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One who takes a Nazarite vow cannot drink wine (or partake of product that uses grapes). I understand that this is to help the Nazir remain focused on God instead of being overcome by other forces (such as being drunk and doing whatever drunkenness entails, i.e., losing inhibitions, not thinking before acting, etc.).
As a Jew though, can a Nazir drink wine if it is for ritual purposes and not solely personal enjoyment? For example, what comes to mind is wine that is a part of the Passover meal, and also Kiddush.

(Side note: I'm not sure if wine was part of Pesach in the Torah, perhaps it was instituted by Rabbis post-Torah? Perhaps all the incorporations of wine were instituted post-Torah by the Rabbis?)

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    You can find answers to part of this here: judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/8139/…
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Aug 21, 2013 at 1:23
  • 1
    @IsaacMoses, not a duplicate?
    – msh210 ♦
    Aug 21, 2013 at 5:45
  • Nazir 3b and on
    – sam
    Aug 21, 2013 at 17:45
  • Clearly this is a partial duplicate, but it is the more general and better question, I think.
    – HodofHod
    Aug 21, 2013 at 18:29

2 Answers 2

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Yerushalmi Nazir 6:5 and Bavli Nasir 3b (thanks DoubleAA) quote the opinion of R' Yossi HaGelili that a Nazir may not drink Ma'aser Sheini wine. He derives this from Bamidbar 6:3, which says both "wine" and "strong drink," which he finds repetitious (as wine is a strong drink). He therefore learns that the repetition is "to make wine for a Mitzvah like optional wine." So, no, a Nazir would not be able to have four cups of wine. He would be able to have four cups of a chamar medinah, though, as Alex noted in this question that asks specifically about Arba Kosos.

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  • see also machloket Rashi Rsbenu Tam about this
    – kouty
    Apr 30, 2017 at 6:25
  • Do we rule like R Yossi HaGelili?
    – Double AA ♦
    Jun 5, 2017 at 16:10
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the Nazir may not drink wine, because he is observing the commandments of the Torah, De Orayata. While drinking 4 cups of wine, kiddush and HavDalla is Rabbinical, De Rabanan.

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  • A source would greatly improve this answer
    – mbloch
    May 1, 2018 at 16:58
  • 10 mitvoth of Nazirut, could be found in Parahsat Naso ( De Oraita)
    – NaTaN
    May 1, 2018 at 17:24
  • Great. As a rule, it is always better to edit any additions directly into your answer (press edit below the answer). Comments are temporary in nature and often get deleted over time.
    – mbloch
    May 1, 2018 at 18:21
  • Thank you for your answer. We hope you stay around. As mbloch mentioned, you can improve your answer by editing in more details or sources. Looking forward to hearing more from you.
    – LN6595
    May 1, 2018 at 18:23

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