Study Nazir folio 11A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מתני׳ מזגו לו את הכוס, ואמר ״הריני נזיר ממנו״ — הרי זה נזיר. מעשה באשה אחת שהיתה שיכורה, ומזגו לה את הכוס, ואמרה: ״הריני נזירה ממנו״. אמרו חכמים: לא נתכוונה זו אלא לומר ״הרי הוא עלי קרבן״.
Mishnah: If they poured one a cup of wine and he said: I am hereby a nazirite and therefore will refrain from it, he is a full-fledged nazirite who must observe all the halakhot of naziriteship. An incident occurred with regard to a certain woman who was intoxicated from wine, and they poured a cup for her and she said: I am hereby a nazirite and therefore will refrain from it. The rabbis said: This woman did not intend to accept naziriteship but rather, meant to say: It is hereby forbidden to me as an offering. She vowed against deriving benefit from that cup alone, since she did not want to drink any more.
גמ׳ מעשה לסתור?! אמרת רישא — הרי זה נזיר, והדר תני: מעשה באשה אחת, אלמא בהאי הוא דאסור, הא יינא אחרינא — שרי!
Talmud: The Talmud asks: Was an incident cited to contradict the previous ruling? You said in the first clause of the Mishnah that if one said that he is hereby a nazirite and therefore will refrain from a cup that was poured for him, then he is a nazirite. And the tanna then teaches: An incident occurred with regard to a certain woman who said: I am hereby a nazirite and therefore will refrain from it, which the rabbis interpreted as a vow rendering the cup forbidden to her like an offering. Apparently it is only with regard to this cup of wine that is forbidden to her; consequently, any other wine is permitted, and she is not a nazirite.
חסורי מיחסרא והכי קתני: מזגו לו את הכוס, ואמר ״הריני נזיר ממנו״ — הרי זה נזיר. ואם שיכור הוא, ואמר ״הריני נזיר ממנו״ — אינו נזיר. מאי טעמא — כמאן דאמר ״הרי עלי קרבן״ הוא, וכי תימא: לימא הכי? סבר: מייתין לי אחרינא ומצערן לי, אימא להו הא מילתא דפסיקא להו. ומעשה נמי באשה אחת.
The Talmud answers: The Mishnah is incomplete and is teaching the following: If they poured a cup of wine for one and he said: I am hereby a nazirite and therefore will refrain from it, he is a nazirite. And if he is intoxicated and they pour a cup of wine for him and he said: I am hereby a nazirite and therefore will refrain from it, he is not a nazirite. What is the reason for this? He is considered to be like one who said: This cup is forbidden to me like an offering. The Talmud asks: And if you would say that this was his meaning, let him say so explicitly; why would he say: I am hereby a nazirite and therefore will refrain from it? The reason is because he maintains: If I specify this cup, they will bring me another cup and aggravate me with it. It is better that I say to them this statement, which is definitive to them, and they will understand that I do not want to drink any more wine. The Mishnah continues: And an incident also occurred with regard to a certain woman who was intoxicated and took this vow, and the rabbis explained her statement accordingly.