Nazir 52b

נזיר נ״ב ע״ב

Learn Nazir 52b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Spine 'or' skull: the count of רבי עקיבא's six rulings, שמאי's view, and רמי בר חמא's question about a רובע of spine and skull bones

Overview

The גמרא continues asking whether רבי עקיבא's rule means a spine OR a skull alone makes a נזיר shave, or only both together. A proof is brought from the count of six rulings: if spine and skull were separate, there would be seven. The גמרא rejects this with four ways to explain why one item is left out of the six: the barley-grain bone, the limb from a living person, the barley-grain bone for a different reason, or רביעית דם, which רבי עקיבא never retracted. Along the way, a פסוק and רבי שמעון support that רבי עקיבא held on to his view on רביעית דם, and we hear that רבי שמעון fasted until his teeth turned black. Next, a ברייתא about רובע עצמות ends with שמאי saying even a bone from the spine or the skull makes things טמא. The גמרא pushes this proof away, and then pushes away the opposite proof too, so the spine-and-skull question is not settled. Finally, רמי בר חמא asks whether a רובע of bones from the spine and skull is enough, and רבא begins to answer from the wording of the משנה.

Opening lines

The steps (16)

1. ProofIf spine and skull count separately, the list would have seven
2. RejectionThe six only include cases where many Sages disagree
3. ResolutionSecond answer: the limb from a living person is not counted
4. ResolutionThird answer: only cases where a נזיר shaves for overhanging
5. ResolutionThe six only list rulings רבי עקיבא took back
6. ProofA פסוק supports רבי עקיבא on blood from two bodies
7. Proofרבי שמעון: רבי עקיבא held this view all his life
8. Statementרבי שמעון's teeth turned black from fasting
9. ProofA new source: how many bones make a רובע
10. Statementרבי יהושע makes בית שמאי and בית הלל agree
11. Proofשמאי: even a bone from the spine or the skull
12. Rejectionשמאי is just being strict
13. ProofTrying to prove the opposite from the same ברייתא
14. RejectionThe רבנן may only argue about a single bone
15. QuestionIs a quarter-קב of spine and skull bones enough?
16. Proofרבא brings proof from the wording of the משנה