(Permission is granted to print and redistribute this material
as long as this header and the footer at the end are included.)


BACKGROUND ON THE DAILY DAF

brought to you by Kollel Iyun Hadaf of Har Nof


Ask A Question on the daf

Previous daf

Nazir 57

*****PEREK #8 SHENEI NEZIRIM*****

1) [line 20] SAFEK TUM'AH B'RESHUS HA'YACHID
(a) When there is a doubt as to whether an object is Tahor or Tamei, if the object is found in Reshus ha'Rabim the object is Tahor. If it is found in a private, concealed place, it is judged to be Tamei.
(b) This is learned from the case of the Sotah woman (Bamidbar 5; see next entry). In the case of a Sotah, where only two people were present at the time that there arose a question as to her status, she is judged Teme'ah/culpable. Similarly, whenever there are only two people present (i.e. a Reshus ha'Yachid l'Tum'ah), if a doubt arises regarding the status of a person or an object, he or it is judged to be Tamei. Whenever more than two people frequent a certain area it is a Reshus ha'Rabim l'Tum'ah. If a doubt arises regarding the status of a person or an object, he or it is judged to be Tahor.

2) [line 21] SOTAH
(a) A Sotah is a woman who is suspected of committing adultery because she was warned by her husband not to seclude herself with a certain man and she violated the warning. The process of warning her in front of witnesses is called Kinuy. The witnesses who see her seclude herself with the suspected adulterer are called Eidei Stirah. The time of seclusion must be at least for the time that it takes to roast an egg and swallow it. The woman is forbidden to her husband and the alleged adulterer until she drinks Mei Sotah (see (c), below).
(b) The husband must bring his wife to the Beis ha'Mikdash, along with a sacrifice consisting of 1/10 of an Eifah (approx. 2 quarts) of barley meal as a Minchah offering. The Kohen reads Parshas Sotah, the portion of the Torah describing the curses with which a Sotah is cursed, out loud (in any language that the Sotah understands) and makes the Sotah swear that she has been faithful to her husband.
(c) An earthenware jug is then filled with half a Lug of water from the Kiyor, and dirt from the floor of the Azarah is placed on top of the water. Parshas Sotah (that contains numerous appearances of Hash-m's name) is written on parchment and then immersed in the water, which causes the ink to dissolve, erasing the Holy Names. The Sotah afterwards drinks from the water. If she was unfaithful to her husband and allowed herself to become defiled, the water would enter her body and poison her, causing her belly to swell out and her thigh to rupture. If she was faithful to her husband, she remained unharmed and became pregnant (Bamidbar 5:11-31). In times when there is no Mei Sotah such as in the present day, she must be divorced and does not receive her Kesuvah.
(d) A Sotah Vadai is an ordinary married woman (that is, not a Na'arah ha'Me'urasah -- see Background to Nedarim 75:1) who committed adultery. She is prohibited to her husband and the adulterer and she may not eat Terumah. If she committed the act after not heeding the warning of two witnesses, is put to death by Chenek (choking), as it states in the Torah (Devarim 22:22).

3) [line 25] SAFEK TUM'AH B'RESHUS HA'RABIM, SEFEIKO TAHOR
See above, entry #1.

57b---------------------------------------57b

4) [line 3] HAKAFAH
(a) It is forbidden by a Lav in the Torah for a Jewish male to remove his or another Jewish male's sideburns, thus making a continuous hairless line from his face until behind his ears, as the Torah states, "Lo Sakifu Pe'as Roshechem..." - "You shall not make a ring [around the tops of your heads by removing the hair] of the corners of your heads..." (Vayikra 19:27). The reason for this prohibition is to distance us from idol worship and its followers who until this day cut their hair in this fashion. If one cuts off both sideburns, he receives Malkos two times. The Rambam (Hilchos Avodah Zarah 12:6) writes that he has a tradition in his family teaching that it is required to leave at least forty hairs in the sideburns.
(b) According to most authorities, it is prohibited to entirely remove the hair of the sideburns with either a razor or a pair of scissors. The prohibition of Hakafah applies to both the barber and the one whose hair is being cut, if he helps the barber (by moving his head to the correct position). It is prohibited to cut the hair of a male minor as well. Although this prohibition only applies to a man and not to a woman (whether her hair is being cut or whether she is cutting the hair of a man), nevertheless, it is forbidden mid'Rabanan for a woman to cut the hair of a man or a boy.
(c) It is likewise forbidden to shave off all of the hair of the head (Hakafas Kol ha'Rosh). There is a disagreement among the Tana'im as to whether this is included in the prohibition of Hakafah and is mid'Oraisa, since all of the hair of the head includes the sideburns (Yevamos 5a, Nazir 41a), or if it is only forbidden mid'Rabanan (Nazir 29a), since the Torah only prohibits making a shaven *ring* around the remaining hair. (SEFER HA'CHINUCH #251)

5) [line 4] HAKAFAS KOL HA'ROSH LO SHEMAH HAKAFAH
See previous entry.

6) [line 13] CHOVAH - the name of Rav Huna's wife
7) [line 17] "LO SAKIFU PE'AS ROSHECHEM, V'LO SASHCHIS ES PE'AS ZEKANECHA." - "You shall not round the corners of your heads, nor shall you mar the corners of your beard." (Vayikra 19:27) - See above, entry #4.

8) [line 27] "[V'HAYAH VA'YOM HA'SHEVI'I YEGALACH ES KOL SE'ARO; ES] ROSHO, [V'ES ZEKANO, V'ES GABOS EINAV, V'ES KOL SE'ARO YEGALE'ACH...]" - "[And on the seventh day he shall shave off all of his hair; [the hair of]] his head, [his beard and his eyebrows and all of his hair he shall shave off. And he shall immerse his clothes, and immerse his flesh in water, and he shall be Tahor.]" (Vayikra 14:9)

Next daf

Index


For further information on
subscriptions, archives and sponsorships,
contact Kollel Iyun Hadaf,
daf@shemayisrael.co.il