Daf Yomi for Women - Hadran

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Nazir 66 - Siyum Masechet Nazir Mar 30, 2023

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For the text of the Hadran ceremony, click here.
For more information about What is a Siyum, click here.

Siyum Nazir is sponsored by Semé Dewees-Cooper "Special thanks to Rabbanit Michelle and all the Hadran staff who make our daily learning and this Siyum possible. Also mazel tov to each person who is completing this masechet!"

Siyum Nazir is sponsored by Randi (Sharona) Shuster in honor of her husband who believed in her and encouraged her to learn Gemara and in memory of her husband's principal at Maimonides, Rabbi Moses Cohen. "I would also like to thank Rabbanit Michelle for her help and guidance through learning all the masechtot I have learned. This is number 4!"

I would like to personally dedicate this Siyum to three dedicated Hadran learners who passed away during the course of our learning of Masechet Nazir: Carol Robinson, Miriam Kersner and Faye Darack. You will all be missed by the Hadran community.

The Gemara finishes explaining the way detailed in the previous Mishna in which we are more strict with a zav who already saw two zav discharges, than with one who only saw one. Was Shmuel a nazir? When his mother Chana promised that "mora will not go on his head," did she mean that he would be a nazir or did she mean that the fear of humans would not be upon him? Which is greater: the one who makes a blessing or the one who answers amen to a blessing? There is a tannaitic debate on this topic. Torah scholars bring peace to the world as is learned from a verse from Isaiah 54:13.

Introduction to Masechet Sotah with Dr. Ayelet Hoffmann Libson Mar 29, 2023

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Introduction to Masechet Sotah

Nazir 65 - March 29, 6 Nissan Mar 29, 2023

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Today's daf is sponsored by Abby Sosland in memory of Rabbi Henry Sosland, z'l whose yahrzeit is tomorrow. "He always pushed his family to have a project, to study something on the side of everything we were doing. Dad, may our learning today help to give your neshama an aliyah!"

Today's daf is sponsored by Becki Goldstein in loving memory of Avraham ben Shlomo on his 6th yahrzeit "A trailblazer who through his great ahavat Torah and burning desire to spread it wherever he could founded the Elazar English kollel providing Anglos with an avenue to delve into the world of the Talmud and share in his great passion. I have the zchut to be learning my daf with this gemarot and each day his memory (and his comments) inspire me to reach greater heights. I thank Hashem for this great gift of an eved hashem, my husband's chevruta, and a wonderful friend. יהי זכרו ברוך"

Today's daf is sponsored by Lisa Kolodny in honor of Nancy Kolodny on her birthday tomorrow. "I am so glad we set out on this Daf Yomi journey together. I love our chevrutot and hope to celebrate many more siyums with you."

If one finds a grave buried on the road, one can move it in order to prevent a situation where there is impurity in unexpected places. However, this is true for one or two graves. But if there are three, this is considered an area where there was an ancient cemetery and one is not allowed to remove the bones and one needs to check the area up to twenty cubits around as there is a likelihood of finding more bones. There are some exceptions to these rules. When it is permitted to move bodies, one must remove the earth underneath the body - tefusa. There is a tannaitic debate about what exactly gets removed. What happens when one finds one body, removes it, then another and removes it, and then finds a third in the same area? Do we now consider it an ancient burial place and cannot remove the third or are we lenient and permit moving it for the sake of purifying Israel? What if only three graves are found and no more? If the kohen has a doubt about a leprous mark, if the person is not yet a leper, we are lenient. If the person is already a leper, we are strict. They try to find a source in a verse for this but in the end, they reject the proof and use that verse to teach a different halacha about lepers. In determining if one is a zav who saw once (impure one day), twice (needs seven clean days), or three times (also needs to bring a sacrifice), we differentiate between determining if it was a zav discharge between the first two and the third. This is because once someone is already a zav and needs seven clean days, we assume any discharge will be on account of zav and not from any external circumstance. But to determine the first and second, we need to know it was specifically from being a zav and not because or food, drink, activity, etc.

Nazir 64 - March 28, 6 Nissan Mar 28, 2023

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Today's daf is sponsored by Avi Mimun in honor of his wife Joy on their 19th year anniversary. "Joy, your love for Torah learning is a source of inspiration and blessing for me and the kids. I'm so proud of your accomplishments and wish you to be able to complete the entire Shas. I'm lucky to be married to the most amazing woman in the world! Love you very much!"

Today's daf is sponsored by Julie Mendelsohn in honor of her son Raphael who is drafting into the army tomorrow. "May Hashem bless you and keep you, and may you return home safely along with all חיילי צבא הגנה לישראל. It was amazing to see you finish the Shas mishnayot last month. The next daf yomi cycle, you're going to join me and finish the whole Talmud b'ezrat Hashem (and b'li neder)!"

