🍇 Mishnah Nazir 7
Chapter 7 of Mishnah Nazir
Verses
Verse 1
כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל וְנָזִיר אֵינָן מִטַּמְּאִין לִקְרוֹבֵיהֶן, אֲבָל מִטַּמְּאִין לְמֵת מִצְוָה. הָיוּ מְהַלְּכִין בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּמָצְאוּ מֵת מִצְוָה, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, יִטַּמָּא כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל וְאַל יִטַּמָּא נָזִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, יִטַּמָּא נָזִיר וְאַל יִטַּמָּא כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל. אָמַר לָהֶם רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, יִטַּמָּא כֹהֵן שֶׁאֵינוֹ מֵבִיא קָרְבָּן עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ, וְאַל יִטַּמָּא נָזִיר שֶׁהוּא מֵבִיא קָרְבָּן עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, יִטַּמָּא נָזִיר שֶׁאֵין קְדֻשָּׁתוֹ קְדֻשַּׁת עוֹלָם, וְאַל יִטַּמָּא כֹהֵן שֶׁקְּדֻשָּׁתוֹ קְדֻשַּׁת עוֹלָם:
A High Priest and a nazirite may not become ritually impure even to bury their deceased relatives. However, they become impure to bury a corpse with no one to bury it [met mitzva]. If one of them comes across the corpse of a Jew, and there is nobody else available to bury it, he must bury the body. If a High Priest and a nazirite were walking along the way and they found a met mitzva, and one of them can tend to the burial by himself, Rabbi Eliezer says: Let the High Priest become impure, and do not let the nazirite become impure. And the Rabbis say: Let the nazirite become impure, and do not let even a common priest become impure. Rabbi Eliezer said to the Rabbis: It is preferable to let the priest become impure, as he does not bring an offering for his impurity, and do not let the nazirite become impure, as he brings an offering for his impurity. The Rabbis said to him: On the contrary, let the nazirite become impure, as his sanctity is not permanent, and do not let a priest become impure, as his sanctity is permanent.
Verse 2
עַל אֵלּוּ טֻמְאוֹת הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ, עַל הַמֵּת, וְעַל כַּזַּיִת מִן הַמֵּת, וְעַל כַּזַּיִת נֶצֶל וְעַל מְלֹא תַרְוָד רָקָב, עַל הַשִּׁדְרָה וְעַל הַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת וְעַל אֵבֶר מִן הַמֵּת וְעַל אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי שֶׁיֵּשׁ עָלָיו בָּשָׂר כָּרָאוּי, וְעַל חֲצִי קַב עֲצָמוֹת וְעַל חֲצִי לֹג דָּם, עַל מַגָּעָן וְעַל מַשָּׂאָן וְעַל אָהֳלָן, וְעַל עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה, עַל מַגָּעוֹ וְעַל מַשָּׂאוֹ. עַל אֵלּוּ הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ וּמַזֶּה בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי, וְסוֹתֵר אֶת הַקּוֹדְמִין, וְאֵינוֹ מַתְחִיל לִמְנוֹת אֶלָּא עַד שֶׁיִּטְהַר וּמֵבִיא אֶת קָרְבְּנוֹתָיו:
A nazirite shaves for having become impure from these following sources of ritual impurity: For having become impure with impurity imparted by a corpse; and for impurity imparted by an olive-bulk of a corpse; and for impurity imparted by an olive-bulk of fluid [netzel] from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by a full ladle [tarvad] of dust from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by the spine; and for impurity imparted by the skull; and for impurity imparted by a limb from a corpse or for impurity imparted by a limb severed from a living person, upon either of which there is a fitting quantity of flesh; and for impurity imparted by a half-kav of bones from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by a half-log of blood. And a nazirite shaves in each of these cases for becoming impure by coming into contact with them; and for becoming impure by carrying them; and for becoming impure by their tent, i.e., if he was positioned like a tent over them, or if he entered a tent that contains them, or if they served as a tent over him. And as for a bone that is a barley-grain-bulk, he shaves for becoming impure by coming into contact with it and by carrying it. However, he is not rendered impure with the impurity imparted in a tent, i.e., by being under the same roof as the bone. For all of these occurrences, a nazirite shaves, and a priest sprinkles the ashes of the red heifer on him on the third and on the seventh days to purify him from the impurity imparted by a corpse. And he negates all the previous days he counted toward his naziriteship, and he begins counting his term of naziriteship again only after he becomes pure and brings his offerings.
