## Nazir Daf 41a

###### Nazir 41a:1
[Nazir 41a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Nazir/r/41a:1)

וְתוּ, אִי סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ כִּי עָבֵיד בְּמַלְקֵט וּבְרָהִיטְנֵי — מִצְוָה קָא עָבֵיד, מִדְּלָא כְּתִיב ״תַּעַר״, כְּרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ, דְּאָמַר:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And furthermore, if it should enter your mind** that **when he performs** his shaving **with tweezers or a plane he performs a mitzva, from** the fact that the word **razor is not written** he should not be allowed to use a razor at all, **in accordance with** the opinion of **Reish Lakish, who says** a principle in this regard.


###### Nazir 41a:2
[Nazir 41a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Nazir/r/41a:2)

כׇּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה מוֹצֵא עֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, אִם אַתָּה יָכוֹל לְקַיֵּים אֶת שְׁנֵיהֶם — מוּטָב, וְאִם לָאו — יָבֹא עֲשֵׂה וְיִדְחֶה אֶת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara cites the relevant principle: **Any place where you find a positive** mitzva **and a prohibition** that clash with one another, **if you can** find some way **to fulfill both,** that is **preferable; and if that is not** possible, the **positive** mitzva **will come and override the prohibition.** In this case the leper can fulfill his duty with tweezers or a plane, and therefore it should be prohibited for him to shave with a razor. Since it was necessary for the verse to say that the positive mitzva for a leper to shave overrides the prohibition against destroying one’s beard, this proves that the mitzva can be performed only with a razor.


###### Nazir 41a:3
[Nazir 41a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Nazir/r/41a:3)

וְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר מַאי טַעְמָא? יָלֵיף מֵ״רֹאשׁוֹ״. דְּתַנְיָא: ״רֹאשׁוֹ״, מָה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר? לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר גַּבֵּי נָזִיר ״תַּעַר לֹא יַעֲבוֹר עַל רֹאשׁוֹ״, יָכוֹל אַף נָזִיר מְצוֹרָע כֵּן — תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״רֹאשׁוֹ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And Rabbi Eliezer, what is** his **reason?** From where does he derive the *halakha* that a leper must use a razor? He **derives** it **from** the fact that the verse states with regard to a leper: “He shall shave all his hair off **his head** and his beard” (Leviticus 14:9). **As it is taught** in a *baraita*: **Why does the verse state: “His head,”** if it already stated: “All his hair”? It is **because it is stated with regard to a nazirite: “No razor shall come upon his head”** (Numbers 6:5), and therefore one **might** have thought that **the same** should **also** apply to **a nazirite** who is **a leper,** i.e., it should be prohibited for him to shave his head even for the purification ritual for his leprosy. Therefore, **the verse states: “His head,”** to teach that a nazirite who is a leper must shave his head with a razor. Being that a nazirite is prohibited only to use a razor, if a leper could fulfill his obligation to remove his hair using other implements, a nazirite who is a leper would not be permitted to use a razor. Therefore, it can be inferred from the *halakha* of a nazirite who is a leper that the only way for a leper to remove his hair is with a razor.


###### Nazir 41a:4
[Nazir 41a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Nazir/r/41a:4)

מִמַּאי? דִּלְמָא לְעוֹלָם אֲפִילּוּ לִיקְּטוֹ בְּמַלְקֵט וּבְרָהִיטְנֵי — מִצְוָה קָעָבֵיד. וְכִי תֵּימָא: תַּעַר לְמָה לִי — לְמֵימְרָא דַּאֲפִילּוּ בְּתַעַר. סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ אָמֵינָא, הוֹאִיל וְגַבֵּי נָזִיר כִּי עָבֵיד בְּתַעַר מִיחַיַּיב, גַּבֵּי מְצוֹרָע נָמֵי לִיחַיַּיב, קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן דְּלָא!

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara rejects this suggestion: And **from where** do you know that a leper must shave his head with a razor? **Perhaps even** if he **actually removed it with tweezers or a plane he performs a mitzva. And if you would say:** If so, **why do I** need the verse to teach me that he uses **a razor,** through the derivation of the superfluous term “his hair,” as above, one can answer: **That is to say that** he is permitted to shave **even with a razor.** As, **it might enter your mind to say** that **since with regard to a nazirite, when** he **performs** the act of shaving **with a razor** he is **liable** for transgressing the prohibition, **with regard to** a nazirite who is **a leper** as well, he should **also be liable** even if he shaved for his leprosy. The verse therefore **teaches us** that this is **not** the case, but it does not teach that a leper must use a razor.