Today's daf is sponsored by Mitzi and David Geffen in loving memory of Mitzi's mother, Ruth Toll Lock, Rut bat Miriam and Avraham z"l on her 37th yahrzeit. "She was a loving mother, mother-in-law, and wife; and a devoted Zionist and wonderful educator in Harrisburg, PA. All of her 4 children made Aliyah and her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren all live in Israel!"

If there is a doubt about whether one came in physical contact with an impurity that is floating in water, even in a private domain where one is generally strict about impurity that is in doubt, we are lenient. There is a debate about whether this only applies to water attached to the ground or even to water in a vessel. From where is this law derived and from where does each opinion find proof in the verses? Rami bar Hama asks a slew of questions regarding an impure item floating on top of something else that is floating - it is considered on solid ground (and one who was in doubt if they came in contact with it would be impure) or would it be considered floating (and would be pure). His questions remain unanswered. Rav Hamnuna limits the case in our Mishna where tumat tehom applies to one who is impure, to a case where they did not complete yet their purification process, but if they did, even if they were still waiting for the sunset to fully complete the process, they would not be considered to have the presumptive status of impurity. Abaye questions the issue about waiting for sunset as he thinks one would still be considered to have the presumptive status of impurity. Although, the Gemara points out that Abaye himself changed his mind on this issue and proves it from his comments on an entirely different situation regarding the sacrifices a woman brings after childbirth.

Nazir 63 - March 27, 5 Nissan Mar 27, 2023

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If a nazir finds out after shaving that he had become impure before, the earlier days are canceled and the nezirut must be redone, but only if the impurity was known. However, if it was tumat tehom, then nothing is canceled. Tumat tehom is if one went to a mikveh in a cave and there was a dead body that sunk to the bottom and could not be seen. If one went into the mikveh to cool off and did not see the body, one would not be considered impure. But if one used it as a mikveh, it would not be effective as the person's presumptive status stays the same - if one was impure, they remain impure. What is the source for tumat tehom? Reish Lakish and Rabbi Elazar bring verses, but after raising two questions, one on Rabbi Elazar and another on both, they conclude that it is a halacha l'Moshe m'Sinai. The Mishna follows Rabbi Eliezer who holds that shaving the hair is necessary for finishing nezirut, as that is the determining factor for tumat tehom. Rami bar Hama asked: If one became impure during their nazirite term, but only found out after the term ended, before they shaved, does it cancel thirty days, as it goes by the day they became impure, or does it only cancel seven? After some back-and-forth answers and difficulties, they derive the answer from the Mishna. In Tosefta Zavim 2:5, they define what are cases of tumat tehom.

Nazir 62 - March 26, 4 Nissan Mar 26, 2023

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Study Guide Nazir 62

The Gemara brings several possibilities to extrapolate the words "a man who expresses" in the verse about valuations. Each possibility is partially rejected until Rav Ada bar Ahava brings a drasha that is not rejected. The Gemara brings several possibilities to extrapolate the words "a man who expresses" in the verse about the nazir. Each possibility is partially rejected until the braita is brought to show that we can derive from there the law that one can nullify one's vows. The Mishna teaches that there is a stringency by slaves regarding nezirut that is not true for women - one can nullify his wife's vows, but if he breaks the nezirut of his slave (i.e. forcing him to drink wine), when he is freed, the prohibitions will come into effect again. The Gemara brings a braita with the following question: Why is it even permitted for a master to force his slave to drink wine when he is a nazir but if the slave takes an oath or vow, one cannot force him to go against it? After two failed attempts to answer the question, Abaye understands the braita differently - that one can force a slave to not keep his nazirite vow, but vows and oaths one does not need to force one's slave not to keep, as a vow or oath of a Canaanite slave is not valid at all. If a slave has been freed, his nezirut is reinstated, but what if he ran away? Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yossi disagree. What is their point of disagreement?

Nazir 61 - Shabbat March 25, 3 Nissan Mar 24, 2023

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Another braita is brought to show the differences between the shaving of a nazir and the shaving of a leper. Is the shaving for an impure nazir just to remove the hair of impurity or the act of shaving a mitzva? What is the ramification and how do they learn the answer from the braita we learned earlier about the four shavings? A gentile cannot be a nazir. But a woman and a Canaanite slave can be. A woman appears explicitly in the verse. A Caananite slave is derived from a verse. A Gentile is excluded from the words "bnei yisrael" used to introduce the section about nazir. A question is raised from laws of valuations, as there the gentile is excluded from making valuations as it says "bnei yisrael" but they are included in a certain way as one can make a valuation on a gentile as is derived from the word "man." Also by nazir we have both "bnei yisrael" and "man" so why are gentiles not at least partially included? The Gemara attempts in four ways to explain the difference. The first three derive it from the verse stating that a nazir cannot become impure to their mother or father so either the gentile doesn't have a father or can't become impure or doesn't have laws of passing on slaves to his children and therefore not included here. The first and third are rejected but the fact that laws of impurity don't apply to a gentile is eventually proven. Rava tries a fourth track where he suggests that perhaps nazir would be just like valuations that one is a nazir but not in the same way as a Jew. He then rejects each of those suggestions one by one thus showing that the nazir is different than the laws of valuations regarding gentiles.

