Nazir 59 – Two nazirs, complicated further

Continuing the story of two nazirs, one who became ritually impure and had to bring sacrifices together, making conditional statements about whose sacrifice it was, let us suppose that one of them dies. Now the surviving one does not have a friend with whom to make those conditions. What is he to do?

He must find someone "in the street" willing to help. This volunteer has to put himself in a condition of doubt by saying, "I adopt to be a nazir, but conditionally. If the survivor was impure, I am a nazir immediately." After thirty days, they bring the same two sets of sacrifices, one required for a pure nazir and one for an impure one, and declare that if the survivor was impure, then the impure sacrifices are his, and the other ones are for the volunteer. But if the survivor was pure, the pure sacrifices are his, and the impure ones are offered as sacrifices in doubt (since such a category exists). Then the volunteer continues, "If the surviving nazir was pure, then my term of being a nazir starts after thirty days." Then they keep offering more sacrifices and making more conditions.

This was the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua. But Ben Zome asked, "Who will go out to this extent to extricate his friend out of his doubts?" Rather, the survivor should bring the minimal sacrifice that would allow him to conclude his being a nazir, even though they involve bird sacrifices, which is not standard - but it will enable him to achieve his purpose. Even though Rabbi Yehoshua argued that this was not the preferred way, the Sages agreed to Ben Zoma as more practical.

A question to Rabbi Yehoshua: "What is really wrong with Ben Zoma's solution?" - Actually, nothing; Rabbi Yehoshua just wanted to sharpen the minds of his students with a more complicated one.

Art: David Street in Jerusalem by Gustave Bauernfeind