Nazir 29a

נזיר כ״ט ע״א

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Topic

Why a father can make his son a נזיר: ריש לקיש's reason of חינוך is tested against the details of the משנה and the laws of נזירות.

Overview

The משנה taught that a father can make his son a נזיר. רבי יוחנן said this is a special הלכה given for נזיר. ריש לקיש says instead that the father does it to train his son in מצוות (חינוך). The גמרא tests ריש לקיש's reason with a long series of questions. Why not a mother? Why not a daughter? Why only נזירות and not other נדרים? Why can relatives object? Each question gets an answer that keeps his reason standing. Next the גמרא asks how a training-only נזירות can allow shaving the whole head, bringing חולין into the עזרה, and eating a bird killed by מליקה. The answer each time is that the איסור involved is only rabbinic, so the rabbinic מצוה of חינוך can push it aside. For the bird, this rests on רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה's view that bird שחיטה is not from the Torah. The גמרא then questions whether he really holds that, and quotes a ברייתא of his about a doubtful bird חטאת. The ברייתא continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (19)

1. Statementריש לקיש: The father does it to train his son
2. ChallengeThen a mother should also be able to
3. ResolutionOnly the father has the duty to train
4. ChallengeThen a father should also be able to do it for his daughter
5. ResolutionThe father must train his son, not his daughter
6. ChallengeThen a father should be able to impose other vows too
7. ResolutionThe משנה chose the harder case
8. ChallengeHow can relatives stop a father from training his son?
9. ResolutionTraining that is not important can be refused
10. ChallengeHow can a training-only נזירות allow shaving the corners of the head?
11. ResolutionBoth הקפה and חינוך are rabbinic, so one can override the other
12. ChallengeHow can the boy bring a קרבן if his נזירות is only training?
13. Resolutionחולין in the עזרה is not a Torah prohibition
14. ChallengeSetting up a challenge: the bird קרבן of a boy who became טמא
15. ChallengeFor ריש לקיש, the כהן would be eating a נבילה
16. Resolutionריש לקיש holds that bird שחיטה is not from the Torah
17. ChallengeDoes רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה really hold this? A ברייתא begins
18. ProofThe ברייתא: a woman brings the same type for a doubt as for a certain case
19. ChallengeThe ברייתא asks: shouldn't her doubtful קרבן be eaten like his?