Talmud Nazir (E)

(3) These were administered at the discretion of the court and are Rabbinical in origin.
(4) Num. XXX, 13.
(5) Since the same words in verse 9 refer to a woman who knows that her husband has declared her vow void.
(6) I.e., the woman who thought to drink wine during her naziriteship, but was not really a nazirite.
(7) Tosef. Naz. III, 6.
(8) Lev. V, 27. with reference to the offering of a guilt-offering.
(9)  Heb. Heleb, ‘suet’. Animal fat used in the sacrificial rite. This fat might not be eaten even in the case of ordinary
animals.
(10) Isi b. Judah holds that this guilt-offering was not brought if he ate a slice concerning which it was doubtful whether
it was permitted or forbidden fat, but only if he ate one of two slices and did not know if it was the permitted or the
forbidden slice.
(11) R. Akiba's interpretation of the nazirite woman and the two cases of one who may have eaten forbidden fat.
(12)  The passage in Lev. V. 27, says that a guilt-offering must be brought for ‘atonement’ and the offender will be
‘forgiven’.
(13) He thought it was the permitted kind of fat.
(14) For the slice might in fact be forbidden fat.
(15) And there must also be expiation. A guilt-offering could be brought only to make as atonement for an unintentional
transgression.
(16) The whole passage from here to the next Mishnah occurs again in Hor. 10b-12b; for fuller notes v. Hor. (Sonc. ed.).
p. 73.
(17) Hosea XIV, 20.
(18) The passover was to be eaten as the final course of the evening meal when the guests had already eaten their fill.
(19) To eat the passover offering. V. Ex. XII, 8.
(20) Each has done a different act.
(21) After the destruction of Sodom. V. Gen. XIX, 32.
(22) Viz., to preserve the human species, for they imagined that the rest of mankind had perished. V. Gen. XIX, 31.
(23) Inserted from ‘En. Jacob.
(24) Gen. XIII, 10.
(25) E.V., ‘east’ her eyes; Potiphar's wife to Joseph. Gen. XXXIX, 7.
(26) E.V., ‘For she pleaseth me well’; Samson of the Philistine woman. Jud. XIV, 3.
(27) Gen. XXXIV, 2.
(28) Prov. VI, 16.
(29) Hosea II, 7. ‘Watered’ and ‘drink’ are from the same root.
(30) His daughters first made him drunk.
(31) One of the puncta extraordinaria. V. Ges. K. Grammar, sec. 5n.
(32) ‘And the first born went in and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down,’ nor ‘when she arose’.
Gen. XIX, 33.
Talmud - Mas. Nazir 23b
Talmud - Mas. Nazir 23b
Talmud - Mas. Nazir 23b
And their contentions are like the bars of a castle?
1
 ‘A brother offended is harder to be won than a
strong city’, refers to Lot who separated from Abraham,
2
 ‘And their contentions are like the bars of a
castle’, for he gave rise to contentions [between Israel and Ammon]
3
 for An Ammonite or a Moabite
shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord.
4
 
    Raba and some say R. Isaac, expounded as follows: What is the significance of the verse, He that
separateth himself seeketh his own desire and snarleth against all sound wisdom?
5
 ‘He that
separateth himself seeketh his own desire’ refers to Lot. ‘And snarleth [yithgale’] against all sound
wisdom’, tells us that his disgrace was published [nithgaleh]
6
 in the Synagogues and Houses of
Study, as we have learnt: An Ammonite and a Moabite
7
 are forbidden [in marriage] and the
prohibition is perpetual.
8
 

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    ‘Ulla said: Both Tamar
9
 and Zimri
10
 committed adultery. Tamar committed adultery and gave
birth to kings and prophets.
11
 Zimri committed adultery and on his account many tens of thousands
of Israel perished.
12
 
    R. Nahman b. Isaac said: A transgression performed with good intention is better than a precept
performed with evil intention.
13
 But has not Rab Judah, citing Rab, said: A man should always
occupy himself with the Torah and [its] precepts, even though it be for some ulterior motive,
14
 for
the result will be that he will eventually do them without ulterior motive?
15
 — Read then: [A
transgression performed with good intention is] as good as a precept performed for an ulterior
motive, as it is written, Blessed above women shall Jael be, the wife of Heber the Kenite. Above
women in the tent shall she be blessed,
16
 and by ‘women in the tent’, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and
Leah are meant.
17
 
    R. Johanan said: That wicked wretch [Sisera] had sevenfold intercourse [with Jael] at that time, as
it says. At her feet he sunk, he fell, he lay,’ etc.
18
 But she derived pleasure from his intercourse? —
R. Johanan said:
19
 All the favours of the wicked are evil to the righteous, for it says, Take heed to
thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
20
 Now [that he was not to speak] bad we can
understand, but why was he not to speak good? Thus it may properly be inferred that the good of
such a one is an evil. The above text [states]: Rab Judah, citing Rab, said: A man should always
occupy himself with the Torah and [its] precepts, even though it be for some ulterior motive, for the
result will be that he will eventually do them without ulterior motive. For as reward for the forty-two
sacrifices which the wicked Balak offered,
21
 he was privileged to be the progenitor of Ruth, for R.
Jose son of R. Hanina has said that Ruth was descended from
22
 Eglon, [the grandson of Balak,]
23
king of Moab.
 
    R. Hiyya b. Abba, citing R. Johanan. said: How do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He,
does not withhold the reward even for a decorous expression? The elder daughter [of Lot] called her
son Moab
24
 and so the All-Merciful One said [to Moses]:
25
 Be not at enmity with Moab, neither
contend with them in battle.
26
 Only war was forbidden, but they might be harassed. The younger
daughter, on the other hand, called [her son's] name Ben-Ammi
27
 and so it says, Harass them not,
nor contend with them.
28
 They were not to be harassed at all.
 
    R. Hiyya b. Abin said: R. Joshua b. Korha said: A man should always be as alert as possible to
perform a precept, for as reward for anticipating the younger by one night, the elder daughter [of
Lot]
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(1) Prov. XVIII, 19.
(2) Thereby offending him. V. Gen. XIII, 11.
(3)  Corrected from Hor. 10b. Thus Moab and Ammon, Lot's descendants, were barred from intermarriage with Israel
because Lot offended Abraham. [The text here reads: ‘like bolts and the palace.’ I.e., the contentions constitute the bolts
which bar the admission of Ammon and Moab into the house of Israel — the palace.]
(4) Deut. XXIII, 4.
(5) Prov. XVIII, 1.
(6) A play on the Hebrew roots indicated.
(7) But not an Ammonite woman or a Moabite woman.
(8) Yeb. 76b.
(9) With her father-in-law, Judah. V. Gen. XXXVIII, 14.
(10) With the Midianitish woman. V. Num. XXV, 14.
(11)  David and his descendants were of the tribe of Judah; Amos and Isaiah are traditionally said to have been of the
tribe of Judah. V. Sot. 10b.
(12) In the plague; v. Num. XXV, 9.
(13) For an example see below.

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