Daf Yomi One Week at a Time: Nazir

This week we will learn where the concept of Nazir comes from in the Torah and learn about the different types of Nazir that exist. We will learn if one can take upon oneself a partial Nazir status. We will also learn about the minimum and “maximum” time a person can become a Nazir.

This week we will learn all of Chapter 2 of Masechet Nazir. We will learn different statements that can or can’t make a person a Nazir. If someone hears a person take upon themselves to be a Nazir and then says “Me Too”, what do they mean? we will also learn about consecutive and concurrent Nazir periods.

This week we will learn about the details of a thirty-day Nezirut. Does one shave on day 30 or on day 31?  We will also learn that if a Nazir becomes impure, they lose a certain number of days from their count (7, 30, or all of it).  The fourth chapter begins by teaching us of a case of a person who took it upon themselves to be a Nazir and their friend says “me too”. We will learn the status of each of these people.

This week we will learn about a woman who takes on the vow of Nazir and then her husband revokes her vow. The Gemara discusses different time periods in which the husband revokes the vow and its practical implications. If a person sets aside money or animals for their Nazir sacrifices and then they died, the Gemara explains what happens to the money or animals.

As part of the concluding ceremony, a Nazir needs to buy 3 animals for sacrifices in the Temple. If a person set aside funds for these sacrifices, and then subsequently dies, his son can use these funds, under very specific conditions, for his own sacrifices.  We will then learn the entire fifth chapter that deals with accidental sanctification.

This week we will learn the concept of “the taste of forbidden food is prohibited” and how it relates to Nazir. We will learn the number of grapes or grape products a Nazir eats to become liable. The Gemara teaches how the Nazir shaves his head at the end of the Nazir period (thirty days).

This week we will learn about the 3 prohibitions of the Nazir. Each one has an aspect that is more stringent than the others. We will also learn about the shaving process at the end of the Nazir period and in the middle, if the Nazir becomes impure.

We continue to learn about things that make a Nazir impure enough to shave and restart his count. We will also learn about things that convey impurity, but don’t cause a Nazir to shave. We will then learn about the uncertainty that arises with 2 Nazirs and only one became impure.

This week we will learn about a Nazir who is uncertain if he came in contact with impurity and if he is a Metzora (leper). Each of these cases obligates him to shave, but only if there is certainty about his status. The Gemara proposes several solutions for this case. The last chapter of Masechet Nazir deals with who can be a Nazir and in what situations. We will finish this Masechet discovering if Shmuel the Prophet was a Nazir or not.