The question addressed in today’s daf (Nazir 30b) is whether the Nezirut fund of a father (i.e. funds that a father has set aside to pay for the sacrifices he needs to bring upon conclusion of his Nezirut), which a child inherits (after the death of the father and in a situation where the child…
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Today’s daf (Nazir 29a) discusses the question of whether a parent who is a Nazir is obligated to educate their child in the ways of Nezirut. And in this spirit, I would like to offer some reflections on Rav David Cohen (1887-1972) and his son, Rav Shear Yashuv Cohen (1927-2016).Notwithstanding his title as ‘HaRav HaNazir’,…
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Once every while a discussion arises about the way in which modern sheitel’s look like natural hair. And the reason for me mentioning this is because this and other associated topics are addressed by various commentaries associated with today’s daf (Nazir 28b).To give some context, an element of the end-of-Nezirut ritual includes shaving one’s head…
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A phrase is used in today’s daf (Nazir 27b) that is both true and false at once: דְּמֵי הַיְינוּ מָעוֹת – ‘value is money’.In terms of the context of its usage in our daf, what is being discussed is the status of a blemished animal that cannot be brought as a sacrifice. Consequently, its value…
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Today’s daf (Nazir 26a) informs us that if someone set aside funds for a chatat (sin) and olah (burnt) bird sacrifice, then that money can be used for an ‘upgraded’ animal (chatat) sacrifice. Additionally, we are also taught that if that person dies, the money should be used for voluntary (נְדָבָה – ‘nedava’) communal sacrifices.…
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What is the difference between a נֶדֶר (neder) offering and a נְדָבָה (nedava) offering? On first glance this may simply seem like a question of semantics, but its answer is needed to understand the analysis in today’s daf (Nazir 25a) of Vayikra 22:18 from which we learn that מוֹתַר נֶדֶר יְהֵא לִנְדָבָה – the surplus…
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I recently met a woman who is 72 years old and who is working tirelessly at a labor intensive job. And when I asked why, she explained that she’d been married to a gambler whose gambling behaviour cost her marriage, and whose debts cost her home. Consequently, she is now working hard so that when…
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One of the most startling teachings from throughout the Talmud is found in today’s daf (Nazir 23b) where we read the statement of Rav Nachman Bar Yitzchak that גְּדוֹלָה עֲבֵירָה לִשְׁמָהּ מִמִּצְוָה שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ – ‘greater is an aveirah lishma (for the sake of heaven) than a mitzvah that is not lishma’ – which is…
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An expression is used in today’s daf (Nazir 22b) which is not found anywhere else either in Massechet Nazir or, in fact, throughout the rest of the Talmud. Specifically, the word is בְּעִיקְבֵיךְ (which is generally translated as ‘in your footsteps’, although it could literally be translated as ‘in your heels’), and it is used…
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A topic addressed in today’s daf (Nazir 21b) concerns a situation where a woman declares “I am hereby a Nezirah” and her husband responds by saying “and I”.To be clear, both this scenario, as well as its inverse (where a husband declares “I am hereby a Nazir” and his wife responds “and I”), were previously…
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What happens if you say something and wish to change your mind? Or you recite an incorrect bracha and wish to say the correct words? Or you wish to exclaim וַאֲנִי – “and me!” in response to what someone else has said? In each instance halacha grants a short window of time – known as…
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A few days ago I read an article (see http://bit.ly/3DZPKBI) summarizing a recent study (see http://bit.ly/3XnSTSL) about the enormous sacrifices that female orcas make for their sons. This study, exploring what is known as ‘parental investment’, shed’s light on a phenomenon whose scale has only recently been understood following a 20-year research project. And having…
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The Torah (Bemidbar 6:11) informs us that if a Nazir is in contact with the dead, then – as we are taught in greater detail in today’s daf (Nazir 18a) – having counted a week, undergone a purification ceremony (including cutting their hair), and brought a sacrifice, the Nazir ‘shall consecrate their head anew’ (וְקִדַּשׁ…
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The halachic question addressed in today’s daf (Nazir 17a) relates to שְׁהִיָּיה – ‘remaining’ (or, as some translate, ‘lingering’). This is because one of the prohibitions that apply to a Nazir is that they may not be in contact with the dead and thus may not enter a cemetery. Given this, if a Nazir does…
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The Mishna (Nazir 3:7) in today’s daf (Nazir 16b) discusses a situation where someone commits to being a Nazir while there are in a cemetery. The problem with this is that among the prohibitions that apply to a Nazir is that they are forbidden to be in contact with the dead (see Bemidbar 6:6). Given…
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When detailing the laws of the Nazir, the Torah informs us that the prohibition to drink wine (which, given the context of this statement is then understood to refer to all the Nazirite prohibitions – see Nazir 14b) applies to כֹּל יְמֵי נִזְרוֹ – ‘all the days of being a Nazir’ (Bemidbar 6:4). As the…
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Sometimes we only find out about certain people after they die. But then, when we hear stories about them from their family, friends or students, we realize that there had been a giant in our midst and we didn’t know about it.This was how I felt when I read the many tributes about Rabbi Moshe…
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