Nazir Daf 41 - Giluach Metzora With Ta'ar, Asei Docheh Lo Sa'asei
Summary
- The shiur presents a continuation in Nazir 40b–41a on how the Torah establishes that a metzora’s shaving is performed specifically with a razor, explains why the Torah singles out rosho and zekano despite already stating yegale’ach et kol se’aro, and develops the parameters and sources of aseh docheh lo taaseh for both the Rabbanan and Rabbi Eliezer. The Gemara’s initial kal vachomer from a nazir to a metzora is challenged by Tosafot and the Rosh, leading to a stronger proof built on Reish Lakish’s rule that when efshar lekayem shneihem one must avoid violating the lav unless a pasuk makes it impossible. Conceptual underpinnings of aseh docheh lo taaseh are attributed to Rav Nissim Gaon and the Ramban, with limits such as ein aseh docheh lo taaseh shebaMikdash, and practical sugya outgrowths include the status of a nazir metzora, the role of rosho and zekano, and how Rabbi Eliezer derives both tiglachat metzora betaar and aseh docheh lo taaseh from distinct sources.
- The shiur is dedicated by Dr. David Landrau in honor of his wife and children and le’iluy nishmat his mother גולדה בת שמחה עליה השלום, by Eli and Bruna Gantarow for the first yahrzeit of Dr. מענדי Gantarow, מנחם מענדל יצחק בן הרב משה זלמן, and by Avi and Ellen Freilich in memory of הרב יצחק דב בן הרב אברהם יעקב. The learning continues from the prior day on Nazir 40b, focusing on how Rabbi Eliezer derives that tiglachat metzora is davka with a taar and why the Torah specifies rosho and zekano beyond kol se’aro, which leads into aseh docheh lo taaseh according to the Rabbanan and Rabbi Eliezer.
- The Gemara rejects the possibility that zekano merely permits using a taar without requiring it, arguing that if non-razor tools fulfilled the mitzvah, silence of the pasuk would allow a kal vachomer from a nazir to permit a taar. Tosafot and the Rosh report views that the kal vachomer could be from a nazir tahor or tamei, but they critique the comparison: a nazir involves mitzvot yetirot and only overrides hakafas ha-rosh, while a kohen metzora shaving with a taar would be docheh both a lav and an aseh. The Rosh notes that unlike a nazir who cannot fulfill his mitzvah without violating hakafas ha-rosh, a metzora could (under the assumption) use other implements; Tosafot concludes that this initial claim is not the main point.
- Reish Lakish states that whenever an aseh and a lo taaseh conflict, if one can fulfill both, one must do so, and only when it is impossible does aseh docheh lo taaseh operate. The shiur applies this to argue that zekano cannot be a mere permission to use a taar where other tools suffice, because that would contravene the rule unless a more explicit pasuk mandated it; therefore zekano teaches that tiglachat metzora must be betaar, making it eino efshar lekayem shneihem and activating aseh docheh lo taaseh. The shiur cites tzitzit as the classic sugya in Yevamot 4 for aseh docheh lo taaseh, noting the practical case of a linen garment and the need for wool strings for techelet as a basis for de’oraita override.
- The Beit Yosef in Hilchot Tzitzit siman 11 cites the Rambam that the requirement to avoid violating the lav when efshar lekayem shneihem is de’oraita. Tosafot in Pesachim 5a provide support that, mi-de’oraita, aseh is docheh lo taaseh even when efshar lekayem shneihem, and the constraint is derabbanan.
- Rav Nissim Gaon (Shabbat 133a) explains that each lav carries a built-in tenai that it does not apply be-makom aseh, so the lav effectively falls away in the face of the aseh. The Ramban on Chumash writes that although the onesh for a lav is more severe, the kiyyum of an aseh is a greater ma’alah than avoiding a lav because an aseh expresses ahavat Hashem whereas a lav expresses yirat Hashem; therefore aseh is docheh lo taaseh, except that ein aseh docheh lo taaseh shebaMikdash because of the heightened emphasis on yirah in the Mikdash.
- Rabbi Eliezer, who holds that hashchatas ha-zakan applies to other implements as well, derives tiglachat metzora betaar from rosho. The beraita expounds “והיה ביום השביעי יגלח את כל שערו... את ראשו ואת זקנו ואת גבות עיניו” and uses rosho to include a nazir metzora, despite “תער לא יעבור על ראשו” and the aseh of “גדל פרע שער ראשו,” proving that the metzora’s kiyyum is davka betaar; otherwise no conflict would exist, since a nazir’s issur is with a taar. The shiur addresses the ba’idna limitation because a nazir violates by removing a single hair whereas tiglachat metzora is only when kol rosho is shaved, and suggests with the Tur Eiwen that issurei nazir are more kal due to she’eilah and that a nazir metzora lacks kedushat nezirus (per the Rambam), while Yevamot answers that heter beshe’eilat chacham limits learning to kol haTorah; the Rashba adds that shalom bayit in the metzora’s taharah process further strengthens the aseh.
- The Rabbanan, who derive betaar from zekano, use rosho to teach that the metzora’s aseh is docheh the lav of “lo takifu pe’at roshechem,” so the pe’ot are included in tiglachat. The shiur notes the acharonim’s question how the makif (barber) may act when the subject’s aseh permits his shaving, given that a makif may not even cut a katan’s pe’ot.
- The Gemara requires both rosho and zekano. If only zekano were written, one might have said hakafas kol ha-rosh lo shemah hakafah, limiting the lav to side-shaving with hair left atop the head (as per Tosafot, the Rosh, Rashi in Yevamot, and the Rambam’s priest-of-avodah zarah model), so rosho affirms that even hakafas kol ha-rosh is an issur and the heter here is due to aseh docheh lo taaseh. If only rosho were written, one would not know davka betaar for a metzora, so zekano teaches davka betaar by framing the heter as overriding a kohen’s prohibition of “ופאת זקנם לא יגלחו,” which is classically with a taar.
- Rabbi Eliezer learns aseh docheh lo taaseh from tzitzit via semichut in Devarim between “לא תלבש שעטנז” and “גדילים תעשה לך,” indicating that tzitzit may be made even from sha’atnez. Rabbi Eliezer therefore uses rosho to establish a nazir metzora’s shaving betaar and relies on the general tzitzit source for the aseh docheh lo taaseh principle.
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