Nazir 6b

נזיר ו׳ ע״ב

Learn Nazir 6b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Is a standard נזירות 30 days or 29? The גמרא tests this through רבי אליעזר's rulings and through the dispute of רבי יאשיה and רבי יונתן about the פסוק 'עד מלאת הימים'.

Overview

Earlier on the daf, רב מתנא holds that a standard נזירות is 30 days, and בר פדא holds it is 29 days. בר פדא supports his view from רבי אליעזר in a משנה: a נזיר who becomes טמא on day 30 loses only seven days, which sounds like his term was already over. The גמרא defends רב מתנא by saying רבי אליעזר holds מקצת היום ככולו, so part of day 30 counts as the whole day. It then challenges this from the next case in that משנה, a 100-day נזיר, where רבי אליעזר says he loses thirty days. ריש לקיש explains that ruling with a פסוק: a נזיר who becomes טמא on the day his term ends gets a standard נזירות. Next the גמרא suggests that רב מתנא and בר פדא follow רבי יאשיה and רבי יונתן, who learn the minimum term from different words in the פסוק. רב מתנא answers that both תנאים require thirty days and argue only about whether 'עד' includes the endpoint. Finally, the גמרא explains why רבי יונתן's 'days that need completing' means a month and not a week: a week is never short, but a month can be.

Opening lines

The steps (13)

1. Proofבר פדא points to the end of the משנה
2. ResolutionPart of a day counts as a whole day
3. ChallengeChallenge from the 100-day Nazir
4. ResolutionWe do not say part of a day counts as whole
5. ChallengeThen he should lose everything
6. Resolutionריש לקיש: a special rule from the verse
7. StatementSuggesting a link to the תנאים: רבי יאשיה learns thirty days from hair growth
8. Statementרבי יונתן learns thirty days from 'until the days are complete'
9. ProofProposing that רב מתנא follows רבי יאשיה and בר פדא follows רבי יונתן
10. Rejectionרב מתנא: Everyone agrees on thirty; the argument is about the word 'until'
11. StatementQuoting רבי יונתן's line again: days that need completing means thirty
12. ChallengeChallenge: Maybe it means a seven-day week
13. ResolutionAnswer: A week is never short, but a month can be