Verse 3
אֲבָל הַסְּכָכוֹת, וְהַפְּרָעוֹת, וּבֵית הַפְּרָס, וְאֶרֶץ הָעַמִּים, וְהַגּוֹלֵל, וְהַדּוֹפֵק, וּרְבִיעִית דָּם, וְאֹהֶל, וְרֹבַע עֲצָמוֹת, וְכֵלִים הַנּוֹגְעִים בְּמֵת, וִימֵי סָפְרוֹ, וִימֵי גָמְרוֹ, עַל אֵלּוּ אֵין הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ, וּמַזֶּה בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי, וְאֵינוֹ סוֹתֵר אֶת הַקּוֹדְמִין, וּמַתְחִיל וּמוֹנֶה מִיָּד, וְקָרְבָּן אֵין לוֹ. בֶּאֱמֶת אָמְרוּ, יְמֵי הַזָּב וְהַזָּבָה וִימֵי הֶסְגֵּרוֹ שֶׁל מְצֹרָע, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ עוֹלִין לוֹ:
The previous mishna listed the sources of ritual impurity for which a nazirite must shave. This mishna adds: However, the nazirite does not shave for these: The hanging branches over a corpse, i.e., a tree overhanging a body that a nazirite passes, but it is uncertain which branches are over a corpse; and the projecting stones from fences when the place of the impurity is unknown; and a beit haperas, a place that contained a grave and was plowed. In the latter case, the entire area around the grave is impure from a corpse due to an uncertainty, as it might contain human bones. The mishna continues its list: And the land of the nations, i.e., a nazirite left Eretz Yisrael for another land. The Sages decreed that all land outside of Eretz Yisrael is ritually impure. And the grave cover; and the grave walls upon which the cover rests; and a quarter-log of blood from a corpse; and a tent; and a quarter-kav of bones of a corpse; and vessels that are touching a corpse. And if the nazirite is in the days of his counting, i.e., the seven days a leper must count after purification from his leprosy; or in his days of full leprosy, when he is a full-fledged leper, for these the nazirite does not shave. This is the case even if he is rendered impure by one of the sources listed in the previous mishna. And in those cases listed that involve ritual impurity from a corpse, one sprinkles the purification water upon him on the third and on the seventh days of his purification, and he does not negate the earlier days of his naziriteship, but they are considered part of his naziriteship term. And he starts counting the rest of his naziriteship to complete his term immediately after his purification, and he has no obligation to sacrifice an offering of impurity for these sources of ritual impurity. Actually they said an ancient tradition that these days of the impurity of the zav (Leviticus 15:1–15) and the zava (Leviticus 15:25–30) and the days of the confinement of a leper before he is confirmed as a full-fledged leper (Leviticus 13:4–5) count for him toward the period of his naziriteship.
Verse 4
אָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, כָּל טֻמְאָה מִן הַמֵּת שֶׁהַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עָלֶיהָ, חַיָּבִין עָלֶיהָ עַל בִּיאַת מִקְדָּשׁ. וְכָל טֻמְאָה מִן הַמֵּת שֶׁאֵין הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עָלֶיהָ, אֵין חַיָּבִין עָלֶיהָ עַל בִּיאַת מִקְדָּשׁ. אָמַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר, לֹא תְהֵא זוֹ קַלָּה מִן הַשֶּׁרֶץ. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, דַּנְתִּי לִפְנֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, מָה אִם עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְטַמֵּא אָדָם בְּאֹהֶל, הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עַל מַגָּעוֹ וְעַל מַשָּׂאוֹ. רְבִיעִית דָּם שֶׁהוּא מְטַמֵּא אָדָם בְּאֹהֶל, אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁיְּהֵא הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עַל מַגָּעָהּ וְעַל מַשָּׂאָהּ. אָמַר לִי, מַה זֶה עֲקִיבָא, אֵין דָּנִין כָּאן מִקַּל וָחֹמֶר. וּכְשֶׁבָּאתִי וְהִרְצֵיתִי אֶת הַדְּבָרִים לִפְנֵי רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, אָמַר לִי, יָפֶה אָמַרְתָּ, אֶלָּא כֵּן אָמְרוּ הֲלָכָה:
Rabbi Eliezer said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua: With regard to any ritual impurity from a corpse for which a nazirite must shave, one is liable due to the prohibition of entering the Temple after contracting that impurity. If someone who became impure from one of those sources of impurity enters the Temple, he violates the prohibition against an impure individual entering the sacred space. And with regard to any impurity from a corpse for which a nazirite does not shave, one is likewise not liable due to the prohibition of entering the Temple after contracting it. Rabbi Meir said: This impurity from a corpse that does not obligate a nazirite to shave should not be more lenient than the impurity of a creeping animal. The Torah clearly states that one rendered impure from a creeping animal is prohibited from entering the Temple (see Leviticus 5:2–3). The mishna continues to address the sources of ritual impurity for which a nazirite must shave. Rabbi Akiva said: I discussed this matter before Rabbi Eliezer and suggested the following a fortiori inference: If, with regard to a bone that is a barley-grain-bulk, which does not render a person impure in a tent, a nazirite must nevertheless shave for touching it or carrying it, then in the case of a quarter-log of blood, which is more stringent in that it renders a person impure in a tent, is it not logical that a nazirite should shave for touching it or carrying it? Rabbi Eliezer said to me: What is this, Akiva? One cannot argue by means of an a fortiori inference here, in this particular case. However, Rabbi Eliezer did not provide a reason for this response. Rabbi Akiva continued: And when I came and presented these matters before Rabbi Yehoshua, he said to me: You spoke well, i.e., your logic is flawless, but they indeed said that this is a halakha transmitted to Moses from Sinai, which cannot be refuted by means of an a fortiori inference.