Nedarim 4B

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Text Excerpt

ואם גילח על אחת משלשתן ⁠— יצא, לא ליעבור עליה ב״בל תאחר״, קא משמע לן.

if he shaves upon bringing one of the 3 offerings that a nazirite must bring when completing his term as a nazirite, i.e., a burnt-offering, a sin-offering, and a peace-offering, he has fulfilled his obligation to shave and the restrictions of a nazirite are lifted, he therefore does not violate the prohibition: You should not delay, for delaying the other offerings. Consequently, it teaches us that the prohibition against delaying applies to these offerings.

ואיבעית אימא: מאי חדושיה ⁠— משום דלא מתפיסו בנדר. והא דקא קשיא לך חטאת חלב ⁠— חטאת חלב קאתיא לכפרה. חטאת נזיר למאי אתיא?

And if you wish say: What is the novelty of the nazirite? The halakha of naziriteship is considered a novelty because the offerings of a nazirite cannot be accepted through a vow. And that which poses a difficulty for you based on the fact that one cannot accept upon himself a sin-offering of forbidden fat through a vow either, and nevertheless the prohibition against delaying applies, can be resolved. A sin-offering of forbidden fat comes for the purpose of atonement, and therefore if one delays bringing it he violates the prohibition against delaying. However, for what does the sin-offering of a nazirite come? Since it does not come to atone for a sin, one might have thought that the prohibition against delaying does not apply.

והרי חטאת יולדת דלא אתיא לכפרה, ועבר עלה משום ״בל תאחר״! ההיא ⁠— קא שריא לה למיכל בקדשים.

The Talmud asks: But there is the precedent of the sin-offering of a woman who gave birth, which also does not come for the purpose of atonement, and yet if she does not bring the offering on time she still transgresses due to the prohibition: You should not delay. The Talmud answers: That sin-offering of a woman who gave birth permits the woman to eat consecrated food. Although it does not come to effect atonement, it does come to permit a matter. On the other hand, the sin-offering of a nazirite does not permit anything, and therefore the fact that one cannot accept upon himself an obligation to bring this offering is a novelty. Consequently, it was necessary for there to be a separate source to indicate that one is liable for violating the prohibition against delaying in the case of this offering.

Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.