Nazir 49
וּלְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, מִכְּדֵי לָא שְׁנָא כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל לְחוֹדֵיהּ וְלָא שְׁנָא כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל וְהוּא נָזִיר, נָפְקָא מִ״לְּאָחִיו״, ״לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ״ לְמָה לִי?
The Gemara asks: And according to the derivation of Rabbi Akiva, now consider, it is no different whether the individual was a High Priest alone, and it is no different if he was a High Priest who was also a nazirite; the halakha that he must become impure to bury a met mitzva is derived from the phrase “for his brother,” stated with regard to a nazirite (Numbers 6:7). But if so, why do I need the expression “for his father, or for his mother” (Numbers 6:7)? The general prohibition against contracting impurity from any corpse should suffice.
צְרִיכִי: דְּאִי כְּתַב ״אָבִיו״, הֲוָה אָמֵינָא: הַיְינוּ טַעְמָא דְּלָא מִיטַּמֵּא לֵיהּ — מִשּׁוּם דַּחֲזָקָה בְּעָלְמָא הוּא. אֲבָל אִמּוֹ דְּיָדְעִין דִּילֵידְתֵּיהּ — לִיטַמֵּא לַהּ.
The Gemara answers: Both are necessary, as had the verse written only “for his father,” I would say that this is the reason that a nazirite may not become impure for his father: Because it is merely a presumption that he is his father, as one cannot be absolutely sure of the identity of one’s father. However, with regard to his mother, whom we know gave birth to him, perhaps let him become impure to bury her. The verse therefore states: “His mother.”
וְאִי כְּתַב רַחֲמָנָא ״אִמּוֹ״, הֲוָה אָמֵינָא: אִמּוֹ לָא לִיטַמֵּא לַהּ, דְּלָאו אָזֵיל זַרְעַהּ בָּתְרַהּ. אֲבָל אָבִיו, כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר מָר ״לְמִשְׁפְּחוֹתָם לְבֵית אֲבוֹתָם״, אֵימָא לִיטַמֵּא לֵיהּ — קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן.
And conversely, had the Merciful One written only “for his mother,” I would say that it is solely to bury his mother that he may not become impure, as her seed does not follow her, i.e., a man’s lineage is determined by his father, not his mother. However, with regard to his father, since the Master said with regard to the verse “by their families, by their fathers’ house” (Numbers 1:2) that one’s family ancestry follows his father, you might say: Let him become impure to bury him. The verse therefore teaches us that a nazirite may not become impure to bury his father either.
״וְעַל כׇּל נַפְשׁוֹת מֵת לֹא יָבֹא״, לְמָה לִי?
The Gemara asks: According to the derivation of Rabbi Akiva, why do I need the words “neither shall he go in to any dead bodies” (Leviticus 21:11), stated with regard to a High Priest?
״עַל כׇּל״ — לְאַפּוֹקֵי רְחוֹקִים, ״מֵת״ — לְאַפּוֹקֵי קְרוֹבִים, ״נַפְשׁוֹת״ — לְאַפּוֹקֵי רְבִיעִית דָּם שֶׁיָּצָא מִשְּׁנֵי מֵתִים, שֶׁמְּטַמֵּא בְּאֹהֶל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״עַל כׇּל נַפְשׁוֹת מֵת לֹא יָבֹא״.
“In to any” serves to exclude contracting impurity to bury distant people, for whom a High Priest may not become impure; “dead” comes to exclude relatives; “bodies” comes to exclude a quarter-log of blood that emerges from two corpses, for it renders people and objects impure in a tent, as it is stated: “Neither shall he go in to any dead bodies” (Leviticus 21:11). The plural “bodies” teaches that the blood of two people combines to form the minimum quantity for ritual impurity.
מַתְנִי׳ עַל אֵלּוּ טוּמְאוֹת הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ: עַל הַמֵּת, וְעַל כְּזַיִת מִן הַמֵּת, וְעַל כְּזַיִת נֶצֶל, וְעַל מְלֹא תַּרְווֹד רָקָב. עַל הַשִּׁדְרָה, וְעַל הַגּוּלְגּוֹלֶת, וְעַל אֵבֶר מִן הַמֵּת, וְעַל אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי שֶׁיֵּשׁ עָלָיו בָּשָׂר כָּרָאוּי, וְעַל חֲצִי קַב עֲצָמוֹת, וְעַל חֲצִי לוֹג דָּם.