Nazir 60 - March 24, 2 Nissan Mar 24, 2023

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Study Guide Nazir 60

This week's learning is sponsored by Rabbi Lisa Malik and Adi Wyner in loving memory of Aryeh Natanel Kluger z"l, the 12-year-old son of Larry Kluger and Josie Glausiusz Kluger & the twin brother of Rena Amalya Kluger of Modi'in. Aryeh died on Rosh Chodesh Nisan 5783 at Shaare Zedek in Jerusalem due to complications from a brain tumor. In his short life, Aryeh was an award-winning software developer, Lego inventor, and entrepreneur who loved to play piano, read books, eat eclairs, hike, and hang out with his sister, his friends, and his family. Easily identifiable by his bright red hair, beaming smile, & boundless concern for others (expressed even during the last days of his life), Aryeh touched the lives of everyone he encountered. This week, the world feels a little darker without Aryeh; we pray that Aryeh's light will continue to shine in the hearts of those who loved him. May the neshama of Aryeh Natanel ben Lev v'Nechama Channah have an aliyah & may his memory inspire us to learn, to care, and to be grateful for the blessings in our lives.

If there is a doubt whether a nazir became impure to a dead body and became a leper, one has to shave four times and each time bring various sacrifices and actions. What is done at each stage and what stipulations need to be made? What is the procedure if a nazir was definitely a leper but possibly impure to a dead body? What if the impurity was clear but the leprosy was in doubt? Why can't one of the shavings count for two issues such as, completion on nezirut and leprosy? Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai spells out all the differences between the different types of shavings, thereby explaining why one can't count for both.

Nazir 59 - Rosh Chodesh Nissan - March 23, 1 Nissan Mar 23, 2023

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Study Guide Nazir 59

Today's daf is sponsored by Rochie Sommer in honor of Meryl Sasnovitz. "Happy gold plus silver birthday to Mama, Savti, and Savti Raba extraordinaire."

Today's daf is sponsored by Elisheva Gray. "With much gratitude and appreciation to Rabbanit Michelle, Rabbanit Leah Sarna and Maggie Sandler for the two wonderful supplementary courses these last weeks. It was all wonderful learning, each course in its own way. And if the stam is the connector of the Talmud, Maggie is the great Hadran connector, bringing all of the threads and all of us together and doing so much behind the scenes. Todah rabah to you all, and Chodesh Tov!"

What is included in the prohibition for a man not to wear things that a woman wears and for a woman not to wear things that a man wears? There are different opinions on this topic - does it forbid men from removing armpit and pubic hairs? Does it forbid women from carrying weapons? If there were two nezirim and one became impure and we do not know which one and then one of them died, how does the other resolve their situation of doubt? Rabbi Yehoshua suggests recruiting a friend to be a nazir alongside them for two thirty days periods in order to allow the sacrifices to be brought upon condition. But Ben Zoma thinks that this is absurd as how will someone find a person willing to do this? Ben Zoma suggests an alternative way to do this and in the end, Rabbi Yehoshua concedes. A nazir regarding whom there is a doubt whether the nazir became impure to a dead body and became a leper, needs to keep 120 days of nezirut and after each thirty-day interval, shaves for each of the issues - two for being a leper and then two for nezirut (first impurity, then purity).

Nazir 58 - March 22, 29 Adar Mar 22, 2023

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Study Guide Nazir 58

The Gemara brings two different braitot that each derive something different from the word 'and his head' that the leper is commanded to shave. One learns that the commandment of a leper to shave overrides the prohibition of shaving off one's sidelocks. The other learns that it refers to a leper who is a nazir and even though a nazir is commanded by both a negative and positive commandment not to shave their hair, if they have leprosy, they can. The positive commandment here overrides both a negative and a positive commandment. It is suggested first that the dispute between the braitot is about whether the prohibition against cutting off sidelocks also applies in a case where one is cutting off all of his hair. Rava rejects this possibility and suggests that both agree that removing the sidelocks is only forbidden when one is not removing all the hair. But then they find it difficult to understand the first drasha and reject it and say they agree that removing all the hair is also forbidden. From here and on the basis of this understanding, the Gemara asks three questions about each braita and answers them all. Can a man shave hairs elsewhere on the body? Is there a prohibition in this based on the verse that forbids a man to wear women's clothing? Is this a prohibition by Torah or by rabbinic law?

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