Se uno assumeva molti naziriti e completava il suo naziritismo e poi arrivava a Eretz Yisrael, [poiché il naziritismo si ottiene solo in Eretz Yisrael a causa dell'impurità delle "terre delle nazioni". E se uno ha giurato naziritismo fuori da Eretz Israel, è obbligato a salire su Eretz Yisrael e ad osservare lì il suo naziritismo.], Beth Shammai dice: Diventa un nazirita per trenta giorni; e Beth Hillel dicono: Diventa un nazirita fin dall'inizio. [Deve osservare in Eretz Yisrael il numero di giorni di naziritismo che ha giurato. E i giorni del naziritismo che osservava al di fuori di Eretz Yisrael non sono affatto considerati tali.] Accadde una volta con la regina Hilni che suo figlio andò in guerra e lei disse: "Se mio figlio tornasse dalla guerra in pace, dovrò essere un nazirita per sette anni ". E suo figlio è tornato dalla guerra ed è stata una nazirita per sette anni. Alla fine dei sette anni, andò da Eretz Yisrael e Beth Hillel le ordinò di essere una nazirita per altri sette anni. Alla fine dei sette anni divenne impura, tanto che fu trovata nazirita per ventuno anni. R. Yehudah disse: Era una nazirita per soli quattordici anni. [R. Yehudah sostiene con R. Eliezer, che dice sopra (3: 4) che se uno diventa impuro il giorno della realizzazione, compensa solo trenta giorni. Di conseguenza, afferma che la regina Hilni, che divenne impura alla fine di quattordici anni, il giorno dell'adempimento, non compensò il tutto e non dovette contare altri sette anni, ma solo trenta giorni. E poiché questo non è un anno intero, non è stato incluso nel conteggio; ma è come se avesse detto: era una nazirita per quattordici anni e trenta giorni.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
והשלים את נזירותו ואח"כ בא לארץ – for Naziriteship is not practiced other than in the Land [of Israel] because of the Levitical uncleanness of the heathen countries, and whomever made the vow of Naziriteship outside the land [of Israel] we obligate him to ascend to the Land of Israel and practice there his Naziriteship.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
Introduction According to the Talmud, the Sages decreed that land outside of Israel is ritually impure, and therefore anyone who walks there or touches the earth is impure. However, this impurity is only considered “derabbanan”. In a sense then, taking a nazirite vow while outside of the land of Israel is like taking a nazirite vow while in a graveyard, the subject of yesterday’s mishnah. The difference is that, because the impurity of outside of Israel is only derabbanan, one who takes a nazirite vow outside of Israel must begin to observe his naziriteship immediately. However, when he comes to the land of Israel, according to the rabbis the only pure land, he must begin to observe his naziriteship over again. In our mishnah, Beth Shammai and Beth Hillel dispute over how much of his naziriteship he must re-observe. This mishnah contains a story about Queen Helena, who was the queen of Adiabene, a country in Asia Minor. There are several other stories about her and her sons Munbaz and Izates, who according to both Josephus and rabbinic literature converted to Judaism, several decades before the destruction of the Temple. One can read more about her in the Encyclopedia Judaica.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
נזיר בתחלה – he is required to observe in the Land of Israel according to the number of the days that he vowed for his Naziriteship and the days that he observed outside the Land [of Israel] is as if he had not observed his Naziriteship at all.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
If one vows a long naziriteship of and completes his naziriteship and afterwards comes to the land [of Israel]: Beth Shammai says that he is a nazirite for thirty days, But Beth Hillel says that his naziriteship begins again. A person took a vow to observe a long naziriteship, meaning one longer than thirty days. After he completed his naziriteship he came to the land of Israel. According to Beth Shammai, after he purifies himself from the impurity contracted outside of the land of Israel, he need only observe another thirty days of naziriteship. According to the Talmud, Beth Shammai reasons that since the impurity outside Israel is only of “derabbanan” status, the Sages only penalize him by making him observe a minimum period of naziriteship. In contrast, Beth Hillel holds that he must re-observe his full term. The original term does not count at all.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Nazir
אמר ר"י לא היתה נזיה אלא ארבע עשרה שנה – Rabbi Yehuda holds like Rabbi Eliezer wo stated above in our chapter [in Mishnah 4], that [a Nazirite] who became defiled on the day of completion, does not lose other than thirty days, and because of this, it is stated, that Queen Helena who became defiled at the end of fourteen years which on the day of completion, she did not lose everything and was not required to count another seven years, but rather, only thirty days, and because it was not a complete year, it did not count in the total, and this same law applies as if he said, that she was not a Nazirite other than for fourteen years and thirty days.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nazir
It happened that Queen Helena, when her son went to war, said: “If my son returns in peace from the war, I shall be a nazirite for seven years.” Her son returned from the war, and she was a nazirite for seven years. At the end of the seven years, she went up to the land [of Israel] and Beth Hillel instructed her to be a nazirite for a further seven years. Towards the end of this seven years, she contracted ritual defilement, and so altogether she was a nazirite for twenty-one years. Rabbi Judah said: she was a nazirite only for fourteen years. This section contains the remarkable story of Queen Helena, who according to some accounts was a nazirite for twenty-one years! She took a nazirite vow that if her son would return safely from war, she would be a nazirite for seven years. When he returned safely, she observed a seven year naziriteship. Afterwards, she went to the land of Israel and observed another seven-year naziriteship, under the instruction of Beth Hillel. When she became impure at the end of her naziriteship, this voided all of her naziriteship, and she had to serve another seven years. With regard to this last fact, Rabbi Judah disagrees and holds that she served “only” fourteen years. Some explain, that according to Rabbi Judah, she did not become impure. Others explain that Rabbi Judah agrees with Rabbi Eliezer who holds that when one becomes impure one only voids thirty days. Therefore, Queen Helena did become impure at the end of her naziriteship, but only served another thirty days. Since these days are insignificant, Rabbi Judah rounds down to fourteen years of naziriteship, still an impressive amount of time, especially for a queen!
