Three things are forbidden to a Nazirite: Uncleanliness, shaving, and what comes from the vine. A stringency of uncleanliness over shaving and what comes from the vine: Uncleanliness and shaving offset, [it being written in respect to uncleanliness (Numbers 6:12): "And the first days shall fall off"; and shaving offsets thirty, it being written (Ibid. 5): "He shall let grow the locks of his hair," which does not obtain in less than thirty days.] A stringency of what comes from the vine over uncleanliness and shaving: What comes from the vine — nothing in its class was permitted, [such as drinking wine of mitzvah, for we say (Ibid. 3): "From wine and strong drink shall he separate himself" — to forbid wine of mitzvah just as ordinary wine.] But uncleanliness and shaving — something in their class was permitted, with shaving of mitzvah and with a meth-mitzvah (a dead man who has no one to bury him) [(the permitting of uncleanliness for a meth-mitzvah (Ibid. 7): "For his father and his mother … he shall not become unclean" — For his father he may not become unclean, but he does become unclean for a meth-mitzvah. And shaving for a Nazirite who became leprous — the positive commandment of (Leviticus 14:9): "And he shall shave all his hair" coming and pushing aside the negative commandment of (Numbers 5): "A blade shall not pass over his head."] And a stringency of uncleanliness over shaving. For uncleanliness offsets the whole (Naziritism) and obliges one to bring an offering, whereas shaving offsets only thirty days and does not oblige one to bring an offering.
Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
שהטומאה והתגלחת סותרים – as it written regarding ritual impurity (Numbers 6:12): “the previous period shall be void,” and shaving loses thirty days for we require (Numbers 6:5): “the hair of his head being left to grow untrimmed,” and there is no untrimmed growing that is less than thirty days.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
Introduction
This mishnah compares different stringencies that exist for each of the three nazirite prohibitions: ritual defilement, shaving and the consumption of things which come from the vine.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
שהיוצא מן הגפן לא הותר מכללו – as for example, to drink wine for a Mitzvah/commandment, as we say (Numbers 6:3): “he shall abstain from wine and any other intoxicant,” forbidding wine for a Mitzvah, like wine that is consumed optionally.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
Three things are forbidden to a nazirite: ritual defilement, shaving and products of the vine. This section was taught above in mishnah one. It is repeated here as an introduction to the rest of this mishnah.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
טומאה ותגלחת הותרו מכללן – defilement for the corpse with no one to bury it, [In which case, the Nazir is absolutely required to bury the corpse], as it is written (Numbers 6:7): “Even if his father or mother, [or his brother or sister should die, he must not defile himself for them].” For his father and/or mother, he does not defile himself, but he defiles himself for a corpse with no one to bury it. And shaving for a Nazirite who is a leper, the positive commandment of (Leviticus 14:8): “[The one to be cleansed shall wash his clothes,] shave off all his hair, [and bathe in water; then he shall be clean],” comes and overrides the negative commandment of (Numbers 6:5): “no razor shall touch his head.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
Defilement and shaving have a stringency that products of the vine do not have, in that defilement and shaving annul [the period of naziriteship already observed], whereas [partaking of] products of the vine does not do so. If a nazirite is defiled through contact with the dead, or shaves (intentionally or unintentionally) he annuls at least part of the period of naziriteship that he has already served. However, if a nazirite partakes of a product which comes from the vine, he does not annul any of the period of naziriteship which he has already served.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
Products of the vine have a stringency that defilement or shaving do not have, in that products of the vine permit of no exception from the general prohibition, whereas defilement and shaving are allowed as exception from the general prohibition in the case where shaving is a religious duty, or where there is a neglected corpse. Under no circumstances may a nazirite eat of a product of the vine. Certainly he cannot drink wine for kiddush or havdalah, for these are both considered rabbinic commandments, whereas his nazirite obligations are toraitic in origin. Even if he swears to drink wine, thereby creating a toraitic obligation for him to drink wine, he may not do so. In contrast, under certain circumstances a nazirite may intentionally defile himself or cut his hair. A person with scale disease (tzaraat, often called leprosy) shaves as part of the ritual to complete his purification process (see Leviticus 14:9). If this person was also a nazirite, he is allowed to shave his hair. If a nazirite came across a corpse which no one else is taking care of in order to bury it, he is allowed to defile himself in order to bury the corpse. I should note that although I have translated the Hebrew into “neglected corpse”, a more literal translation would be “a commanded corpse”, meaning a corpse which all Jews, no matter their status, are commanded to bring to proper burial. From here we can see how important proper burial and respect for a person’s body is in Judaism.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
And defilement has a stringency that shaving does not have, in that defilement annuls the whole [period of naziriteship already served], and [a nazirite who is defiled] is liable for a sacrifice, whereas shaving annuls only thirty days and he is not liable for a sacrifice. In section two the mishnah noted that both defilement and shaving one’s hair annul at least part of the term of naziriteship already served. Here the mishnah notes that defilement is more stringent in that a nazirite who is defiled must begin his entire naziriteship again, whereas a nazirite who shaves only loses thirty days of his term.
