Si caminaban por el camino, y alguien venía hacia ellos, y uno de ellos decía: "Seré nazareo si ese hombre es tal y tal"; y el otro dijo: "Seré nazareo si ese hombre no es tal y tal"; "Seré nazareo si alguno de ustedes es nazareo"; "si alguno de ustedes no es nazareo"; "si los dos son nazareos"; "si todos ustedes son nazareos"—Beth Shammai dice: Todos son nazareos [incluso aquellos cuyas palabras no se cumplieron. Porque así como hekdesh en error es hekdesh, así el naziritismo en error es naziritismo.] Beth Hillel dice: Sólo uno cuyas palabras se cumplen es un nazareo. Y R. Tarfon dice: Ninguno de ellos es nazareo, [R. Tarfon sostiene que no hay naziritismo sin distinción, es decir, sin que quede claro en el momento de su voto que se está convirtiendo en nazareo. Y en todos los casos anteriores, no sabe en el momento de su voto si será como él dice. La halajá no está de acuerdo con R. Tarfon.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
הריני נזיר שזה איש פלוני – “if this [person] who is walking towards me is so-and-so, I am a Nazirite,” and the second [person] says, “if this [person walking towards me] is not so-and-so, I am not a Nazirite.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
Introduction
This mishnah again deals with the debate between Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel over mistaken nazirite vows.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
כולם נזירים – and even those whose words were not confirmed/fulfilled, for just as a consecration done in error is a consecration, so also, Naziriteship [vowed] in error is Naziriteship (in accordance with the words of Bet Shammai as found in Tractate Nazir, Chapter 5, Mishnah 1).
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
If [people] were walking along the road and [saw] someone coming towards them, and one said, “Behold, I am a nazirite if it is so-and-so,” and the other said, “Behold, I am a nazirite if it is not so-and-so,” [and a third said,] “Behold I am a nazirite if one of you is a nazirite,” [and a fourth said, “Behold I am a nazirite] if neither of you is a nazirite,” [and a fifth said, “Behold I am a nazirite] if both of you are nazirites,” [and a sixth said, “Behold I am a nazirite] if all of you are nazirites”: Beth Shammai says: all of them are nazirites. Beth Hillel says only those whose words were [not] fulfilled are nazirites. Rabbi Tarfon says: not one of them is a nazirite. Obviously, not all of the people who vowed these nazirite vows can be correct. For instance, if it is “so and so”, only the first and third people are correct. If it is not “so and so”, the second and third people are correct. Nevertheless, Beth Shammai holds that they are all nazirites, because even nazirite vows taken under a mistaken premise are binding. Beth Hillel says that only those whose words were actually fulfilled, that is whose words turn out to be correct, are nazirites. Note that the mishnah actually says “not fulfilled”. The Talmud emends the mishnah to read “fulfilled.” Albeck explains that either version leads to the same conclusion, for Beth Hillel holds that a nazirite vow made under a mistaken premise is not valid. Rabbi Tarfon holds that unclear nazirite vows are not binding. Even if it turns out that what he thought was indeed correct, a person must have full awareness of the facts at the time of his vow for his vow to be valid.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
ר"ט אומר אין אחד מהם נזיר – for Rabbi Tarphon holds that there is no Naziriteship other than for a distinct and solemn specification of a vow (without a doubt – see Tosefta Nazirut, Chapter 3, Halakha 18 and Talmud Nazir 34a in the words of Rabbi Yehuda quoting Rabbi Tarphon), meaning to say, that it is clear and known to him at the time of his vow that he will be a Nazirite and all of these [examples mentioned in our Mishnah], it was not known to him at the time of his vow that it will be according to his declaration, and the Halakha is not according to Rabbi Tarphon.
