Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Nazir

Folio 7a

MISHNAH. IF HE SAYS, 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE FOR ONE LONG [PERIOD,' OR] 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE FOR ONE SHORT [PERIOD],' THEN EVEN [IF HE ADDS, 'FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES TO GO] FROM HERE TO THE END OF THE EARTH,' HE BECOMES A NAZIRITE FOR THIRTY DAYS.

GEMARA. Why is this so? Has he not said, 'from here to the end of the earth'?⁴  — His meaning is: For me this business is as lengthy as if it would last from here to the end of the earth.

We have learnt: [If a man says,] 'I wish to be a nazirite as from here to such and such a place,' we estimate the number of days' journey from here to the place mentioned, and if this is less than thirty days, he becomes a nazirite for thirty days; otherwise he becomes a nazirite for that number of days.⁵  Now why should you not say in this case also that [his meaning is]: For me, this business seems as if it would last from here to the place mentioned?⁶  — Raba replied: We assume that [when he made the declaration] he was setting out on the journey.⁷  Then why should he not [observe a naziriteship of thirty days] for each parasang?⁸  R. Papa said: We speak of a place where they do not reckon [distances] in parasangs. Then let him [observe a naziriteship] for every stage [on the road]; for have we not learnt that [a man who says,] 'I intend to be a nazirite as the dust of the earth,' or 'as the hair of my head,' or 'as the sands of the sea,' becomes a life-nazirite, polling every thirty days?⁹  — This [principle]¹⁰  does not apply to [a nazirite vow in which] a definite term is mentioned,¹¹  and this has indeed been taught [explicitly]: [A man, who says,] 'I intend to be a nazirite all the days of my life,' or 'I intend to be a life-nazirite,' becomes a life-nazirite,¹²  but even [if he says] 'a hundred years,' or 'a thousand years,' he does not become a life-nazirite,¹³  but a nazirite for life.¹⁴

Rabbah said: Hairs are different [from parasangs or stages], since each is separate from the others.¹⁵

In the case of days, do we not find the verse, And there was evening and there was morning, one day?¹⁶  — There it is not because [days] are discrete entities [that the verse says one day] but to inform us that a day with the night [preceding it] together count as a day,¹⁷  though they are really not discrete entities.

Raba said: Why raise all these difficulties? The case [in which he says 'FROM HERE TO THE END OF THE EARTH'] is different, because he has already said: I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE FOR ONE [SINGLE PERIOD].

MISHNAH. [IF A MAN SAYS] 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE, PLUS ONE DAY,' OR 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE, PLUS AN HOUR,' OR 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE, ONCE AND A HALF,' HE BECOMES A NAZIRITE FOR TWO [PERIODS].

GEMARA. What need is there [for the Mishnah] to specify all these cases?¹⁸  — They are all necessary. For had it mentioned only, 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE, PLUS ONE DAY,' [it might have been thought] that here only do we apply the rule that 'there is no naziriteship for a single day,' and so he must reckon two [periods], whereas [when he says] 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE, PLUS AN HOUR,' he is to reckon thirty one days. So this case is mentioned explicitly.

1. And the ordinary year may be considered 'deficient' by the side of a leap year.
2. [On the Rabbis of Caesarea v. Lieberman, S. The Talmud of Caesarea, pp. 9ff.]
3. Ex, XII, 2.
4. And he should be a nazirite for life.
5. Infra p. 23.
6. And his naziriteship should in any case not extend beyond thirty days.
7. The presumption is, then, that the journey and the length of naziriteship are connected.
8. A Persian mile.
9. Infra p. 23.
10. That he has to observe a succession of periods of naziriteship. polling at the end of each period.
11. E.g., from here to such and such a place.
12. And polls every thirty days.
13. Having mentioned a definite term.
14. I.e., he keeps one long naziriteship during which he can never poll. Tosef. Naz. I, 3.
15. But distance is continuous. Hence if he mentions hairs, he is understood to mean a succession of short naziriteships, but if he mentions a distance, one long one.
16. And so distance in terms of days is also discrete, yet the Mishnah quoted above confines the naziriteship to a single period, and not to a succession equal in number to the number of days.
17. For the reckoning of Sabbaths and Festivals.
18. One would be enough, and we could infer the others.

MISHNAH. [IF A MAN SAYS,] 'I INTEND TO BE A NAZIRITE FOR THIRTY DAYS PLUS AN HOUR,' HE BECOMES A NAZIRITE FOR THIRTY-ONE DAYS, SINCE THERE IS NO NAZIRITESHIP FOR HOURS.

GEMARA. Rab said: This applies³  only when he says, 'thirty-one days,' but if he says, 'thirty days plus one day,' he becomes a nazirite for two periods.⁴  Rab follows R. Akiba whose method it was to lay stress on superfluities of expression, as we have learnt: [If a man sells a house, the sale includes] neither the cistern nor the cellar, even though he inserted the depth and the height [in the deed of sale]; he must, however, purchase for himself a right-of way.⁵  This is the opinion of R. Akiba, but the Sages say that he need not purchase a right-of-way for himself.⁶  R. Akiba does admit, however, that if he explicitly excludes [pit and cellar], he does not have to purchase a right-of-way.⁷

1. Since naziriteships are reckoned in days only.
2. But forty-five days.
3. The assumption of the Mishnah that a man can become a nazirite for thirty-one days.
4. See last Mishnah and Gemara.
5. I.e., He does not retain a right-of-way to the cistern and cellar, unless he explicitly reserves it for himself.
6. Since the sale does not include the cistern and cellar, he may be presumed to have reserved a right of way to them.
7. The insertion of this superfluous clause is taken by R. Akiba to indicate that he wished to retain a right of way; v. B.B. 64a.