Nazir 45A

מכדי שערי ניקנור היכא קיימין ⁠— בשערי לוייה.

Abaye continues: Now consider the Gate of Nicanor, where all those lacking atonement stand to bring their offerings; where is it located? In the gates of the Levites. 3 camps are detailed in the verses, each having its own restrictions as to who may or may not enter them (see Numbers, chapter 5). The verses speak of the camps of the Jewish people in the wilderness, and A baraita states that the statuses of certain areas of Jerusalem corresponded to those camps. The camps in the wilderness were the Israelite camp, the Levite camp, and the camp of the Shekhina. They correspond to Jerusalem, the Temple Mount, and the Temple itself. The Gate of Nicanor had the status of the Levite camp.

והתניא: טמא מת מותר ליכנס במחנה לוייה, ולא טמא מת בלבד אלא אפילו מת עצמו, שנאמר: ״ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף עמו״, מאי ״עמו״⁠ — עמו במחיצתו, עמו במחנה לוייה.

Abaye continues: But isn’t it taught in a baraita (Tosefta, Kelim 1:8) that one who is impure due to contact with a corpse is permitted to enter the Levite camp; and not only one impure from a corpse, but even a corpse itself may be brought inside the Levite camp, as it is stated: “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him” (Exodus 13:19). The baraita explains: What is the meaning of “with him”? The phrase “with him” indicates that Joseph’s bones were taken within Moses’s boundary, with him in the Levite camp. This demonstrates that even a corpse may be brought into the Levite camp. If so, certainly a nazirite who was impure from contact with a corpse and who has been sprinkled and immersed may enter there. Consequently, the halakha that a nazirite must wait until the 8th day to sacrifice his offerings cannot be due to a prohibition against entering the Gate of Nicanor. One can similarly infer that the halakha that a zav who has immersed may not bring his offerings before the 8th day is not because he is prohibited from entering the Gate of Nicanor.