1) During this period, the Nazir is not allowed to:
- cut his hair;
- become Tamei by touching or being in the same room as a corpse; or
- consume any products of the grapevine.
2) If a Nazir becomes Tamei through contact with or being in the same room as a corpse, on the third and seventh days he must be sprinkled with water mixed with the ashes of the Parah Adumah in it to become Tahor. On the seventh day of his purification he shaves off the hair of his head. On the eighth day, he brings the sacrifices of a Nazir who becomes Tamei and begins counting the days of Nezirus he accepted upon himself anew. The sacrifices he brings are two turtledoves (Tor) or two young common doves (Yonah), one as a Chatas and one as an Olah. He must also bring a yearling sheep as an Asham. (These Korbanos and this shaving are in addition to the Korbanos and shaving he, and every Nazir, brings upon the completion of their Nezirus, see next paragraph.)
3) When a Nazir completes his period of Nezirus, he must perform the concluding rituals which involve offering three sacrifices: a male sheep as an Olah, a female sheep as a Chatas, and a ram as a Shelamim. Together with the Shelamim he brings 6 and 2/3 Esronos of Soles (fine flour), which are made into 20 loaves of Matzah, 10 Chalos (unleavened loaves) and 10 Rekikin (flat Matzos). He then shaves off his hair and burns it under the pot in which the Zero'a of the Shelamim is cooked (Bamidbar 6:18). (Sefer ha'Chinuch #377).
Stam Nezirus
If a person makes a vow to become a Nazir without stipulating a time period, his or her Nezirus lasts for a period of thirty days. At the end of thirty days the nazir may perform the concluding rituals and be released from the vow. As long as one does not perform the concluding rituals, he remains a nazir and is bound by all the laws of nezirus. The Torah declares יהיהקדש using the future tense. The objective of what the nazir hopes to accomplish will finally be attained after יהיה - after the thirty days have elapsed.
The Chofetz Chaim notes that this halacha is indicated by means of a gematria, a numerical hint, in the letters of the word “יהיה”. We should be impressed, he says, that if a simple gematria results in several pages of discussion in the Gemara, how much more so must we heed every word and sentence throughout the Torah and give our full attention to the lessons that are contained within them!
Long Term, Multiple Terms of Nezirus
If a person makes a vow to become a Nazir stipulating a time period, his or her Nezirus lasts for whatever amount of time he stipulated (a minimum of thirty days). A person may also adopt at one time as many consecutive terms as specified, just must bring the sacrifices at the end of each term.
Nezir Olam
(a) If someone says "I am a Nazir forever" or "I am a Nazir all the days of my life", he becomes a Nezir Olam and is a Nazir until the end of his life. Like a normal Nazir, he is not allowed to any of the three forbidden actions listed above.
(b) A Nezir Olam differs from a normal Nazir in that he may cut off some of his hair at the end of every twelve months when his hair becomes heavy, but he may not shave it off completely. On the day that he cuts his hair, he brings the three Korbanos that a normal Nazir brings at the completion of the Nezirus period, namely a Chatas, an Olah and a Shelamim. If he becomes Tamei, he brings a Korban Tum'ah, shaves his hair and starts his Nezirus anew (just like any Nazir who becomes Tamei).
Nezir Shimshon
Unique form of nezirus named after the well-known biblical figure. This type of nazir may never cut his hair or drink wine. However, in contrast to the other forms of nezirus, he is permitted to contaminate himself with corpse tumah. Also, once declared, this type of nezirus cannot be annulled.
Derivations from Pasukim
Bemidbar Ch. 6, v. 5: "Ga'deil pera sar rosho" - We see that the nazir is not only prohibited to cut his hair, but as well, that it is holy. Perhaps there is a symbolic message here. The human body corresponds to the mitzvos of the Torah: the (male) body having 365 sinews and 248 organs; the Torah gave us 365 restrictions and 248 positive precepts. The nazir has taken upon himself something extra, beyond the restrictions of the Torah, and has included them in the list of restrictions. Human hair is in some ways beyond the basic body. We find that it can be cut with feeling no pain that although a person has died, it continues to grow for a short while, and that the prohibition to not derive benefit from a human body after the person has died does not apply to hair. All these points show us a beyond the body relationship of hair with the rest of the person. Since the nazir has taken extra restrictions upon himself, the Torah wants him to be continuously conscious of this, and gives his hair sanctity that it would not otherwise have.
