Nazir 53b

נזיר נ״ג ע״ב

Learn Nazir 53b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Nazir 53b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Which kinds of טומאת מת require a נזיר to shave: half a קב of crushed bones, and a limb without enough flesh on it

Overview

The גמרא looks at items from the משנה's list of things that make a נזיר shave. First it asks why half a קב of bones is needed, when a single bone the size of a barley grain already counts. It answers that the case is bones ground into powder. Next it asks about a limb that does not have the proper amount of flesh on it. רבי יוחנן says the נזיר does not shave, because the משנה mentions only a limb with flesh. ריש לקיש says he does shave, because the next משנה's list of exempt cases leaves this limb out. רבי יוחנן answers that the later list skips cases we can already infer. The גמרא challenges this from רובע עצמות and רביעית דם, and shows each of these was listed to teach something new. Finally, ריש לקיש explains that even a limb with no barley-sized bone is impure, based on a ברייתא that reads 'או במת' in the פסוק as a limb cut off from a corpse.

Opening lines

The steps (17)

1. StatementHalf a קב of bones counts, a quarter does not
2. QuestionWhat case is this?
3. ChallengeIf there is a barley-sized bone, the half-קב rule is not needed
4. ResolutionThe bones were ground into powder
5. StatementA limb with the proper amount of flesh
6. QuestionWhat if the limb lacks enough flesh?
7. Responseרבי יוחנן and ריש לקיש disagree
8. Proofרבי יוחנן's proof from the first part of the משנה
9. Proofריש לקיש's proof from the second part of the משנה
10. Rejectionרבי יוחנן rejects the proof from the list
11. ChallengeChallenge from the quarter-קב of bones
12. ResolutionThe quarter-קב was needed to teach about touching and carrying
13. ChallengeChallenge from the quarter-לוג of blood
14. ResolutionThe quarter-לוג was taught to reject רבי עקיבא
15. ChallengeWhat kind of limb are they arguing about?
16. Resolutionריש לקיש: no barley-grain bone, but the Torah still includes it
17. ProofThe ברייתא reads the פסוק word by word