Nazir 27 – What to do with the remaining money?

If a woman became a nazir (more correctly, nezirah), fulfilled her promised term, and prepared the animal sacrifices required at the end – and then her husband annulled her vow of a nazir – the sacrifices are, of course, not needed. What should she do with them?

If the animal is from the husband's flock, it can go back to graze. The husband implicitly gives permission to his wife to use the animals – but only if she indeed has to bring a sacrifice. If, on the other hand, she used her own animals, then there is no way out, and the sin offering will have to remain in this state until it dies. What about the money she separated for the libations? – It should be dropped into the communal collection box in the Temple.

What happens if she separates metal pieces (ingots)? Such pieces were used for trading for animals and then used for metal works. The same questions would arise if one separated the ingots for his being a nazir but did not specify how they should be used and then died. Since these ingots require appraisal and cannot be readily sold, they remain in their unresolved state and should be destroyed to avoid confusion. That is what the Sages say. However, Rav Nachman disagreed. One can easily barter the ingots for animals and then sell the animals. Therefore, they are equivalent to cash. And just as cash should be deposited into communal boxes for voluntary offerings, so too the ingots should be disposed of in the same manner.

Art: Guiding The Flock by Francesco Paolo Michetti