Answers to this Week’s Riddles

(For riddles see pg. 71)

1. The Madanay Asher brings this question and brings a number of answers:
   1. The Torah commands a nazir to grow his hair long, and he is prohibited to cut it. Therefore, his hair is considered part of his body. A normal person, however, is able to cut his hair, therefore, it is considered separate and is therefore a chatzizah.
   2. Hair is only considered a chatzizah on the level of derabonon. When it came to the a nazir Chazal never instituted that hair is considered a chatzizah. (R’ Pinchos Epstein zt”l)
   3. Perhaps a nazir only wore tefillin shel yad, like we find that the kohanim never wore tefillin when they were busy with the avodah. (R’ Pinchos Epstein zt”l)
2. In Parshas Vayeishev (Bereishis 40:9-11), Pharaoh’s cupbearer had a dream in which he picked grapes from a vine and squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup. In Parshas Shelach (Bamidbar 13:23), the spies cut a branch with a cluster of grapes from Eretz Yisroel and carried it back with them. (Torah Teasers)
3. Based on an incident recorded in the Gemara (Nazir 19b-20a), the Rambam (Hilchos Nezirus 2:21) rules that if a person outside of Eretz Yisroel declares הריני נזיר (I am a nazir), he is obligated to move to Eretz Yisroel and remain there until the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt and he brings the necessary offerings to complete his nazirite term. In the absence of the Beis HaMikdosh, he must stay there for the rest of his life. The Raavad disagrees, for even in Eretz Yisroel, the nazir will still be tamei [impure] and unable to purify himself to properly fulfil his nazirite vow. The Raavad maintains that it is therefore forbidden to become a nazir at present.
4. R’ Chaim Kanievsky in Tama Dekra discusses this, he writes: It’s obvious that she never recited a birchas hanhenin, as something bitter was placed into the water, so she never benefited from drinking it. Regarding a birchas hamitzvos: If she was guilty, certainly she didn’t make a berachah, as one doesn’t make a berachah on something which is a punishment. However, even if she knows 100% that she is innocent, since the water is coming because of an aveirah (i.e., she secluded herself), she doesn’t make a berachah, as we don’t make a berachah on something which comes because of an aveirah. Like the Shu”t HaRashbah writes (1:18) in regard to the mitzvah of returning stolen items, and on returning interest. If so, there is no reason for the woman to make any berachah.

R’ Dovid Liskin points out, that there is another reason why the sotah shouldn’t make any berachah. The halachah is, one only makes shehakol if he is drinking because of thirst, if one is drinking for ulterior motives, no berachah is recited.

R’ Yisroel Shwartz points out, Rashi based on the Sifri says, when the pasuk refers to the water as “bitter water”, it doesn’t mean that there was something bitter inside, rather it means that it was a bitter situation due to the punishment that came at the end. The Ramban writes that the Sifri argues on the Gemara which understands simply, that the water was bitter. According to the Sifri, there would be room to say that a sotah who is 100% innocent, should make a berachah.

However, the Rema (Orach Chaim 204:10) rules: “If one drinks water because he is being forced, he doesn’t make a berachah, even if he benefits from it”. A sotah, is forced to drink, therefore, she would be exempt from making any berachah. (Madanay Asher, and Otzar Pelois HaTorah)