Nedarim 9b

נדרים ט׳ ע״ב

Learn Nedarim 9b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

How our משנה's praise of the virtuous fits רבי מאיר: the נדר/נדבה distinction, הלל הזקן's method for קרבנות, and שמעון הצדיק's view of נזירות taken purely for Heaven.

Overview

The גמרא is trying to fit our משנה, which praises the virtuous for their offerings, with רבי מאיר, who says it is best not to vow at all. It answers that רבי מאיר only objected to a נדר, not a נדבה, and reads the משנה's word as 'volunteered' instead of 'vowed'. It then asks why a נדבה is any safer than a נדר. For קרבנות, the answer is the method of הלל הזקן: he made his animal holy only in the עזרה, right before slaughtering it, so no one could misuse it. For נזירות, the answer is that רבי מאיר follows שמעון הצדיק. שמעון הצדיק never ate an impure נזיר's אשם except once, when a handsome shepherd became a נזיר purely to break his own pride, and שמעון הצדיק praised him. רבי מני asks why only that אשם was avoided, and רבי יונה explains: an impure נזיר's term gets longer, so he may regret his נזירות, and his offerings become like חולין. A pure נזיר judged his own strength beforehand, so there is no such worry. The amud ends as the גמרא begins a second answer about which תנא the משנה follows, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (15)

1. Resolutionרבי מאיר only objected to vows, not gift offerings
2. ChallengeBut the משנה uses the word 'vowed'
3. ResolutionRead the משנה as 'volunteered'
4. ChallengeWhy is a gift offering safer than a vow?
5. Resolutionהלל הזקן's method avoids the risk
6. ChallengeWhat about voluntary נזירות?
7. Resolutionרבי מאיר follows שמעון הצדיק
8. Proofשמעון הצדיק's rule and his meeting with the handsome נזיר
9. ResponseThe shepherd explains why he became a נזיר
10. Statementשמעון הצדיק praises the young נזיר
11. Challengeרבי מני asks why only this אשם was avoided
12. Resolutionרבי יונה explains the real concern: regret
13. ChallengeThen a pure נזיר should be a problem too
14. ResolutionA pure נזיר measured himself before vowing
15. ResolutionIntroducing a second answer