Ch. 6, v. 7: "U'l'achoso" - The Torah gives us a list of relatives to whom the nazir may not defile himself. The mention of each additional relative teaches us that even when there is a more pressing need to avoid involvement with a burial; it is only for a person who has others to bury him that the nazir must remain "tohor," undefiled. However, for a dead person who has no one else to bury him, a "meis mitzvoh," he must defile himself (Gemara Nazir 48b). "U'l'achoso" teaches us that he must defile himself to a "meis mitzvoh" even if he is a nazir who is on his way to perform a circumcision on his own son and also on the way to sacrifice his Paschal lamb. The Torah Temimah says that the word "achoso" alludes specifically to the mitzvos of circumcision and the Paschal lamb, as their fulfillment is an act of sibling closeness to HaShem. We find this in the Medrash Shir Hashirim 5:2 on the words, "pis'chi li ACHOSI ra'yosi." The medrash says that the bnei Yisroel are called HaShem's sister when they fulfill the mitzvos of circumcision and bringing the Paschal lamb.
Ch. 6, v. 5: "Kodosh y'h'yeh" – “He shall be holy” - What level of sanctity does the "nazir" have? Sefer Hachinuch in Mitzvah #376 writes that he is to be equated with the Kohein Gadol. He derives this from the fact that a "nazir" may not defile himself even to his 7 closest relatives (verse 7), just like the Kohein Gadol (VaYikra 21,11). As well, the Torah says that both the "nazir" (verse 6,7) and the Kohein Gadol (verse 21,22) have HaShem's "crown" upon them.
The Rambam in hilchos "shmitoh v'yoveil" 13:12 writes: The reason that the tribe of Levi did not receive a portion of land in Eretz Yisroel as did the other tribes is because they are separated to serve HaShem and to teach His righteous ways to the masses. The Rambam continues in halacha 13: Not only the tribe of Levi, but anyone whose spirit has elevated him and his intellect has brought him to separate himself to stand in service of HaShem and to pursue understanding of HaShem's holiness and goes on a straight path, as HaShem has created humanity, and removes from his neck the petty calculations of the common man that sideline a person from pursuing the true goal (as per Koheles 7:29), he is sanctified to become Holy of Holies, and HaShem will become his "lot and inheritance" for all eternity. Just as the Leviim merit to have their physical needs met through HaShem's special involvement, so too, he will merit this. The Radva"z in his commentary on these words of the Rambam writes that the basis of the Rambam is "mi'yosher daato u'svoroso," from the straightness of his knowledge and his understanding.
Rabbi Yehudah Kuperman suggests that a source for these halachos in the laws of the "nazir" in our verses regarding defilement, with the insight of the Chinuch brought earlier. The Chinuch writes that a "nazir" has sanctified himself and is on the level of a Kohein Gadol. This is done of his own volition, and is a most wonderful source for the Rambam.
Ch. 6, v. 7: "L'oviv ul'imo lo yitamo" - To his father or his mother he shall not defile himself - This is even stricter than the law of a Kohein, who is permitted (required) to defile himself to his parents. This can be explained as follows: A Kohein receives his elevated sanctity through his parents, as they brought about his existence, and the status of Kohein is passed on from is father. A "nazir," however, creates his sanctity on his own, as this is not passed down to him by his parents. We can similarly understand why a Kohein Gadol may not defile himself to his parents, because although he becomes a Kohein through them, but becoming a Kohein Gadol is not genetically from them. (Sochatchover Rebbe in his preface to his halachic work Iglei Tal)
