Nazir - Daf 4
- Differences between nazir Shimshon and nazir olam
The next Mishnah teaches the differences between a nazir Shimshon and a נזיר עולם – a permanent nazir (one who declared himself a nazir for life): נזיר עולם הכביד שערו מיקל בתער – One who is a nazir olam, if his hair grows heavy, he may lighten it by trimming it with a razor, ומביא שלש בהמות – and he brings three animals for korbanos at that time, ואם נטמא מביא קרבן טומאה – and if he becomes tamei, he brings the korbanos of tumah of an ordinary nazir. The Gemara will source the permit to periodically trim his hair, and bring korbanos then, from Avshalom. (The Rosh, however, says that these laws were received by Oral tradition, and the Gemara’s sources are intended as an asmachta .) The Mishnah continues: נזיר שמשון הכביד שערו אינו מיקל – A nazir Shimshon, even if his hair grows heavy, he may not ever lighten it, ואם נטמא אינו מביא קרבן טומאה – and if he becomes tamei, he does not bring the korbanos of tumah. The Gemara will clarify that a nazir Shimshon is permitted to become tamei and says that we know by tradition that Shimshon came in contact with tumah, although it cannot be established unequivocally from pesukim.
- Machlokes about nazir Shimshon
A Baraisa teaches a machlokes about nazir Shimshon: Rebbe Yehudah says he is permitted to become tamei, as our Mishnah is explained to mean. Rebbe Shimon says: האומר נזיר שמשון לא אמר כלום – One who says, “I am hereby a nazir Shimshon” has said nothing, שלא מצינו בשמשון שיצאת נזירות מפיו – because we do not find about Shimshon that a vow of nezirus ever left his mouth. The Gemara attempts to parallel this machlokes with a machlokes about one who forbids an item on himself “like a bechor,” which is forbidden. Rebbe Yehudah holds like Rebbe Yaakov, who says the neder is valid, despite a bechor’s kedushah being automatic and not declared by vow, and he would also validate a nazir Shimshon (although Shimshon himself was a nazir without human declaration). Rebbe Shimon holds like Rebbe Yose, who says the neder is not valid because a bechor’s kedushah is automatic and he would also invalidate a nazir Shimshon. The Gemara rejects this explanation and says that all Tannaim agree that a neder must be linked with something forbidden by declaration. The machlokes by bechor hinges on the fact that although the bechor is automatically kadosh, its owner must also verbally declare its kedushah. The Rosh suggests several explanations of Rebbe Yehudah’s position that a nazir Shimshon is valid, including that Shimshon may have verbally accepted his nezirus upon reaching adulthood.
- The handsome nazir who was approved of by Shimon Hatzaddik
Shimon Hatzaddik declared that he never ate from the korban asham of a nazir who became tamei. Tosafos explain that a nazir who becomes tamei needs to begin counting his nezirus anew, and he feared that the nazir would regret his nezirus, rendering the korban to be chullin brought in the azarah. He said, however, that there was one incident when he did partake of the korban: he once met a very handsome nazir whose locks were arranged in curls. When Shimon Hatzaddik asked him why he undertook to destroy his hair (by becoming a nazir), he responded that he had once seen his reflection and was seized by his yetzer hara, and reacted forcefully by declaring himself a nazir, and shave his hair for the sake of Heaven. Shimon Hatzaddik kissed him on his head and declared, כמותך ירבו נזירים בישראל- “May there be more vowers of nezirus in Yisroel like you!” עליך הכתוב אומר – “It is about you that the passuk says: איש כי יפליא לנדור נדר נזיר להזיר לה' – ‘If a man clearly vows to be a nazir, to abstain for the sake of Hashem’”.
