פירוש על במדבר 6:11

מאשר חטא על הנפש [AND THE PRIEST … MAKE EXPIATION FOR HIM] FOR THAT HE HATH SINNED BY THE DEAD — i.e., that he has not been on his guard against defilement by a corpse. — R. Eleazer ha-Kappar said, “his sin consists in that he has afflicted himself by abstaining from the enjoyment of wine (Sifrei Bamidbar 30; Nazir 19a).

He inflicted suffering on himself. This implies that there was a transgression in abstaining from wine. You might ask: [How can we reconcile this with] Rashi’s explanation above that whoever sees a sotah in her decadence should take the nazirite vow against wine, [because wine can] lead to promiscuity. One answer is that it is certainly a mitzvah to take the nazirite vow against wine, but nonetheless it involves a minor transgression in causing oneself suffering by abstaining from wine. This is similar to one who fasts on Shabbos following a disturbing dream, this affliction of fasting likened to the great mitzvah of rejoicing on Shabbos, but nonetheless one has to fast again afterwards for one day to make up for fasting on Shabbos. Tosafos explain that the same is true here (Bava Kamma 91). Another answer is that it is certainly a mitzvah to abstain from wine, which intoxicates and leads to promiscuity. However new wine does not intoxicate, and [similarly] grapes, seeds and skins [so] this is the transgression of suffering by abstaining from them. You might ask: Since the Torah juxtaposed the chapter of the nazir to the chapter of the sotah it is implied that there is a mitzvah to take a nazirite vow against all types of wine and grapes in the manner of a nazir. The answer is that because one may not be able to restrain oneself and will be drawn after wine — which carries one even further — thus the Torah commanded one to take a nazirite vow against everything. As we say to the nazir “turn away, do not come close to the vineyard”. If nothing bad could come of it there would certainly have been a mitzvah to occasionally drink a little, because “wine and aromatic spices make one wise”. (R. Y. Triosh)

AND THE PRIEST SHALL PREPARE ONE FOR A SIN-OFFERING. The reason why a Nazirite must bring a sin-offering when the days of his Naziritehood are fulfilled¹⁰⁵Verse 13. has not been explained.¹⁰⁶Generally a sin-offering is brought for atonement of a sin committed in error. But here the Nazirite has kept his days of consecration in complete fulfillment of his vow. So the question arises: Why did Scripture oblige him to bring a sin-offering? In accordance with the plain meaning of Scripture, [it is because] this man sins against his soul on the day of completion of his Naziritehood; for until now he was separated in sanctity and the service of G-d, and he should therefore have remained separated forever, continuing all his life consecrated and sanctified to his G-d, as it is said, And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazirites,¹⁰⁷Amos 2:11. where Scripture compares the Nazirite to a prophet, and as it is written, All the days of his Naziritehood he is holy unto the Eternal.¹⁰⁸Verse 8. Thus [when he completes his Naziritehood and returns to his normal life] he requires atonement, since he goes back to be defiled by [material] desires of the world.