Nazir 7

כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל וְנָזִיר אֵינָן מִטַּמְּאִין לִקְרוֹבֵיהֶן, אֲבָל מִטַּמְּאִין לְמֵת מִצְוָה. הָיוּ מְהַלְּכִין בַּדֶּרֶךְ וּמָצְאוּ מֵת מִצְוָה, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, יִטַּמָּא כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל וְאַל יִטַּמָּא נָזִיר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים, יִטַּמָּא נָזִיר וְאַל יִטַּמָּא כֹהֵן גָּדוֹל. אָמַר לָהֶם רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, יִטַּמָּא כֹהֵן שֶׁאֵינוֹ מֵבִיא קָרְבָּן עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ, וְאַל יִטַּמָּא נָזִיר שֶׁהוּא מֵבִיא קָרְבָּן עַל טֻמְאָתוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ, יִטַּמָּא נָזִיר שֶׁאֵין קְדֻשָּׁתוֹ קְדֻשַּׁת עוֹלָם, וְאַל יִטַּמָּא כֹהֵן שֶׁקְּדֻשָּׁתוֹ קְדֻשַּׁת עוֹלָם:

A high-priest and a Nazirite may not make themselves unclean for their relatives, [as written in Emor and Nasso], but they do make themselves unclean for a meth-mitzvah. If they were walking on the road and came upon a meth-mitzvah — R. Eliezer says: The high-priest should make himself unclean and not the Nazirite. [Not necessarily a high-priest, for they differ with respect to a regular priest, too, the reason being the same]. And the sages say: The Nazirite should make himself unclean, and the high-priest should not make himself unclean. R. Eliezer said to them: Let the Cohein make himself unclean, who does not bring an offering for his uncleanliness, and let the Nazirite not make himself unclean, who does bring an offering for his uncleanliness. They said to him: Let the Nazirite become unclean, whose holiness is not forever, and let the Cohein not become unclean, whose holiness is forever.

עַל אֵלּוּ טֻמְאוֹת הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ, עַל הַמֵּת, וְעַל כַּזַּיִת מִן הַמֵּת, וְעַל כַּזַּיִת נֶצֶל וְעַל מְלֹא תַרְוָד רָקָב, עַל הַשִּׁדְרָה וְעַל הַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת וְעַל אֵבֶר מִן הַמֵּת וְעַל אֵבֶר מִן הַחַי שֶׁיֵּשׁ עָלָיו בָּשָׂר כָּרָאוּי, וְעַל חֲצִי קַב עֲצָמוֹת וְעַל חֲצִי לֹג דָּם, עַל מַגָּעָן וְעַל מַשָּׂאָן וְעַל אָהֳלָן, וְעַל עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה, עַל מַגָּעוֹ וְעַל מַשָּׂאוֹ. עַל אֵלּוּ הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ וּמַזֶּה בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי, וְסוֹתֵר אֶת הַקּוֹדְמִין, וְאֵינוֹ מַתְחִיל לִמְנוֹת אֶלָּא עַד שֶׁיִּטְהַר וּמֵבִיא אֶת קָרְבְּנוֹתָיו:

