziriteships]. [If he adds,] 'and another,' he must reckon three, and if he then adds 'and again'. he counts four. Surely this is obvious? — It might be thought that the words 'and again' refer to the whole [preceding number], making six in all, and so we are told that this is not so.

Our Rabbis taught: [When a man says,] 'I wish to be a nazirite,' Symmachos affirmed [that by adding] hen,¹²  [he must reckon] one; digon,¹³  two; trigon,¹³  three; tetragon,¹³  four; pentagon,¹³  five [naziriteships].¹⁴

Our Rabbis taught: A house that is round, or digon,¹⁵  or trigon,¹⁵  or pentagon,¹⁵  does not contract defilement through the plague [of leprosy]. One that is tetragon¹⁵  does. What is the reason? — For Scripture, both in the latter part and in the earlier part of the passage [dealing with the leprosy of houses], puts walls [in the plural]¹⁶  instead of wall [in the singular], thus making four walls in all.¹⁷

1. 'I intend to he a nazirite, etc.'
2. 365 naziriteships, each of thirty days duration.
3. At the end of thirty years.
4. He would then mean, 'I undertake to be a nazirite for the number of the sun's days, i.e., for ever.' (Rashi). [Alternatively: If you say he undertook a single naziriteship (i.e. of 365 days duration) could it be said of him that he had completed the amount of naziriteships required by the Rabbis, in support of whose view R. Judah cites the incident; v. Tosaf.]
5. He could never bring sacrifices.
6. Aliter; paths of the fig-gatherers. v. Kohut, Aruch.
7. Aliter; field.paths in the Sabbatical year.
8. Tosef. Naz. I. Whereas Rabbi holds that in such a case he would have to count only as many days as there are heaps of figs.
9. Tosef. Naz. I. And, according to Rabbi, the same would be the case if he omitted the word 'number', the important thing being the use of the term, 'nazirite' or 'naziriteships'.
10. I.e., when he says, 'I intend to be a nazirite as the capacity of this house'.
11. Tosef. Naz. I, 3, and supra p. 21.
12. Gr. [G], once.
13. The last syllable is probably a Hebraisation of [G]. Thus digon — [G] — twice; and so on. V. Kohut, Aruch.
14. Tosef. Naz. I.
15. Here we have the normal meaning, two-sided, and so on.
16. Lev. XIV, 39, and 37.
17. Cf. Neg. XII, I.