A nazir (נָזִיר) is a person who takes upon himself/herself a vow to set him/her apart for God. “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If any men or women utter a nazirite’s vow, to set themselves apart for God; they shall abstain from wine and any other intoxicant; they shall not drink vinegar of wine or of any other intoxicant, neither shall they drink anything in which grapes have been steeped, nor eat grapes fresh or dried. Throughout their term as nazirite, they may not eat anything that is obtained from the grapevine, even seeds or skin. Throughout the term of their vow as nazirite, no razor shall touch their head; it shall remain consecrated until the completion of their term as nazirite of God, the hair of their head being left to grow untrimmed. Throughout the term that they have set apart for Gad, they shall not go in where there is a dead person. Even if their father or mother, or their brother or sister should die, they must not become defiled for any of them, since hair set apart for their God is upon their head; throughout their term as nazirite they are consecrated to God.” (Numbers 6:2-8) The most famous nazir in the Bible is Samson. Today’s daf TB Nedarim 10 presents the debate whether making a vow to become a nazir is a good thing or not.
Rabbi Yehuda holds that becoming a nazir can be praiseworthy. The early Hasadim (not to be confused at all with modern-day Hasadim) wanted to offer the full complement of sacrifices which includes the sin sacrifice (hatat-חַטָּֽאת). Obviously these pietists never sinned on purpose and had to figure out a way they could legally bring a hatat. Becoming a nazir was the solution. “The early generations of pious men (Hasadim) would desire to bring a sin-offering but did not have the opportunity to do so because the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not bring about a stumbling block through them, and they would not sin even unwittingly. What would they do? They would rise and volunteer naziriteship to the Omnipresent in order to be liable to bring a sin-offering of a nazirite to the Omnipresent.” (Sefaria.org translation) Although the nazir didn’t sin, one of the sacrifices he had to bring after his term of nazirut was over was a hatat.
Rabbi Shimon argues that these early Hasadim didn’t take upon themselves a Nazirite vow because the Torah impugns this practice with sin. “Rabbi Shimon says: They did not take a vow of naziriteship. Rather, one who would want to bring a burnt-offering would volunteer and bring it; one who would want to bring a peace-offering would volunteer and bring it; and one who would want to bring a thanks-offering and its four types of bread would volunteer and bring them. However, they did not volunteer naziriteship in order that they not be called sinners. According to Rabbi Shimon, naziriteship involves some element of sin, as it is stated: “And he shall make atonement for him, for that he sinned against the soul” (Numbers 6:11).” (Sefaria.org translation)
“And Rabbi Elazar HaKappar the Distinguished agrees, as it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Elazar HaKappar the Distinguished says: It is written with regard to the priest who sacrificed the offering of a nazirite: “And he shall make atonement for him, for that he sinned against the soul.” Against which soul did the nazirite sin? Rather, his sin is that he caused himself suffering by refraining from wine. Are these matters not inferred a fortiori: Just as this nazirite, who causes himself suffering only by refraining from wine, is called a sinner, one who causes himself suffering by refraining from everything is all the more so to be considered a sinner. From here it can be derived that whoever fasts unnecessarily is called a sinner.” (Sefaria.org translation) When God finished creating the universe, He saw what he had created and declared it “very good.” God created the world for our benefit and within the guidelines of Torah we should enjoy this bountiful world.
Our tradition rejects the vow of a nazir as something positive;
consequently, it frowns upon being an ascetic and withdrawing from this world.
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