Nazir 6

Sugya Map

• Issue: The duration of an unspecified naziriteship (stama) and the legal mechanism of the thirtieth day.
• The Machloket:
  • Bar Padda: Stama is 29 days. Shaving on the 30th is a post-facto leniency; the "30th day" is actually the 1st of a new period.
  • Rav Mattana: Stama is 30 days. The 30th day functions as both the completion of the first and the inception of the next via the principle miktzat hayom k'kulo (part of the day is like the whole).
• Nafka Mina: If a nazir becomes tamei (ritually impure) on the 30th day, does he restart his count?
• Primary Sources: Nazir 6a, Nazir 16a, Numbers 6:5, Numbers 6:13.

Text Snapshot

The Gemara Nazir 6a interrogates the stama duration:

"אלא לבר פדא קשיא... מאי קא משמע לן... אלא סיפא דמתניתין מסייעא ליה."

• Nuance: The text hinges on the term siyya’a (supports). Bar Padda treats the Mishna’s internal logic as a tiered hierarchy: the reisha (first clause) is descriptive of a shleimim (complete/vowed) nazirite, while the seifa (latter clause) reveals the underlying legal minimum of 29 days. The dikduk here is crucial: the Gemara assumes the Mishna is not merely a collection of rules, but a dialectical map where the seifa acts as the mefareish (clarifier) for the reisha.

Readings

1. Rashi Nazir 6a s.v. אמר לך בר פדא

Rashi offers a minimalist reading of Bar Padda. He argues that Bar Padda relies on the Mishnaic evidence that shaving on the 30th day is b'dieved (post-facto) effective. Rashi’s chiddush is that for Bar Padda, the concept of miktzat hayom k'kulo is a red herring—it is not a legal fiction invoked to bridge days, but a simple recognition that the 29-day term has concluded. Therefore, the 30th day is an entirely new legal entity. Rashi rejects the notion that the Mishna is trying to "patch" the days together via legal fiction; it is simply stating that the first term is done.

2. Tosafot Nazir 6a s.v. אמר לך סיפא מסייעא

Tosafot takes a more complex, analytical stance. They argue that even for Bar Padda, the seifa is not just a definition of length, but a proof of the status of the 30th day. They posit that the 30th day functions as an "overlap" day. Their chiddush is that one can be a nazir for the 30th day and simultaneously be in a state of taharah (purity) for the next, allowing for a seamless transition. They contrast this with Rav Mattana, who needs the miktzat hayom k'kulo principle to justify the overlap. Tosafot forces us to see the 30th day as a "hinge"—it is a day that carries the weight of two different temporal statuses.

Friction

The Strongest Kushya: If the 30th day is merely the first day of the second term (Bar Padda), why does the Mishna Nazir 16a state that if he becomes tamei on the 30th, it "negates the entire tally"? If the first term ended at 29, the impurity on the 30th should only trigger the laws for the second term, not invalidate the first.

The Terutz: Bar Padda pivots to the seifa of the Mishna regarding Rabbi Eliezer: "Rabbi Eliezer says: It negates only seven days." If the term were truly 30 days, the nazir would have to restart the entire process (the full 30). The fact that Rabbi Eliezer allows a partial negation (7 days) proves that the primary obligation (the 30th day) has already been met. The impurity on the 30th is treated as a minor breach of the new term, not a destruction of the completed first term. Rav Mattana, conversely, must resort to the "part of the day" principle to explain why the 30th is both a completion and a vulnerability.

Intertext

• Numbers 6:5 vs. Numbers 6:13: The tension between the "growth of hair" (physical requirement) and "day of completion" (temporal requirement) mirrors the dispute. Rabbi Yoshiya Nazir 6a anchors the duration in the physical reality of hair growth (30 days), while Rabbi Yonatan anchors it in the lunar month (29-30 days). This is the pshat version of the lomdus debate occurring in the Gemara.
• SA Yoreh De'ah 391: The logic of miktzat hayom k'kulo is frequently invoked in aveilut (mourning). The Gemara’s rigorous application here demonstrates that the Nazir is an anomalous status—it is a "time-bound" vow that functions like a shiva, where the exit from the status is as structurally significant as the entry.

Psak/Practice

In practical halacha, the stama naziriteship is treated as 30 days. The meta-psak heuristic here is that when the Torah mandates a "completion of days" for a status change, the law defaults to the fullest reasonable interpretation (30) rather than the minimal one (29). We follow the chumra (stringency) of the 30-day requirement, as the miktzat hayom principle serves as a safeguard for the b'dieved cases rather than a license for the l'chatchila (ideal practice).

Takeaway

The 30th day is the "quantum" moment of the Nazirite—it exists in a superposition of completion and commencement. Whether we view it as a 29-day term with a grace period or a 30-day term with an overlap, the halacha demands we respect the shleimut (completeness) of the vow.