Nazir 7:3-4

Nazir 7:3

A nazir does not shave for the following forms of impurity but he does sprinkle on the third and seventh days: standing under branches or other overhangings that might also overhang a corpse or its pieces; a plowed field that may or may not contain corpse impurity; visiting lands outside of Israel; coffins lids and sides; a reviis of blood (about 3.5 oz.); touching a tent that contains a corpse; touching utensils that touched a corpse; days that a nazir who also has tzaraas must count before reentering the camp; days that a nazir who has tzaraas is confirmed to be a metzora. For all of these, the nazir doesn’t shave but he does sprinkle on the third and seventh days. He does not lose the days of nezirus that he has already completed and he resumes counting immediately. Also, no sacrifice is brought in these cases. We have an ancient tradition that the days that a nazir spends as a zav or a zavah, or that he is confined while the kohein determines if he has tzaraas, count towards his nezirus period.

Nazir 7:4

Rabbi Eliezer said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua that for every form of impurity for which a nazir shaves, one is also liable if he enters the Temple. For every form of impurity for which a nazir does not shave, one is not liable if he enters the Temple. Rabbi Meir said that the latter forms of impurity should not be more lenient than for impurity from vermin. Rabbi Akiva argued in front of Rabbi Eliezer that a piece of bone the size of a barleycorn does not make one impure in a tent and yet a nazir shaves for touching or carrying it. That being the case, shouldn’t a reviis of blood – which does render one impure in a tent – make a nazir shave for touching or carrying it? Rabbi Eliezer replied that one cannot argue a kal v’chomer (argument a fortiori) in this case (though Rabbi Eliezer did not explain why not). Rabbi Akiva related this incident to Rabbi Yehoshua who told Rabbi Akiva that there was nothing wrong with the argument he proposed. The reason we cannot rule here based on a kal v’chomer is that this is a law transmitted to Moshe at Sinai (and therefore not open to dispute).