MISHNA: A nazirite shaves for having become impure from these following sources of ritual impurity: For having become impure with impurity imparted by a corpse; and for impurity imparted by an olive-bulk of a corpse; and for impurity imparted by an olive-bulk of fluid [netzel] from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by a full ladle [tarvad] of dust from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by the spine; and for impurity imparted by the skull; and for impurity imparted by a limb from a corpse or for impurity imparted by a limb severed from a living person, upon either of which there is a fitting quantity of flesh; and for impurity imparted by a half-kav of bones from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by a half-log of blood.
וְעַל מַגָּעָן וְעַל מַשָּׂאָן וְעַל אֲהִילָן. וְעַל עֶצֶם כִּשְׂעוֹרָה עַל מַגָּעוֹ וְעַל מַשָּׂאוֹ.
And a nazirite shaves in each of these cases for becoming impure by coming into contact with them; and for becoming impure by carrying them; and for becoming impure by their tent, i.e., if he was positioned like a tent over them, or if he entered a tent that contains them, or if they served as a tent over him. And as for a bone that is a barley-grain-bulk, he shaves for becoming impure by coming into contact with it and by carrying it. However, he is not rendered impure with the impurity imparted in a tent, i.e., by being under the same roof as the bone.
עַל אֵלּוּ הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ, וּמַזֶּה בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי וְסוֹתֵר אֶת הַקּוֹדְמִין, וְאֵינוֹ מַתְחִיל לִמְנוֹת אֶלָּא עַד שֶׁיִּטְהַר וּמֵבִיא אֶת קׇרְבְּנוֹתָיו.
For all of these occurrences, a nazirite shaves, and a priest sprinkles the ashes of the red heifer on him on the third and on the seventh days to purify him from the impurity imparted by a corpse. And he negates all the previous days he counted toward his naziriteship, and he begins counting his term of naziriteship again only after he becomes pure and brings his offerings.
גְּמָ׳ תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אַחַר פְּטִירָתוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי מֵאִיר אָמַר לָהֶן רַבִּי יְהוּדָה לְתַלְמִידָיו: אַל יִכָּנְסוּ תַּלְמִידֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר לְכָאן, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁקַּנְתְּרָנִין הֵן, וְלֹא לִלְמוֹד תּוֹרָה הֵן בָּאִין, אֶלָּא לְקַפְּחֵנִי בַּהֲלָכוֹת הֵן בָּאִין. דָּחַק סוֹמְכוֹס וְנִכְנַס.
GEMARA: The Sages taught: After Rabbi Meir’s death, Rabbi Yehuda said to his students: Do not let the students of Rabbi Meir enter here, into the house of study, because they are vexatious and they do not come to study Torah, but they come to overwhelm me with their halakhot. Nevertheless, Sumakhos, a student of Rabbi Meir, forced his way and entered the house of study.
אָמַר לָהֶם, כָּךְ שָׁנָה לִי רַבִּי מֵאִיר: עַל אֵלּוּ טוּמְאוֹת הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ: עַל הַמֵּת, וְעַל כַּזַּיִת מִן הַמֵּת. כָּעַס רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְאָמַר לָהֶן, לֹא כָּךְ אָמַרְתִּי לָכֶם: אַל יִכָּנְסוּ תַּלְמִידֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר לְכָאן, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁקַּנְתְּרָנִין הֵן? עַל כַּזַּיִת מִן הַמֵּת מְגַלֵּחַ — עַל הַמֵּת לֹא כׇּל שֶׁכֵּן?!
When they reached the topic of the mishna, Sumakhos said to them: Rabbi Meir taught me like this: A nazirite shaves for becoming impure from these following sources of ritual impurity: For impurity imparted by a corpse and for impurity imparted by an olive-bulk from a corpse. Rabbi Yehuda grew angry and said to his disciples: Didn’t I say to you like this: Do not let the students of Rabbi Meir enter here because they are vexatious? He explained his annoyance. The clause: For a corpse, is unnecessary, as, if a nazirite must shave for impurity imparted by an olive-bulk from a corpse, is it not all the more so that he must shave for impurity imparted by an entire corpse?
