13
votes
Accepted
Can a bald person be a Nazir?
Rambam, Hilchos Nezirus 8:5:
נזיר ממורט אינו צריך להעביר תער ואע"פ שאין לו שער או שאין לו כפים הרי זה מקריב קרבנותיו וישתה ויטמא ואם הביא קרבנותיו ולא גלח ראשו אין התגלחת מעכבת
A bald nazirite ...
- 10.4k
12
votes
Accepted
Can a woman be a Nazir?
Yes! It says so explicitly in the Torah.
Numbers: 6:2
דַּבֵּר֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אִ֣ישׁ אֽוֹ־אִשָּׁ֗ה כִּ֤י יַפְלִא֙ לִנְדֹּר֙ נֶ֣דֶר נָזִ֔יר לְהַזִּ֖יר לַֽיהוָֽה׃
Speak ...
- 12.2k
9
votes
Accepted
Becoming a nazir nowadays
Rambam Nazir 2:20
נזירות נוהגת בפני הבית, ושלא בפני הבית; לפיכך מי שנדר בנזיר בזמן הזה--הרי זה נזיר לעולם, שאין לנו בית כדי שיביא קרבנותיו במלאות ימי נזרו.
... one who vowed to be a Nazir nowadays --...
- 101k
6
votes
Accepted
How did Hannah dedicate Samuel in 1 Samuel 1:11?
Good question!
The Radak on the verse asks this same question but doesn't know how to explain this.
The Remez wrote (better quality text brought here but mistakenly cited as Nedarim 9:5 instead of ...
- 28.4k
5
votes
May a catholic take the nazerite vow?
There is nothing in the Nazirite vow which gives one special physical strength, and a non-Jew does not become a Nazirite.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/287358/jewish/The-Nazir-and-...
- 38.7k
5
votes
Accepted
Can a husband or father object to a woman becoming a Nazir
The Ramba'm codifies this in nezirus (2:17):
נשים עובדים יש להם נזירות והאב או הבעל מפר נזירות האשה אם רצה כשאר הנדרים
A woman and a slave can be nazirites, and a father or husband can nullify a ...
- 5,064
4
votes
Are we obligated in an extra Chatas?
In nazir the Korban Chatat is writen in Torah. Chachamim give an explanation, but we cannot infer from the explanation that all such deprivation engender a Chyuv Chatat. Korban chatat follows precise ...
- 23.1k
4
votes
What was the source of Samson's strength?
It is not that the power is in the hair itself, however, he was granted the power as long as he kept the vow of the nezirus. Letting his hair be cut, caused him to break the vow. It was breaking the ...
- 43.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Misprint in Rashi Nozir 45a?
The Moznaim edition found at HebrewBooks.org does indeed have the text:
מזין על הבהונות
It would seem that the version you were looking at contains a misprint.
- 46.6k
4
votes
Accepted
What precisely are the differences between היתר מצטרף לאיסור and טעם כעיקר?
Rashi in Pesachim defines the two concepts, and stresses the differences between them:
Rashi on Pesachim 43b:
אכל חצי זית חלב וחצי זית בשר בבת אחת אין היתר משלים את שיעור האיסור לחייבו חוץ מאיסורי ...
- 46.6k
4
votes
Accepted
Nazir benefiting from grapes/wine
A Nazir is allowed to benefit from wine, as the gemara (pesachim 21b-23a) says:
ופליגי דרבי אבהו דאמר רבי אבהו כל מקום שנאמר לא יאכל לא תאכל לא תאכלו אחד איסור אכילה ואחד איסור הנאה עד שיפרט לך הכתוב ...
- 5,064
4
votes
Why can't a Nazir finish his Nezirut by reciting Korbanot?
Rambam (הלכות נזירות - פרק שני) discusses this scenario - of being a Nazir nowadays, and states:
מִי שֶׁנָּדַר בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה בְּחוּצָה לָאָרֶץ כּוֹפִין אוֹתוֹ לַעֲלוֹת לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל ...
- 44.7k
3
votes
Why the Minimum Nazirship Length?
במדבר ו ה
כָּל־יְמֵי֙ נֶ֣דֶר נִזְר֔וֹ תַּ֖עַר לֹא־יַעֲבֹ֣ר עַל־רֹאשׁ֑וֹ
עַד־מְלֹ֨את הַיָּמִ֜ם אֲשֶׁר־יַזִּ֤יר לַיהוָה֙ קָדֹ֣שׁ יִהְיֶ֔ה
גַּדֵּ֥ל פֶּ֖רַע שְׂעַ֥ר רֹאשֽׁוֹ׃
Bamidbar p6 5
...
