Gemara Clarity

Nazir 12a

נזיר י״ב ע״א

Learn Nazir 12a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Nazir 12a in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Is a man forbidden to all women after sending an agent to betroth an unnamed woman? רבי יוחנן's ruling and ריש לקיש's challenge from bird offerings (קינים)

Overview

רבי יוחנן rules that if a man tells a שליח, 'Go betroth a woman for me' without naming her, he becomes forbidden to every woman in the world. We assume the שליח did his job, but the man does not know who his wife is, so any woman might be her close relative. ריש לקיש challenges this from a משנה about offering birds: when a consecrated bird flies away, we do not suspect every bird in the world of being the runaway. רבי יוחנן answers that a woman is fixed in her home, while a bird moves around, so with birds we follow the majority. Even if the woman was betrothed in the market, she goes back home, and a bird does not. רבא then limits the ruling: a woman with no relatives the שליח could have betrothed is permitted. This includes a woman whose relative was married when the שליח was sent and divorced later. The גמרא explains that a person sends a שליח only for women available at that moment. It then challenges this from a משנה about two people who each promise to pay for a נזיר's offerings, where the first seems to be able to pay for someone who was not yet a נזיר when he spoke. The answer comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

״צֵא וְקַדֵּשׁ לִי אִשָּׁה״ סְתָם —

"Go out and betroth a woman for me," without specifying —

אָסוּר בְּכׇל הַנָּשִׁים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם.

he is forbidden to all the women in the world.

חֲזָקָה שָׁלִיחַ עוֹשֶׂה שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ,

There is a presumption that an agent carries out his mission,

וְכֵיוָן דְּלָא פָּרֵישׁ לֵיהּ,

and since he did not specify to him,

The steps (10)

  1. StatementAn unnamed betrothal forbids a man to all women
  2. Challengeריש לקיש quotes the משנה about a bird that flew away
  3. ChallengeWhy not worry that every bird is the runaway?
  4. ResolutionA woman stays put, a bird wanders
  5. ChallengeBut maybe she was found in the market
  6. ResolutionShe goes home, a bird does not
  7. StatementWhen רבי יוחנן agrees the woman is permitted
  8. ResponseA שליח is only sent for women available now
  9. ChallengeQuoting the משנה of two people who promise to pay for each other's nazirite offerings
  10. ChallengeThe first person could not have meant the second nazirite