Nazir 3B

ורבנן סברי: לא מתפיס איניש במידי דסמיך ליה.

And the Rabbis hold that a person does not associate the object of his vow with something that is juxtaposed to it in a verse, and the individual did not mean to take a nazirite vow.

רבי יוחנן אמר: דכולי עלמא לא מתפיס. אלא, היינו טעמא דרבי מאיר: דחיישינן שמא צפורי נזיר טמא קיבל עליו.

R' Yoḥanan said: Everyone agrees that one does not associate the object of his vow with something juxtaposed to it in a verse. Rather, this is the reason of R' Meir: We are concerned that perhaps he accepted upon himself the birds of an impure nazirite. Since an impure nazirite must bring two birds as offerings if he inadvertently becomes impure from a corpse (Numbers 6:10), when the individual accepts upon himself an obligation pertaining to birds, he means that he is becoming a nazirite and will be responsible for bringing an offering of birds if he becomes impure.

מכדי ״חיישינן״ קאמר, דלמא צפורי נדבה קיבל עליו? אם כן, ״הרי עלי קן״ מבעי ליה.

The Talmud asks: Since R' Yoḥanan said that, even according to R' Meir, we are concerned that the individual intended to become a nazirite, but it is not clear that this was his intention, it can be argued that perhaps he accepted upon himself a gift offering of birds as a burnt-offering. Consequently, why is he considered a nazirite? The Talmud answers: If it was so, that his intention was to bring a gift offering, he should have said: It is hereby incumbent upon me to bring a nest, which is the common expression used to accept an obligation to bring a gift offering of birds.

ודלמא ״הרי עלי צפורי מצורע״ קאמר? כגון שהיה נזיר עובר לפניו. ודלמא נזיר טמא, ולפוטרו מן קרבנותיו קאמר?! כגון שהיה נזיר טהור עובר לפניו.

The Talmud asks further: But perhaps he was saying: It is incumbent upon me to bring the birds of a metzora, rendering himself liable to bring a metzora’s offerings on a metzora’s behalf (see Leviticus 14:4). The Talmud answers: This is a case where a nazirite was passing before him when he spoke, and he clearly had naziriteship in mind. The Talmud asks: But perhaps it was an impure nazirite, and he was saying that he accepts the obligation to exempt the nazirite from his offerings by sacrificing them on the nazirite’s behalf. The Talmud answers: This is a case where a pure nazirite was passing before him.