Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Halakhah for Ruth 2:21

וַתֹּ֖אמֶר ר֣וּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּ֑ה גַּ֣ם ׀ כִּי־אָמַ֣ר אֵלַ֗י עִם־הַנְּעָרִ֤ים אֲשֶׁר־לִי֙ תִּדְבָּקִ֔ין עַ֣ד אִם־כִּלּ֔וּ אֵ֥ת כָּל־הַקָּצִ֖יר אֲשֶׁר־לִֽי׃

And Ruth the Moabitess said: ‘Yea, he said unto me: Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest.’

Sefer HaChinukh

This commandment, that anyone who vows to be a nazirite is obligated to grow his hair, is practiced in all places and at all times by males and females. As even though they, may their memory be blessed, taught us (Nazir 19b) that being a nazirite is only practiced in the Land of Israel - meaning to say that every person must observe his days of his naziriteness that he vowed in the Land of Israel, and that only the days that he is a nazirite there count in his tally - [still], all of the stringencies of being a nazirite are upon him outside of [Israel] as well. Therefore, if one made a nazirite vow at this time, behold, he is a nazirite forever. As now, on account of our afflictions, we have no [Temple in order] to offer the sacrifices at the end of the period of being a nazirite. They, may their memory be blessed, also said that if we have the ability, we coerce the nazirite to go to [Israel] and to fulfill his nazirite vow there until he dies or until the Temple is rebuilt and he can repay his sacrifices.
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