Nazir 42 - Taanit Esther - March 6, 13 Adar

This month’s learning is sponsored by Jon and Yael Cohen in memory of Dr. Robert Van Amerongen. A doctor who has healed thousands of people with his medical expertise, providing endless care and love at all hours of the day and night. May his memory be blessed.

This week's learning is sponsored by Jon and Yael Cohen for a refuah shleima for their daughter (and my niece) Naama bat Yael Esther who is having surgery today. May Hashem grant her a full and speedy recovery.

In the spirit of לך כנוס את כל היהודים, "go and gather all the Jews" our global Hadran Zoom Family dedicates today's learning to Carol Robinson and Art Gould. Carol, your beautiful smile, kind heart and gentle determination inspire us in our daily learning. We send you love, strength and courage. Art, we send you continued strength, wisdom, and clarity, as we admire the loving way you care for Carol. Our hearts and tefillot are with you both.

A nazir who did not shave off all their hair and left two hairs did nothing. From this, we learn that this is a unique law for a nazir, but in other cases in the Torah, the majority is sufficient. Abaye and Raba ask questions about the issue of the two hairs, by raising  "What if..." scenarios? Is a nazir allowed to wash, straighten out and brush their hair, and if so, how? How does this fit with Rabbi Shimon's opinion that one is not liable for something if that was not one's intent? If the nazir was warned every time before he went to do one of the prohibitions of a nazir, he can receive lashes several times - for each and every forbidden action. Is it possible to be liable for two sets of lashes if became impure to a dead body twice - after all, he has already become impure and has not defiled anything any more than he had from the first instance! There is a dispute between Rabba and Rav Yosef who both disagree about what Rav Huna held. Abaye raised a difficulty against Rav Yosef from a braita to show that it is impossible that one would get two sets of lashes as one is already defiled. Rav Yosef responds by saying that the braita he quoted contradicts our Mishna where one does get two sets of lashes for two instances of coming in contact with the dead. Rav Yosef resolves the contradiction by establishing each case in a different way of impurity - the braita is where one is still attached to the first dead body and the Mishna is where one is not. The Gemara questions his answer but resolves it as well.