תלמוד על במדבר 6:10

“ ‘I have to bring birds’, Rebbi Meïr says, he is a nazir, but the Sages say, he is not a nazir.” Rebbi Joḥanan said, because of substitutes of substitutes: “Until his hair became mighty as an eagle’s and his fingernails like those of birds.²²Dan. 4:30. This establishes a proverbial connection between long hair and a mention of birds.” Rebbi Simeon ben Laqish said, because an impure nazir brings birds²⁷Num. 6:10. But no pure person would entertain the idea of becoming a nazir if he expects to become impure since that could extend his period of nezirut indefinitely.. Does he bring birds²⁸Many people use צִפּוֹר only for wild birds.? He brings turtledoves or young pigeons. There are some Tannaïm who state that all pure birds are called צפור, and there are some Tannaïm who state that all birds, whether pure or impure, are called צפור. He who says that all pure birds are called צפור, “you may eat any pure bird²⁹Deut. 14:11. In Scripture, צפור is feminine..” He who says that all birds, whether pure or impure, are called צפור, “say to any winged bird³⁰Ez. 39:14.. “What is the rabbi’s reason? He is like somebody offering birds for the upkeep of the Temple³¹The expression הֲרֵי עָלַי “I have to bring” is a regular form of a vow, which in Temple times implied a gift to the Temple. A single bird can be offered as a voluntary sacrifice (Lev. 1:14–17) but a couple can be given only as an obligatory sacrifice, i. e., a reparation or a purification sacrifice. These can never be given voluntarily, as result of a vow. Since the vow was formulated for birds, not a bird, it is concluded that the birds have to be given to the Temple for its upkeep, to be sold to persons needing them for obligatory sacrifices, with the proceeds given to the Temple treasury.. What is Rebbi Meïr’s reason? He is like somebody offering a reparation sacrifice for the upkeep of the Temple³²This is an impossibility; an obligatory sacrifice cannot be given voluntarily and it has to be offered on the altar, not sold for the Temple’s benefit. Therefore, the vow has to be interpreted as a wish to be in a situation in which one has to bring a reparation sacrifice to the Temple. The only reparation sacrifices which depend on the person’s initiative are either the possible sacrifice of the impure nazir or those required of the person guilty of larceny (Lev. 5:14–16, 21–26). Since it is impossible to think that a person should want to commit larceny for religious purposes, the state of nazir is the only alternative.. What is the difference between them? If somebody says, “I take upon myself to bring a reparation sacrifice.” In the opinion of Rebbi Meïr he is a nazir since one cannot bring a reparation sacrifice for the upkeep of the Temple. In the opinion of the rabbis he is a nazir since an impure nazir brings a reparation sacrifice³³Since in this formulation there is no difference between the rabbis and R. Meïr, all commentaries read “he is not a nazir”; since no person would accept nezirut with the prospect of an indefinite duration unless he spells this out clearly at the start, the vow is invalid because it is unrealistic. If one keeps the original wording, the rabbis and R. Meїr agree not only on the result but also on the reasoning behind it..

Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya asked before Rebbi Ze`ira: It is written<sup>101</sup>Lev. 27:33. When one counts the calves or lambs born in one tax year, the tenth must be consumed, if unblemished as a sacrifice (of which the altar gets the blood but the Cohanim nothing); if blemished as profane food., do not investigate between good or bad. If he transgressed and investigated, does he transgress<sup>102</sup>If one transgressed the biblical injunction and substituted an unblemished animal for a blemished one, both animals are dedicated (Lev. 27:34). The question now is whether he transgresses the commandment “do not tarry” unless the substituted animal was sacrificed within one year or before three holidays have elapsed.? He told him, for anything which comes to permit one does not transgress. What does it come to permit? Here the Torah permitted to dedicate deficient animals<sup>103</sup>Since the sanctity of the tithe is conferred on the substituted animal even if it is blemished and the original unblemished.. There, we have stated<sup>104</sup>Mishnah Nega`im14:7; the purification ritual of the healed sufferer from skin disease (Lev. 14:1–32.): “On the eighth day he brings three animals, purification sacrifice, reparation sacrifice, and elevation sacrifice. But the poor man brought birds as reparation and elevation offerings.” Is not the bird¹⁰⁵This word is missing in G and it seems that it should be deleted. It is stated in Lev. 14:10 that the rich sufferer from skin disease brings two undifferentiated male sheep and one female. The female automatically is the purification offering; of the males one will be designated by the Cohen as reparation offering and the other as elevation offering. Therefore the dedication of the purification offering precedes that of the reparation offering. Now Mishnah Zevaḥim10:5 notes that while in general purification offerings precede reparation ones, for the healed sufferer from skin disease this is not so since the ritual described in vv.14–18 is the prerequisite for the other two sacrifices. Therefore the dedication of the purification offering which is not a bird happens at a time when the animal cannot be sacrificed. In the case of the poor man, the birds for purification and elevation offerings are dedicated after the lamb of the reparation offering; the argument is not applicable. as reparation offering deficient in time next to the reparation offering? Rebbi Eleazar said, here the Torah did permit to dedicate those deficient in time. Rebbi Abba bar Mamal asked before Rebbi Immi: It is written¹⁰⁶Num. 6:10, sacrifices of the impure nazir., on the eighth he shall bring. If he transgressed and did not bring, does he transgress¹⁰⁷As before, if the impure nazir does not bring his sacrifices on the eighth day, would he transgress “do not tarry” if he waited more than 3 holidays or one year to bring them?? He told him, for anything which comes to permit one does not transgress. What does it come to permit? As Rebbi Eleazar said, here the Torah did permit to dedicate those deficient in time¹⁰⁸As for the healed sufferer from skin disease.. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, all seven days one does not tell him, bring. Afterwards one tells him, bring¹⁰⁹He disagrees and holds that both the healed sufferer from skin disease and the impure nazir transgress the prohibition “do not tarry” immediately at the end of the eighth day.. A baraita disagrees with Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun: Everybody plans and brings his sacrifices on the holiday¹¹⁰It is presumed that anybody making a vow to offer a sacrifice from the start intends to fulfill his vow on a holiday of pilgrimage; the same holds for obligatory sacrifices whose obligations arise in the meantime.. One understands a nazir. Is the sufferer from skin disease not missing atonement¹¹¹The nazir who was impure by the impurity of the dead is purified by sprinkling with water containing ashes of the Red Cow and immersion in a miqweh; his sacrifice on the eighth day is the start of his new period of nezirut. He may bring his holiday offering on the holiday itself and later his nazir offering during the holiday week. But for the sufferer from skin disease the reparation offering is required to permit him access to the Temple domain; by necessity this would have to occur before the holiday for him to make a valid pilgrimage.? And did we not state¹¹²Mishnah Sukkah4:1. As explained there in Halakhah 4, if the first day of the holiday is a Sabbath, the festival offering which is the symbol of joy may be brought only on the second day, and there would only be 7 days of joy., Hallel and joy eight? Explain it for a nazir. Rebbi Sachariah the son-in-law of Rebbi Levi asked, the beginning one explains for a nazir and the end for a sufferer from skin disease¹¹³This refers to Mishnah Sukkah4:6. Eight days of joy are possible for the nazir(if the first day of the holiday is not a Sabbath), but the last day also is accessible to the sufferer from skin disease who brings his enabling sacrifice during the holiday week.? Rebbi Ḥanania the son of Rebbi Hillel said, was this not already objected there? And Rebbi Yose said, Rav Eudaimon the emigrant explained it for Cohanim and the goat. Here also, Cohanim and the goat¹¹⁴As explained in Sukkah4:5, Note 82. Eight days of joy (i. e., eating sacrificial meat) always is possible for the Cohanim in the Temple. Since it is not implied that everybody is required to have 8 days of access to sacrificial meat, there is no problem with the healed sufferer from skin disease: he may bring his enabling sacrifice during the holiday week and the holiday is counted for him..