2,875. What Kind of Nazir Was Shimshon?

Hilchos Nezirus 3:13

Shimshon (Samson) was not a nazir in the fullest sense because he never made a nazirite vow. Rather, the angel who announced his birth required him to separate from impurity. Shimshon was not allowed to drink wine or to cut his hair, but he was permitted to be rendered unclean through contact with the dead. This is a law transmitted via our oral tradition.

Hilchos Nezirus 3:14

Pursuant to the previous halacha, if someone declares, “I am a nazir like Shimshon,” he is a permanent nazir vis-à-vis cutting his hair and drinking wine. He may not cut his hair every 12 months like other permanent nazirs, but he may be rendered unclean through contact with the dead. If he clarifies that his intention was another person named Shimshon rather than the Biblical Samson, he is not a nazir. If someone makes a nazirite vow to be like Shimshon, he cannot have it released because Shimshon’s nezirus was permanently binding.