Nedarim 6

Chapter 6

א שהנזירות חל על הנזירות
1 that one nazirite vow falls upon another.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A nazirite vow for an unspecified period means for thirty days. If one who is already a nazir takes a nazirite vow, it is binding, and becomes operative when the first ends. Thus he translates: a nazir can take a vow le-hazir, to become a nazir after his present vow terminates, v. infra isa. ');"><sup>1</sup></span>
ב ולמ''ד דברה תורה כלשון בני אדם ונזיר להזיר דריש לעשות ידות נזירות כנזירות שהנזירות חל על הנזירות מנא ליה הניחא אי ס''ל כמ''ד אין נזירות חל על נזירות אלא אי ס''ל כמ''ד נזירות חל על נזירות מנא ליה
2 Then he who maintains that the Torah spoke in the language of men, and interprets 'nazir le-hazzir' as teaching the validity of abbreviations of neziroth, whence does he learn that a nazirite vow can fall upon another? If he agrees with the view that a nazirite vow does not fall upon another, it is well; but if he agrees with the view that it does, whence does he know it? — Let Scripture say, li-zor [the kal form]; why 'le-hazzir' [the causative]? That you may infer both from it.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The heavier form le-hazzir implies intensity, therefore it is interpreted as meaning something additional to what might be inferred from the kal li-zor, which itself being pleonastic allows us to infer something not explicit in the verse. ');"><sup>2</sup></span>
ג נימא קרא ליזור מאי להזיר שמעת מינה תרתי
3 In the West<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., the Palestinian academies. ');"><sup>3</sup></span>
ד במערבא אמרי אית תנא דמפיק ליה לידות מן לנדור נדר ואית תנא דמפיק ליה מן (במדבר ל ג) כל היוצא מפיו יעשה
4 it was said: One Tanna deduces [the validity of] abbreviations from 'lindor neder'; whilst another deduces it from [the 'phrase], he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XXX, 3: this embraces every form in which a vow can be made. ');"><sup>4</sup></span>
ה אמר מר ומה נדרים עובר (במדבר ל ג) בבל יחל ובל תאחר בשלמא בל יחל דנדרים משכחת לה כגון דאמר ככר זו אוכל ולא אכלה עובר משום בל יחל דברו
5 The Master said: 'And just as in other vows, he who does not fulfil them violates the injunctions, he shall not break his wad, and thou shalt not delay to pay it, so in neziroth.' Now, as for 'he shall not break his word' as applying to [ordinary] vows, it is well: it is possible e.g., if one says, 'I vow to eat this loaf', and does not eat it; he violates the injunction, 'he shall not break his word'. But how is, 'he shall not break [his word],' possible in the case of neziroth.? For, as soon as one says, 'Behold, I am a nazir' he is one; if he eats [grapes], he is liable for, nor eat moist drapes or dried;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. VI, 3. ');"><sup>5</sup></span>
ו אלא בל יחל דנזירות היכי משכחת לה כיון דאמר הריני נזיר הוה ליה נזיר אכל קם ליה בבל יאכל שתה קם ליה בבל ישתה אמר רבא לעבור עליו בשנים
6 if he drinks [wine], he violates, he&nbsp;… shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. [It is assumed that the injunction 'he shall not break his word' can apply only to a case where the vow is nullified by his action, e.g., where he vows to eat and he does not eat, but not where he, for instance, vows not to eat and he does eat, where the vow has not been nullified but transgressed: and similarly in the case of a nazir.] ');"><sup>6</sup></span>
ז בל תאחר דנזירות היכי משכחת לה כיון דאמר הריני נזיר הוה ליה נזיר אכל קם ליה בבל יאכל באומר לכשארצה אהא נזיר ואי אמר כשארצה ליכא בל תאחר
7 — Raba answered: It is to transgress two [injunctions].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Raba extends the scope of the injunction to include cases where the oath is transgressed: and thus by drinking wine he transgresses 'he shall it drink', in addition to 'he shall not break his word'.] ');"><sup>7</sup></span>
ח אמר רבא כגון דאמר לא איפטר מן העולם עד שאהא נזיר דמן ההיא שעתא הוה ליה נזיר מידי דהוה האומר לאשתו הרי זו גיטיך שעה אחת קודם מיתתי אסורה לאכול בתרומה מיד אלמא אמרינן כל שעתא ושעתא דילמא מיית הכא נמי לאלתר הוי נזיר דאמרינן דילמא השתא מיית
8 How is 'thou shalt not delay to pay it,' referring to neziroth, conceivable? [For] as soon as one says 'Behold, I am a nazir', he is one; if he eats [grapes], he transgresses, 'neither' shall he&nbsp;… eat moist grapes or dried?' — When one says: 'when I wish, I will be a nazir'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If he postpones becoming a nazir, he violates, 'thou shalt not delay etc'. ');"><sup>8</sup></span> But if he says, 'when I wish', the injunction 'thou shalt not delay' does not apply?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Since there is no vow until he so desires. ');"><sup>9</sup></span> — Said Raba: E.g., if he says, 'I must not depart this world before having been a <i>nazir</i>,' for he becomes a <i>nazir</i> from that moment.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Not actually, but in the sense that he must assume his naziriteship without delay lest he dies the next moment. ');"><sup>10</sup></span> For this is similar to one who says to his wife: 'Here is your divorce, [to take effect] one hour before my death,' where she is immediately forbidden to eat <i>terumah</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');"><sup>11</sup></span> Thus we see that we fear<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'we say'. ');"><sup>12</sup></span> that he may die at any moment: so here<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the case of a nazirite. ');"><sup>13</sup></span> too, he becomes a <i>nazir</i> immediately, for we say, Perchance he will die now.