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Nazir 32b

נזיר ל״ב ע״ב

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Topic

Releasing a vow because of a later event (נוֹלָד), the destruction of the בית המקדש, and the משנה of travelers who vow נזירות depending on an approaching stranger.

Overview

The end of the משנה teaches that a vow of נזירות made after the person's animal was already stolen is not binding, because it rested on a mistake. The משנה then tells how נחום המדי wrongly released נזירים who arrived from the exile and found the בית המקדש destroyed. The חכמים ruled that anyone who vowed before the destruction stays a נזיר. In the גמרא, רבה says the חכמים won over רבי אליעזר, who had allowed opening a vow with a נולד (a later development). רבא adds that the חכמים still allow opening with the 'condition of a נולד': 'If someone had told you the Temple would be destroyed, would you have vowed?' רב יוסף suggests opening from a פסוק in ירמיהו that hints the Temples would fall. The גמרא answers that no one knew when, and even with אביי's פסוק in דניאל, no one knew the exact day. A new משנה then brings travelers who vow נזירות depending on who an approaching person is, with three opinions: בית שמאי, בית הלל and רבי טרפון. It also covers the case where the person turns back, where רבי שמעון disagrees. The גמרא questions בית הלל's wording, and רב יהודה corrects it: only the one whose words came true is a נזיר.

Opening lines

וְאִם מִשֶּׁנִּגְנְבָה בְּהֶמְתּוֹ נָזַר —

But if he vowed nezirus after his animal was stolen —

אֵינוֹ נָזִיר.

he is not a nazirite.

וְזוֹ טָעוּת טָעָה נַחוּם הַמָּדִי:

And this is the mistake that Nachum the Mede made:

כְּשֶׁעָלוּ נְזִירִים מִן הַגּוֹלָה

When nazirites came up from the exile

The steps (17)

  1. StatementA vow made after the animal was stolen is not binding
  2. StatementThe story of נחום המדי's mistaken release
  3. StatementThe חכמים correct נחום: before the destruction, still a נזיר
  4. Statementרבה: the חכמים won over רבי אליעזר about נולד
  5. Statementרבא: opening with the 'condition of a נולד' is allowed
  6. QuestionWhat does 'condition of a נולד' look like?
  7. ResponseThe right question: 'If someone had told you…'
  8. Statementרב יוסף's suggested opening from a פסוק in ירמיהו
  9. RejectionKnowing it will happen is not knowing when
  10. Challengeאביי: a פסוק in דניאל gives the timing
  11. ResolutionStill, nobody knew the exact day
  12. StatementNew משנה: vows about a stranger on the road
  13. StatementThree opinions on who becomes a נזיר
  14. StatementIf the approaching person turned back, no one is a נזיר
  15. Statementרבי שמעון's formula: a נזיר either way
  16. ChallengeWhy would the one who was wrong become a נזיר?
  17. Resolutionרב יהודה: read it as the one whose words came true