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Nazir 41b

נזיר מ״א ע״ב

Learn Nazir 41b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Why the Torah writes both "ראשו" and "זקנו" by the shaving of a מצורע, and how רבי אליעזר learns that an עשה pushes aside a לא תעשה

Overview

The גמרא finishes explaining why the Torah needs both words, "his head" (ראשו) and "his beard" (זקנו), when it commands a מצורע to shave. If only "his head" were written, it would teach two things. First, it would teach that an עשה overrides a לא תעשה. Second, it would teach that shaving the whole head counts as forbidden rounding (הקפה). But it would not teach that the shaving must be done with a razor (תער), so the Torah adds "his beard." Then the גמרא asks where רבי אליעזר learns the rule of עשה דוחה לא תעשה. It answers that he learns it from ציצית (גדילים). It begins quoting a ברייתא about שעטנז to show this, and the ברייתא continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

וְאִי כְּתַב ״רֹאשׁוֹ״

And if [the Torah] had written "his head"

וְלָא כְּתַב ״זְקָנוֹ״,

and had not written "his beard,"

הֲוָה אָמֵינָא: מַשְׁמַע תַּרְתֵּי:

I would have said: it teaches two things:

דְּאָתֵי עֲשֵׂה וְדָחֵי אֶת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה,

that a positive מצוה comes and overrides a prohibition,

The steps (4)

  1. ResolutionWhat "his head" alone would have taught
  2. Resolution"His beard" teaches shaving with a razor
  3. QuestionWhere does רבי אליעזר learn that an עשה overrides a לאו?
  4. ResponseHe learns it from ציצית