###### Nazir 41a:5
[Nazir 41a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Nazir/r/41a:5)

אִי סָלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ כִּי עָבֵיד בְּמַלְקֵט וּבְרָהִיטְנֵי מִצְוָה קָעָבֵיד, מִדְּלָא כְּתַב ״תַּעַר״, כְּרֵישׁ לָקִישׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara rejects this suggestion: **If it should enter your mind** that **when** a leper **performs** his hair removal **with tweezers or a plane he performs a mitzva,** then **from** the fact that the verse **did not** explicitly **write: Razor,** it can be inferred that he is not allowed to use one, **in accordance with** the aforementioned principle of **Reish Lakish** that one may not violate a prohibition, even for the sake of a mitzva, if it is possible to perform the mitzva in a different manner. Rather, the verse must be coming to teach that the mitzva of the shaving of a leper can be fulfilled only with a razor.


###### Nazir 41a:6
[Nazir 41a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Nazir/r/41a:6)

וְרַבָּנַן הַאי ״רֹאשׁוֹ״, מַאי דָּרְשִׁי בֵּיהּ? מִיבְּעֵי לְהוּ לְמִידְחֵי לָאו דְּהַקָּפָה. דְּתַנְיָא: ״לֹא תַקִּיפוּ פְּאַת רֹאשְׁכֶם״, יָכוֹל אַף מְצוֹרָע כֵּן — תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״רֹאשׁוֹ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And the Rabbis,** with regard to **this** term: **“His head,”** which is referring to a leper, **what do they learn from it?** The Gemara answers: **They require** this term **to override** the **prohibition of rounding** the corners of the head. **As it is taught** in a *baraita* with regard to the verse **“You shall not round the corners of your heads”** (Leviticus 19:27): One **might** have thought that **the same** should **also** apply to **a leper,** that it should also be prohibited for him to round the corners of his head when he shaves. Therefore, **the verse states: “His head,”** with regard to a leper.


###### Nazir 41a:7
[Nazir 41a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Nazir/r/41a:7)

לְמָה לִי לְמִכְתַּב ״רֹאשׁוֹ״? וְתִיפּוֹק לֵיהּ מִ״זְּקָנוֹ״. דְּתַנְיָא: ״זְקָנוֹ״, מָה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר? לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וּפְאַת זְקָנָם לֹא יְגַלֵּחוּ״, יָכוֹל אַף מְצוֹרָע כֵּן — תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: ״זְקָנוֹ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **Why do I** need the Torah **to write: “His head”? And let one derive** this *halakha* that the mitzva of shaving overrides that prohibition **from** the term **“his beard”** (Leviticus 14:9). **As it is taught** in a *baraita*: **Why does the verse state: “His beard”?** It is **because** the verse **states** with regard to priests: **“Neither shall they shave off the corners of their beards”** (Leviticus 21:5), and therefore one **might** have thought that **the same** prohibition against shaving one’s beard should **also** apply to **a leper.** Therefore, **the verse states: “His beard.”**


###### Nazir 41a:8
[Nazir 41a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Nazir/r/41a:8)

לְמָה לִי לְמִכְתַּב ״רֹאשׁוֹ״ וּלְמָה לִי לְמִכְתַּב ״זְקָנוֹ״? צְרִיכִי, דְּאִי כְּתַב רַחֲמָנָא ״זְקָנוֹ״ וְלָא כְּתַב ״רֹאשׁוֹ״, הֲוָה אָמֵינָא: הַקָּפַת כׇּל הָרֹאשׁ לֹא שְׁמָהּ הַקָּפָה. לְהָכִי כְּתַב רַחֲמָנָא ״רֹאשׁוֹ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: If so, **why do I** need the Torah **to write: “His head,” and why do I** need it **to write: “His beard”?** One source should suffice to teach that the shaving of a leper overrides any prohibitions that would be violated by that act. The Gemara answers: Both verses **are necessary. As, had the Merciful One written** only: **“His beard,” and not written: “His head,” I would say** that **the rounding of the entire head,** i.e., shaving all the hair off one’s head and not merely the sides, is **not called** a prohibited **rounding.** If that were so, the shaving of a leper’s head would not be prohibited by Torah law. **For this** reason **the Merciful One writes: “His head,”** to teach that the shaving that the leper performs would be considered a prohibited rounding of the head had the Torah not commanded him to shave.