Nazir 46 - March 10, 17 Adar

.Today’s daf is sponsored by Rachel Savin in memory of her father, Shalom ben Shmuel, on his first yahrzeit At what point in the process is the nazir permitted to drink wine and become impure to dead people? There is a debate between tanna kama and Rabbi Shimon and from a braita, the rabbis hold like Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Eliezer like tanna kama. From where do each of them derive their opinions? Rav says that the waving of the nazir is critical and if it is not performed, the nazir is not permitted to drink wine, etc. There are two different versions of the discussion that ensued from this statement. In the first version, after questioning which opinion is Rav holding, they answer that he holds like Rabbi Eliezer and explains why you may have thought that the waving is not an essential part of other offerings and therefore Rav needs to tell you that here it is. The Gemara asks: Is the waving really critical, don't we see from a braita regarding a nazir who doesn't have hands that it is not an essential part as the braita compares one without hands to one with hands - just as one without hands can be a nazir, even though they can't do the waving, likewise, one with hand does not need to do the waving? This is resolved by bringing another braita regarding a nazir who is bald, and yet the shaving is still essential - the same can be said by the waving. Regarding shaving, they put a razor over the bald nazir's head and the waving can be done with the nazir's arms. In the second version, the question is asked according to who Rav's statement was made and issues are raised with each side as in the previous version. However, here no answer is given. The Gemara then proceeds to question the rabbi's position who would presumably say that waving is not essential, as the braita regarding a person with no hands can be understood in the following manner: one with no hands can never get out of being a nazir as they cannot do the waving, likewise, one who has hands but does not do the waving cannot finish being a nazir. They bring the braita with the bald nazir to resolve this question as in the braita Beit Hillel understands the comparison differently - it is not coming to talk about whether or not it is essential but how to do it. Just as a nazir with hair puts a razor on his head, likewise one who is bald. Rabbi Avina rejects this answer as he understands Beit Hillel in the opposite way as before, that one needs to shave but cannot and a bald nazir has no way to get out of being a nazir and likewise, one who has hair but doesn't shave does not end his nezirut. The same can be said for one without hands, thus reinstating the question against the rabbis. Since the nazir can only shave after at least one sacrifice is brought, what happens if one brought a sacrifice, shaved, brought the other sacrifices, and then the first sacrifice was disqualified? What if all the sacrifices were brought, then the nazir shaved and then one was disqualified?