The nazir and a corpse TB Nazir 50

The seventh chapter of our massekhet began listing the three prohibitions a nazir must observe during his period of nezirut. They are abstaining from grapes and any great product, from cutting or shaving their hair, and not coming in contact with a dead body (tumat met-טוּמְאַת מֶת). In the preceding dappim, the Gemara has analyzed the ins and outs of the prohibitions of grapes and grape products as well as cutting or shaving the hair. Starting on yesterday’s daf TB Nazir 49b, the Gemara begins to discuss the minimum amount of corpse and bodily fluids render a nazir ritually unready (tamei-טָמֵא) and has to go through the regular process of becoming ritually ready (tahor-טָהוֹר). Once the nazir becomes tahor, he must begin his nezirut from the very beginning.

“MISHNA: A nazirite shaves for having become impure from these following sources of ritual impurity: For having become impure with impurity imparted by a corpse; and for impurity imparted by an olive-bulk of a corpse; and for impurity imparted by an olive-bulk of fluid [netzel] from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by a full ladle [tarvad] of dust from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by the spine; and for impurity imparted by the skull; and for impurity imparted by a limb from a corpse or for impurity imparted by a limb severed from a living person, upon either of which there is a fitting quantity of flesh; and for impurity imparted by a half-kav of bones from a corpse; and for impurity imparted by a half-log of blood.

“And a nazirite shaves in each of these cases for becoming impure by coming into contact with them; and for becoming impure by carrying them; and for becoming impure by their tent, i.e., if he was positioned like a tent over them, or if he entered a tent that contains them, or if they served as a tent over him. And as for a bone that is a barley-grain-bulk, he shaves for becoming impure by coming into contact with it and by carrying it. However, he is not rendered impure with the impurity imparted in a tent, i.e., by being under the same roof as the bone.

“For all of these occurrences, a nazirite shaves, and a priest sprinkles the ashes of the red heifer on him on the third and on the seventh days to purify him from the impurity imparted by a corpse. And he negates all the previous days he counted toward his naziriteship, and he begins counting his term of naziriteship again only after he becomes pure and brings his offerings.” (TB Nazir 49b, Sefaria.org translation)

Today’s daf TB Nazir 50 begins to analyze each and every sources of ritual impurity. These discussions are not for the squeamish for the rabbis become quite graphic. You may wonder why both the Bible and rabbinic Judaism places so much emphasis on ritual unreadiness (tamei-טָמֵא) of a dead body since these concepts are so foreign to us.

Back in the ancient world, people especially royalty who died went to heaven and they themselves became gods. This was an anathema to the Israelite religion which affirmed only one true God. To emphasize that the pagan concept is absolutely wrong, the Bible and rabbinic Judaism made contact with the dead a defilement and not an ascension to godhood. Consequently, a dead body became an av hatumah (אב הטומאה), the source of ritual unreadiness.

Hopefully in the coming dappim, we will learn some more interesting and relevant pieces of Gemara.