Nazir 10b

נזיר י׳ ע״ב

Learn Nazir 10b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

How בית שמאי and בית הלל read a conditional נזירות vow about a lying cow, and how the case is adjusted to fit רבי יהודה and בית הלל's own rulings

Overview

The גמרא is explaining the case behind the משנה's dispute between בית שמאי and בית הלל. A cow is lying down. A man vows to be a נזיר on the condition that the cow does not stand, and then it gets up by itself. בית שמאי say he meant 'if I do not stand it up,' so the vow takes effect. בית הלל say he meant 'if it does not end up standing,' so the vow does not take effect. The גמרא challenges this from רבי יהודה's wording about a קרבן, because in a vow from wine nothing about the cow becomes forbidden. So it changes the case to a vow of נזירות from the cow's own meat. That raises a new question: בית הלל hold that נזירות from meat never takes effect, so why would the cow's standing matter to them? The answer is that בית הלל were arguing on בית שמאי's terms: even if such a vow works, the cow stood, so it should fail. בית שמאי reply that the man's point was standing it up himself, which he never did.

Opening lines

The steps (6)

1. StatementThe cow case: a vow of נזירות from wine if the cow does not stand
2. Challengeרבי יהודה's wording about a קרבן does not fit
3. ResolutionReworded case: a vow of נזירות from the cow's meat
4. ChallengeBut according to בית הלל, a vow of נזירות from meat is not נזירות
5. Resolutionבית הלל were arguing on בית שמאי's terms
6. Resolutionבית שמאי's reply: the condition was about his own action