3
votes
Accepted
Can a Nazir cut his hair with shears (gezaz)?
It is forbidden for a nazir to cut his hair completely no matter what tool he uses. The Rambam writes (MT Nazir 5:11-12)
When a nazirite cuts off one hair, whether using a razor or a scissor,
he is ...
- 54.1k
3
votes
Accepted
In what way is a Nazir holy?
Rashi (a preeminent biblical commentator) explains that this verse refers to the hair, not the Nazir.
["it" not "he"]: his hair shall be holy inasmuch as he must let grow
freely ...
- 54.1k
3
votes
Why would somebody become a nazir?
its simple, the highest level of Kedusha in Judaism for any man or woman is Nazirut, according to R Beyahe, Alshich, Ramak.
i was asked to add the sources that bring the high holiness of level of ...
- 95
3
votes
Accepted
Can (or must) a nazir return a lost object found in a cemetery?
As a continuation of @Joel K's comment about looking at the Minchat Chinuch (Mitzvah 539), I'll try my best to paraphrase and summarize what the Minchat Chinuch is saying:
"In Bava Metzia 30a the ...
- 3,592
2
votes
Why were Nazarites forbidden to touch anything made of grapes, but we make a brocha over wine on Sabbath?
There is nothing inherently evil nor holy about wine.
If used properly, it can be elevated to Kiddush Wine and even poured daily on the Altar (may we merit to see that ceremony again soon in our ...
- 44.7k
2
votes
Samson and the Nazarite Vow
Touching a carcass of an animal although it may render a Nozir impure is permitted and would not render his nezirus invalid source is Pesachim 80b:
טומאת התהום דשרץ ובמאי עסקינן אי נימא בבעלים ...
- 11.6k
2
votes
Who were the Therapeutae?
The only contemporaneous source we currently have that explicitly bears witness to the existence of the Therapeutae is Philo's "De Vita Contemplative" (The Contemplative Life), which is ...
- 28.4k
2
votes
Nazir and Korban Chatas
Maalim BeKodesh, ve Lo Moridim. We always strive upwards in holiness, and not to decline. the Nazir is compared to be at the level of holiness of a Kohen Gadol, wherein Kohen Gadol is holy because of ...
- 95
2
votes
Does a man with long-hair need to become a nazir
The Shulachan Aruch explains that on Rosh Hodesh we relive tefillin at the time of Musaf, which is the Tefila of Keter, we say keter Yintu Lecha. The tefilin are also Keter, so we have to remove ...
- 95
2
votes
How was Shmuel permitted to kill Agag?
There are 5 types of Nazirut Vows (Nedarim) the following 2
Nazir Shimoshon where the Angel Pali Stated that the unborn child should be a NAzir which will be a Forever term
Nazir LeOlam where a ...
- 95
2
votes
Accepted
What did the Nazir's death add to the story?
There's a well-documented and less-well-understood effect that people tend to die more during and after holidays. Some sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/12/22/...
- 9,421
2
votes
Can a woman be a Nazir?
According to Josephus [BJ 2:15, 1], in the years preceding the Destruction in the year 70, Princess Berenice of Judea took a Nazarite vow.
- 23.6k
2
votes
Why was Samson Allowed to Attend his Own Wine-Wedding Party?
I believe that 14:4 can be understood to mean that the entire occasion was a divinely sanctioned/orchestrated ruse that Shimshon was in on:
ואביו ואמו לא ידעו כי מיהוה היא כי תאנה הוא מבקש מפלשתים ...
- 9,590
1
vote
What happens when you jokingly said 'I'm a nazir'?
Cases like this are best handled by a qualified authority of Jewish Law so if this question actually applies to you I would recommend speaking with a rabbi.
The Shulchan Aruch rules (YD 217:1) that in ...
- 19.2k
1
vote
Can I eat any food with vinegar in it like mayonnaise, ketchup, etc if I'm a Nazirite?
In case this is relevant (because you tagged the question noachide-laws) I would first note that non-Jews cannot become Nazirites (see Nazir 61a).
In any case, since wine or wine vinegar are forbidden,...
- 54.1k
1
vote
What was the source of Samson's strength?
Ralbag explains that growing his hair physically contributed to his strength, but God also granted him additional strength on account of him being a nazirite. He proves this from the fact that when ...
- 50.3k
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