Positive Commandment 93 (Digest)
The Procedure for the Conclusion of a Nazirite Term
"When the days of his nazirite vow are fulfilled..."—Numbers 6:13.
When a nazirite concludes his term, he must follow the procedure outlined in the Torah, which includes shaving his head and bringing specified sacrifices.
The
93rd mitzvah is that the Nazirite is
commanded to cut his hair and offer sacrifices at the conclusion of his
Nazirite period.
In
the words of the Sifra: "There are
three cases in which haircutting is a mitzvah
— the Nazirite, the leper, and the Levite." The haircutting of the Levites only
took place in the desert and is not a commandment for all generations
[and is therefore not counted among the count of 613]. The haircutting of the Nazirite and the leper,
however, apply to all generations [and therefore are counted among the 613].
It
is clear that there are two categories of haircutting for a Nazirite. One is in
a case where he became tameh, as the
verse says, "If a person dies in his presence
suddenly...[when he purifies himself on the seventh day, he must shave off the
hair on his head]."
The
second category is cutting his hair while he is in a state of purity, as the
verse says, "[This is the law of what the Nazirite must
do] when the term of his Nazirite vow is complete."
These
two haircuttings do not count as two separate mitzvos, since the first one is included in the general requirement
upon the Nazirite to allow his hair to grow when he is in a state of holiness,
as explained above. The verses then elaborates upon this mitzvah [of letting the hair grow], saying
that should he become tameh during
his Nazirite period, he must cut his hair and bring offerings. He must then
resume once again growing his hair in a state of holiness for the complete
duration of his vow.
This
case is similar to the two haircuttings of the leper which also count as one mitzvah, as explained there.
Later, I will explain why the haircutting of the
Nazirite and the sacrifices he brings are counted as just one mitzvah, although the haircutting of the
leper and his sacrifices are counted as separate mitzvos.
The
details of the mitzvah regarding the
Nazirite's haircutting are explained in tractate Nazir.
Positive Commandment 114 (Digest)
Donating the Value of a Person
"If a man makes a vow, [pledging] the value of lives"—Leviticus 27:2.
If a person pledges to give the value of a particular person to G‑d, he must follow the law prescribed in the Torah. The amount owed depends on the age and gender of the person whose value was pledged, and also on the financial means of the person who made the pledge.
The
114th mitzvah is that we are
commanded regarding the financial evaluation (erachin) of a person, e.g., when a person says, "I promise to give
my value," or "I promise to give the value of (a particular person)." Then, if
the person is a male, he must give a certain amount, and if female, a certain
amount. The amount also varies according to the age [of the person being
evaluated] and the financial state of the one making the vow.
The
source of this commandment is G‑d's statement, "When a person makes a vow regarding the value
of a person...."
The
details of this mitzvah are explained
in tractate Erachin.
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