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Nazir 49a

נזיר מ״ט ע״א

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Topic

Why the תורה needs both 'לאביו' and 'לאמו' in the פרשה of נזיר according to רבי עקיבא, and the start of a new question about the פסוק of כהן גדול.

Overview

This amud continues the discussion of how רבי עקיבא reads the פסוקים about a נזיר and a כהן גדול. According to רבי עקיבא, the rule that a כהן גדול (with or without נזירות) must become טמא to bury a מת מצוה comes from the word 'לאחיו'. So the גמרא asks why the פסוק also needs to say 'לאביו ולאמו'. The answer is צריכי: both words are needed. If only 'אביו' were written, we might think the ban rests on fatherhood being only a חזקה, and allow becoming טמא for a mother, whom we know gave birth to him. If only 'אמו' were written, we might allow becoming טמא for a father, since family lineage follows the father ('לבית אבותם'). So the תורה writes both, and he may not become טמא for either parent. The גמרא then asks a new question: according to רבי עקיבא, why is 'ועל כל נפשות מת לא יבא', said about the כהן גדול, needed? The answer comes on the next amud.

Opening lines

וּלְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא,

And according to Rabbi Akiva,

מִכְּדֵי לָא שְׁנָא כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל לְחוֹדֵיהּ

now consider: it is no different whether it is a High Priest alone

וְלָא שְׁנָא כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל וְהוּא נָזִיר,

and it is no different whether it is a High Priest who is also a nazir;

נָפְקָא מִ״לְּאָחִיו״,

it is derived from 'for his brother',

The steps (4)

  1. QuestionWhy does רבי עקיבא need 'for his father and for his mother'?
  2. ResolutionBoth are needed: if only 'his father' were written
  3. ResolutionIf only 'his mother' were written
  4. QuestionWhy is 'he shall not go in to any dead bodies' needed?