2,932. How Can We Not Know Which Nazir Was Unclean?

Hilchos Nezirus 9:15

Continuing from the previous halacha, if one of two nazirs dies, the other brings a bird for a sin offering and an animal for a burnt offering. He says, “If I was rendered unclean, the sin offering is for my obligation and the burnt offering is a freewill offering. If I remained clean, the burnt offering is for my obligation and the bird for a sin offering is brought out of doubt.” He observes another full nezirus period and then brings purity offerings. He says, "If I was rendered unclean, the burnt offering I brought previously was a freewill offering and this offering is for my obligation. If I remained clean, then my previous burnt offering was my obligation, this is a freewill offering and these are the rest of my nezirus offerings.” In these cases, neither shaves in impurity except for minors and women. This is because a man may not shave his head out of doubt. (This is prohibited for men under normal circumstances, but minors and women are not so prohibited, so they may shave out of doubt.)

Hilchos Nezirus 9:16

How does a doubt arise as to which nazir was rendered unclean through corpse impurity? Let’s say that the two nazirs were standing in a private domain. The law is that doubts regarding ritual impurity in private domains are ruled unclean. Someone outside saw these two nazirs and said that one of them was rendered unclean, but he doesn’t know which. However, if the witness was with them in the courtyard, then both nazirs are ritually clean. Since there are three of them, they are considered a group, and a case of doubt regarding a group in a private domain is ruled clean like a doubt regarding impurity in the public domain. This will be addressed IY”H when we get to Hilchos Shaar Avos HaTumah.