Nazir 6:1
What is a Nazirite, and what must he do?
砖诇砖讛 诪讬谞讬谉 讗住讜专讬谉 讘谞讝讬专, 讛讟诪讗讛 讜讛转讙诇讞转 讜讛讬讜爪讗 诪谉 讛讙驻谉. 讜讻诇 讛讬讜爪讗 诪谉 讛讙驻谉 诪爪讟专驻讬谉 讝讛 注诐 讝讛. 讜讗讬谞讜 讞讬讘, 注讚 砖讬讗讻诇 诪谉 讛注谞讘讬诐 讻讝讬转. 诪砖谞讛 专讗砖讜谞讛, 注讚 砖讬砖转讛 专讘讬注讬转 讬讬谉. 专讘讬 注拽讬讘讗 讗讜诪专: 讗驻诇讜 砖专讛 驻转讜 讘讬讬谉 讜讬砖 讘讛 讻讚讬 诇爪专祝 讻讝讬转, 讞讬讘.
Three categories are prohibited to a nazir: coming into contact with ritual impurity, haircutting, and eating grape products. All grape products [e.g., grapes, seeds, skins] combine to comprise the minimum quantity [prohibited to the nazir]. He is not liable until he eats an olive-bulk of grape product. They used to teach, 鈥渦ntil he drinks a revi鈥檌t of wine.鈥� Rabbi Akiva says, 鈥渆ven if he soaked his bread in wine and it absorbed enough to add up to an olive-bulk, he is liable.”
Comments
Chapter six of Numbers introduces a type of vow in which a person voluntarily takes stringent ritual restrictions upon him- or herself. What motivates such an oath? It could be a feeling of guilt, or a desire to attain greater sanctity. The Rabbis discouraged unnecessary oaths and saw the nazir as an extravagant and somewhat unstable person. Perhaps his oath to avoid all wine products stemmed from insecurity about his self-control. The most famous nazir, Samson, was indeed an unstable person. Our mishnah documents a progressively stricter interpretation of the law to the point that even grape seeds, as well as wine, were forbidden.
Questions
- What motivates someone to take on additional ritual burdens? Do these rituals have the same status as commandments?
- Is there a religious benefit to compulsive performance of unnecessary tasks, or does this reflect a flaw in the soul?
