Gemara Clarity

Nazir 29b

נזיר כ״ט ע״ב

Learn Nazir 29b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Whether חולין בעזרה is a Torah prohibition, and whether a father's power to make his son a נזיר is a special הלכה or חינוך

Overview

The amud opens with the end of a ברייתא that speaks of a woman's case involving 'two prohibitions.' The גמרא wants to read these as נבילה and חולין בעזרה, which would make bringing חולין into the עזרה a Torah prohibition. רב אחא בריה דרב איקא rejects this: the prohibitions may only look serious and really be מדרבנן. The גמרא then returns to the main question: is a father's power to make his son a נזיר a special הלכה, or is it only חינוך? It suggests this is the מחלוקת between רבי (until two hairs) and רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה (until the age of vows). That link is rejected twice, by explaining their argument through the status of a מופלא הסמוך לאיש, first as Torah law against rabbinic law, then as two rabbinic rules. Next the גמרא compares their argument to a ברייתא about the young רבי חנינא, whom רבן גמליאל examined and praised. The boy's words fit רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה well, and the גמרא begins asking how they fit רבי, a question that continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

לֹא, אִם אָמַרְתָּ בְּזָכָר —

No, if you say this regarding a male,

שֶׁכֵּן אִיסּוּר אֶחָד,

since there is only one prohibition,

תֹּאמַר בִּנְקֵבָה —

will you say the same regarding a female,

שֶׁשְּׁנֵי אִיסּוּרִין.

where there are two prohibitions?

The steps (13)

  1. RejectionThe ברייתא rejects comparing the male to the female
  2. ProofReading the 'two prohibitions' as Torah prohibitions
  3. Rejectionרב אחא: maybe they only look like two prohibitions
  4. StatementA ברייתא: how long can a father make his son a נזיר?
  5. ProofMatching the ברייתא to הלכה versus חינוך
  6. RejectionNo, both sides agree it is a special הלכה
  7. RejectionTorah law versus rabbinic law for a child close to adulthood
  8. RejectionOr both agree it is for חינוך, and argue whether one rabbinic rule overrides another
  9. ProofSuggesting the argument matches an older story about רבי חנינא
  10. Statementרבי יוסי says the check was for the age of vows
  11. StatementThe boy's clever answer and רבן גמליאל's praise
  12. ChallengeThe boy's words fit רבי יוסי ברבי יהודה well
  13. ChallengeHow do the boy's words fit רבי?