S'il a dit: "Cette vache a dit: 'Je serai un Naziréen si je me lève'"," Cette porte a dit: 'Je serai un Nazirite si je suis ouvert' "[Si une vache était couchée et refusait de se lever, et il a dit: Cette vache pense qu'elle ne se lèvera pas, et elle dit en elle coeur: "Je serai un Naziréen si je me lève"; et je dis: Je serai un Nazirite d'elle si elle ne se lève pas! De même, avec une porte verrouillée qu'il ne pouvait pas ouvrir, s'il disait: Cette porte pense que je ne l'ouvrirai pas, et il dit: "Je serai un Naziréen si je suis ouvert"; et je dis: Je serai un Naziréen si elle n'est pas ouverte! Et ensuite la vache se leva d'elle-même sans son la faisant tenir debout, et, de même, la porte s'ouvrit d'elle-même, ou un autre vint et l'ouvrit sans qu'il l'ouvre] — Beth Shammai dit: Il devient un Nazirite [cohérent avec leur dicton que si on se fait vœu de figues séchées ou de figues pressées, il devient un Nazirite, même s'il n'y a pas de Naziritisme à partir de figues —Ici aussi, même s'il n'y a pas de nazirisme de la part d'une bête et d'une porte, il devient un Nazirite. Et même si la bête s'est levée et que la porte a été ouverte, son intention était que lui seul la fasse tenir debout ou l'ouvrir.] Et Beth Hillel dit: Il n'est pas un Naziréen [selon les paroles de Beth Shammai. Car selon nous (Beth Hillel), même si elle ne s'est pas levée du tout, il n'est pas naziréen, il n'a pas juré à la manière des vœux, il n'y a pas de nazirisme de la part d'une bête et d'une porte. Mais selon vous qui dites qu'on ne dit pas les choses en vain, et que quand il a dit: "Je serai un Naziréen", il le pensait, concède-nous, au moins, que s'il se dressait de lui-même ou que d'autres se tenaient debout qu'il ne devienne pas un Nazirite, car il a dit: "si elle ne se lève pas", et elle l'a fait!] R. Yehudah a dit: Même quand Beth Shammai a dit ce qu'ils ont fait, ils l'ont dit seulement quand il pensait ( dans son cœur): "Cette vache m'est (interdite) comme offrande si elle se lève." [Beth Shammai ne diffère pas de Beth Hillel quant au fait de ne pas devenir Nazirite. Ils diffèrent seulement quand il dit: Quand j'ai dit que je serais un Nazirite si cela ne tenait pas, je voulais dire que cette bête devrait être (interdite) comme offrande— Beth Shammai soutenant que puisque lui-même ne l'a pas soutenu, c'est une offrande, et Beth Hillel soutenant que depuis qu'il s'est levé, ce n'est pas une offrande.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
אמר אמרה פרה זו הריני נזירה אם אומדת אני – he whose cow was lying down [under a burden] and it does not want to stand up and he said, “this cow thinks that she will not stand,” and she says in her heart, “I will be a Nazirite if I stand,” And I say, “I will be a Nazirite from her if she doesn’t stand,” and similarly, a locked door that cannot be opened and he says, “this door thinks I will not open it,” and it states, “I will be a Nazirite if it opens by me,” and I state: “I will be a Nazirite from it if it will not open,” and afterwards, the cow stands up on its own or that others raise it, but he did not raise it.” And similarly, the door opens on its own, or another comes and opens it and he did not open it.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
Introduction
This mishnah discusses a person who may have made a nazirite vow using an extremely strange formula.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
בש"א הרי זה נזיר – for they follow their own reasoning as they (i.e., the School of Shammai), state that one who takes a vow from dry figs and from cake pressed figs that he is a Nazirite, even though there is no Naziriteship from dried figs and from cake pressed figs, so also, even though there is no Naziriteship from a cow and from a door, he is a Nazirite, and even though the cow stood and/or the door opened, it was not it was not his intention other than he would raise it or open it by himself.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
If one says, “This cow is saying ‘Behold, I am a nazirite if I get up,” or “This door is saying ‘Behold, I am a nazirite if I open”: Bet Shammai says: he is a nazirite, But Bet Hillel says: he is not a nazirite. Rabbi Judah said: even though Beth Shammai did say [that his formula is effective] they meant only one who says, “This cow is [forbidden] to me, as is a sacrifice if it gets up.” The mishnah describes a person whose cow will not stand up or whose door will not open. The person says “This cow doesn’t want to get up. It is as if she is saying ‘Behold, I am a nazirite if I get up.’” Or “This door doesn’t want to open. It is as if it is saying ‘Behold, I am a nazirite if I open up.’” Beth Shammai holds that the person has actually made a nazirite vow, even though it seems that he was just using language to illustrate how difficult it is to get the cow to get up or the door to open. Albeck explains that according to Beth Shammai since the person said “Behold, I am a nazirite”, he is a nazirite even though he was saying it as if the cow or door was saying the words. A different explanation is offered by the Talmud, which interprets it as if he meant to say that he himself would be a nazirite if the cow wouldn’t get up or the door wouldn’t open. Beth Hillel holds that this person is not a nazirite, just as they did in the previous mishnah. Rabbi Judah again reinterprets Beth Shammai’s position. Beth Shammai did not mean to say that the person is a nazirite. Beth Shammai holds that if the person meant that he would be forbidden to eat the cow or use the door as if it was a sacrifice then the vow is effective.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
וב"ה אומרים – to the words of the School of Shammai. For us, even if it (i.e., the cow) did not stand up at all, he would not be a Nazirite, for he mad ae a vow that is not in the manner of those who make vows, for there is no Naziriteship from a cow or from a door, but according to you, who say that a person does not utter words without a purpose for when he stated, “I will be a Nazirite,” it is with the intention that he will be a Nazirite that he stated it, however, they agree with us, at least, where she (i.e., the cow) stood on her own or others raised her up, that he is not a Nazirite, for he did not say other than if she will not stand, and behold, she stood.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
א"ר יהודה וכו' – The School of Shammai did not disagree with the School of Hillel regarding the matter of Naziriteship for he is not a Nazirite. They did not disagree other than when he says: “in my heart it was that this animal should be a sacrifice at the time that I stated that I will be a Nazirite from her if she will not stand.” For the School of Shammai holds that since he did not make her stand, it should be a sacrifice, and the School of Hillel holds that since it (i.e., the animal) stood, it is not a sacrifice.