The Nazirite shaves for these uncleanlinesses: a dead body [even though it is not whole, but possesses most of the build — two legs and one thigh — or most of the limbs, one hundred and twenty-five, even if they do not amount to a quarter of a kav. They cause tent-uncleanliness, and a Nazirite shaves for it. And if most of the limbs and most of the build are lacking, the Nazirite does not shave for tent-uncleanliness unless the bones amount to half a kav.], an olive-size (of flesh) of a dead body, an olive-size of netzel [liquid exuded by a dead body from the decaying of the flesh], and a spoonful tarvad of rakav [the dust of the decay of a dead body. And this does not cause uncleanliness unless he were buried naked in a marble casket or the like, where the only decay is that of the body, and where he were buried whole, no limbs lacking. A tarvad is a large spoon, which holds whole handfuls.], the spine [even if there is no flesh on it], the skull [likewise, even if there is no flesh on it], a limb from a dead person or a limb from a living person, which has upon it a sufficient amount of flesh ["sufficient" being the amount of flesh which could effect healing in a limb attached to a living person (less than an olive-size)], a half kav of bones, and a half log of blood [Even though a quarter of a kav of bones causes tent-uncleanliness, it is a halachah to Moses from Sinai that a Nazirite shaves only for half a kav. Similarly, with a half log of blood. Even though a quarter causes tent-uncleanliness, a Nazirite shaves only for a half log] — (a Nazirite shaves) for touching them, carrying them, and tent-uncleanliness; and, for a bone the size of a barley-corn, (he shaves) for touching or carrying them [but not for tent-uncleanliness, a bone the size of a barley-corn not causing tent-uncleanliness]. For these, the Nazirite shaves and sprinkles on the third and seventh days, and offsets the previous days (of Naziritism), [viz. (Numbers 6:7): "And the first days shall fall off"], and he does not begin to count until he is cleansed and he has brought his offerings. [i.e., after having immersed and the sun having set after the sprinkling of the third and seventh days.]

אֲבָל הַסְּכָכוֹת, וְהַפְּרָעוֹת, וּבֵית הַפְּרָס, וְאֶרֶץ הָעַמִּים, וְהַגּוֹלֵל, וְהַדּוֹפֵק, וּרְבִיעִית דָּם, וְאֹהֶל, וְרֹבַע עֲצָמוֹת, וְכֵלִים הַנּוֹגְעִים בְּמֵת, וִימֵי סָפְרוֹ, וִימֵי גָמְרוֹ, עַל אֵלּוּ אֵין הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ, וּמַזֶּה בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי, וְאֵינוֹ סוֹתֵר אֶת הַקּוֹדְמִין, וּמַתְחִיל וּמוֹנֶה מִיָּד, וְקָרְבָּן אֵין לוֹ. בֶּאֱמֶת אָמְרוּ, יְמֵי הַזָּב וְהַזָּבָה וִימֵי הֶסְגֵּרוֹ שֶׁל מְצֹרָע, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ עוֹלִין לוֹ:

But sechachoth [(a tree with separate boughs) — If there were an olive-size of the dead under one of them, and a Nazirite passed by, it not being known whether he passed under the bough "tending" the dead], protrusions, [stones or (pieces of) wood protruding from a wall, and uncleanliness (lying) under one of them], beth hapras, [A field in which a grave was plowed up makes a beth hapras of a hundred cubits, this being estimated to be the distance that the plow carries a bone], "the land of the peoples," [the sages having decreed uncleanliness on "the lands of the peoples"], the golel [the cover of the casket], the dofek [the casket itself, on which the covering "knocks" (dofek)], a quarter (of a log) of blood, [(Even for carrying or for touching it, the Nazirite does not shave)], "tenting" over a quarter of bones [(If he tented over a quarter of a kav of bones from the dead, he does not shave — until he "tents" over half a kav. But for touching and carrying a quarter of bones, he does shave, even if they were crushed and not one of them were the size of a barley-corn)], and vessels which touched the dead, [which cause uncleanliness as the dead body itself; and one who touches them becomes unclean for seven days], and the days of his [a leper's] counting [after having been cleansed of his leprosy, viz. (Leviticus 14:8): "And he shall sit outside his tent for seven days"], and the days of his [the leper's] confirmation — For these [all of these mentioned in our Mishnah], the Nazirite does not shave. He sprinkles on the third and seventh days [(This does not refer to "the days of his counting" and "the days of his confirmation," sprinkling on the third and seventh not being applicable to these)], and he does not offset the previous days, and he begins counting immediately [All of these (days of uncleanliness) mentioned above are not counted with the days of his Naziritism, and do not offset it, but he cleanses himself after the sprinkling of the third and the seventh if he became unclean by the dead, or after completing the days of his confirmation and of his counting if he became leprous. He completes his Naziritism of the days already counted before he became unclean ], and he does not bring an offering [of uncleanliness.] In truth, it was said: The days of a zav and a zavah, [all the days of their uncleanliness, and the days of their counting seven clean days] and the days of the closeting of a (suspected) leper [viz. (Leviticus 13:4): "And the Cohein shall quarantine the plague-spot seven days"] are counted for him [towards the days of his Naziritism. And it goes without saying that they do not offset the previous days.]

אָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מִשּׁוּם רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, כָּל טֻמְאָה מִן הַמֵּת שֶׁהַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עָלֶיהָ, חַיָּבִין עָלֶיהָ עַל בִּיאַת מִקְדָּשׁ. וְכָל טֻמְאָה מִן הַמֵּת שֶׁאֵין הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עָלֶיהָ, אֵין חַיָּבִין עָלֶיהָ עַל בִּיאַת מִקְדָּשׁ. אָמַר רַבִּי מֵאִיר, לֹא תְהֵא זוֹ קַלָּה מִן הַשֶּׁרֶץ. אָמַר רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא, דַּנְתִּי לִפְנֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר, מָה אִם עֶצֶם כַּשְּׂעֹרָה שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְטַמֵּא אָדָם בְּאֹהֶל, הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עַל מַגָּעוֹ וְעַל מַשָּׂאוֹ. רְבִיעִית דָּם שֶׁהוּא מְטַמֵּא אָדָם בְּאֹהֶל, אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁיְּהֵא הַנָּזִיר מְגַלֵּחַ עַל מַגָּעָהּ וְעַל מַשָּׂאָהּ. אָמַר לִי, מַה זֶה עֲקִיבָא, אֵין דָּנִין כָּאן מִקַּל וָחֹמֶר. וּכְשֶׁבָּאתִי וְהִרְצֵיתִי אֶת הַדְּבָרִים לִפְנֵי רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, אָמַר לִי, יָפֶה אָמַרְתָּ, אֶלָּא כֵּן אָמְרוּ הֲלָכָה:

R. Eliezer said in the name of R. Yehoshua: With every dead-body uncleanliness for which a Nazirite shaves, there is liability for entering the sanctuary. [If he incurred that uncleanliness and entered the sanctuary, or if he ate of the offerings before he cleansed himself of his uncleanliness, he is liable to kareth if he sinned wittingly.] And with every dead-body uncleanliness for which a Nazirite does not shave, there is no liability for entering the sanctuary. R. Meir said: This (the above) should not be less stringent than sheretz ("creeping thing" uncleanliness)! [for which there is liability for entering the sanctuary, viz. (Leviticus 5:2): "…or the dead body of an unclean creeping thing." (R. Meir's argument does not stand. For a Nazirite shaves for touching or carrying a bone the size of a barley-corn, which is of lesser stringency, not causing tent-uncleanliness, as we learned in our Mishnah (7:3), yet he does not shave for a revi'ith of blood, which is of greater stringency, causing tent-uncleanliness.] R. Akiva said: "I reasoned thus before R. Eliezer: Now if a Nazirite shaves for carrying or touching a bone the size of a barley-corn, which does not cause tent-uncleanliness, should he not shave for touching or carrying a revi'ith of blood, which does not cause tent-uncleanliness! He said to me: What is this, Akiva, we cannot reason a fortiori here! [An a fortiori argument cannot be based on a halachah to Moses from Sinai. For (the halachah of) "a bone the size of a barley-corn" is not written in the Torah, but is a halachah to Moses from Sinai, and it cannot be the basis for an a fortiori argument.] And when I came and repeated this to R. Yehoshua, he said to me: You said well, but they stated thus as a halachah (to Moses from Sinai). [The words of R. Yehoshua are essentially the same as those of R. Eliezer.]