Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Nazir

Folio 49a

On the view of R. Akiba, seeing that whether he be simply a High Priest or whether he be a High Priest who is also a nazirite, we can infer from 'for his brother' [that he may defile himself for a neglected corpse], what is the purpose of 'for his father and for his mother'? — They are both necessary. For were only his father mentioned, it might be thought that the reason why he may not defile himself for him is that there is merely a presumption [of paternity],¹  whereas for his mother who we know bore him, he should defile himself. Again, if the All-Merciful had mentioned his mother, it might be thought that he may not defile himself for his mother because her children['s descent] is not reckoned through her,²  whereas for his father, since it has been affirmed, 'by their families, by their fathers' houses',³  it might be said that he should defile himself. We are therefore told [that he may defile himself for neither].

[On the view of R. Akiba] what is the purpose of 'Neither shall he go in to any dead body'?⁴  —

1. His wife may have committed adultery.
2. But through the male line.
3. Num. I, 2. From this verse the inference is drawn that descent is counted in the male line; v. B.B. 109b.
4. Lev. XXI, 12. Said of the High Priest.

MISHNAH. THE NAZIRITE MUST POLL FOR [DEFILEMENT CONTRACTED FROM] THE FOLLOWING SOURCES OF DEFILEMENT: FOR A CORPSE, OR AN OLIVE'S BULK OF [THE FLESH OF] A CORPSE, OR AN OLIVE'S BULK OF NEZEL,³  OR A LADLEFUL OF CORPSE-MOULD,⁴  OR THE SPINAL COLUMN, OR THE SKULL, OR ANY LIMB [SEVERED] FROM A CORPSE OR ANY LIMB [SEVERED] FROM A LIVING BODY THAT IS STILL PROPERLY COVERED WITH FLESH,⁵  OR A HALF-KAB⁶  OF BONES, OR A HALF-LOG⁶  OF BLOOD, WHETHER [THE DEFILEMENT IS CON TRACTED] FROM CONTACT WITH THEM, FROM CARRYING THEM, OR FROM OVERSHADOWING⁷  THEM; FOR [DEFILEMENT CONTRACTED FROM] A BARLEY-GRAIN'S BULK OF BONE, WHETHER BY CONTACT OR CARRYING. ON ACCOUNT OF THESE, A NAZIRITE MUST POLL AND BE SPRINKLED ON THE THIRD AND SEVENTH DAYS; SUCH [DEFILEMENT] MAKES VOID THE PREVIOUS PERIOD, WHILST HE DOES NOT BEGIN TO COUNT ANEW [HIS NAZIRITESHIP] UNTIL HE HAS BECOME CLEAN AND BROUGHT HIS SACRIFICES.

GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: After the demise of R. Meir, R. Judah said to his disciples, 'Do not allow the disciples of R. Meir to enter here, for they are disputatious and do not come to learn Torah, but come to overwhelm me with citations from tradition.' Symmachus forced his way through and entered. He said to them, 'Thus did R. Meir teach me: The nazirite must poll for [defilement contracted from] the following sources of defilement: for a corpses or for an olive's bulk of [the flesh of] a corpse.' R. Judah was wroth and said to them, 'Did I not tell you not to allow the pupils of R. Meir to enter here, because they are disputatious? If he must poll for an olive's bulk of [the flesh of] a corpse, then certainly he must poll for the corpse itself!⁸

1. I.e., that he may not defile himself by touching their corpses.
2. The Hebrew has the plural of nefesh, indicating two corpses. The nefesh is identified with the blood (v. Deut. XII, 23) hence R. Akiba's inference; v. Sanh. (Sonc. ed.) pp. 22 and 14.
3. Coagulated corpse-dregs; v. infra 50a.
4. The earth of a decomposed body.
5. Sufficient flesh for the limb to have maintained itself when attached to the body.
6. V. Glos. for these measures.
7. This type of defilement is caused by being, either under the same roof as, or perpendicularly above or below, the source of defilement; cf. Num. XIX, 14ff.
8. And this does not require explicit mention.