Gemara Clarity

Nazir 8b

נזיר ח׳ ע״ב

Learn Nazir 8b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

How the wording of a נזיר vow sets the number of terms: the view of רבי יהודה versus רבי, נזיר עולם, added words and Greek number words, plus four-walled houses and נגעים.

Overview

The גמרא first claims that רבי יהודה agrees with רבי: a vow comparing נזירות to a huge amount, without the plural word 'נזירות', means one long נזירות. It challenges this with רבי יהודה's story of a man who 'completed' 365 terms and died, and with his ruling that 'like the number of fig piles' means many separate terms. The גמרא answers that the word 'number' is different. A ברייתא then shows that for רבי even 'number' still needs the plural 'נזירות'. The final answer is that רבי יהודה agrees with רבי in the plain case but disagrees about a vow using 'number'. Next, ברייתות teach the difference between a נזיר עולם and a נזיר לעולם. They also teach how added words like 'and one', 'and more' and 'and again' add terms, and how סומכוס counts Greek number words. Using the same shape words, a ברייתא rules that only a four-walled house can get נגעים, because 'walls' appears twice in the פסוקים. The פרק then closes with the הדרן.

Opening lines

דְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה סָבַר לַהּ כְּרַבִּי.

For Rabbi Yehuda holds like Rebbi.

דִּתְנַן, רַבִּי אוֹמֵר:

As we learned: Rebbi says:

אֵין זֶה מְגַלֵּחַ אַחַת לִשְׁלשִׁים יוֹם.

This one does not shave once every thirty days.

וְאֵיזֶהוּ שֶׁמְּגַלֵּח אַחַת לִשְׁלשִׁים יוֹם?

And who is the one who shaves once every thirty days?

The steps (17)

  1. Rejectionרבי יהודה agrees with רבי
  2. Proofרבי's ruling on 'like the hair of my head'
  3. ChallengeChallenge from the solar-year case
  4. ChallengeWhy 'completed' shows many naziriteships
  5. ChallengeSecond challenge: fig piles and שמיטה sheaves
  6. ResolutionA vow using the word 'number' is different
  7. ChallengeFor רבי, even 'number' is not different
  8. Resolutionרבי יהודה agrees with רבי in one case and disagrees in another
  9. StatementWhich words make someone a נזיר עולם
  10. StatementAdding words to a נזיר vow adds more terms
  11. ChallengeIsn't the last ruling obvious?
  12. Resolution'And again' does not double everything
  13. Statementסומכוס: Greek number words count terms
  14. StatementOnly a four-sided house gets נגעים
  15. QuestionWhy only four sides?
  16. ResponseTwo verses with 'walls' make four
  17. ConclusionHadran — Closing פרק כל כינויי