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A few key points to follow in Nezirut Chapter 3:
- Mishnas 1 - 4 deal with the basic law that a person who vows to be a Nazir, unless stipulated otherwise, that person remains a Nazir for 30 days. On day 31, they conduct the conclusion ceremony, shave, and drink wine.
- If a person vowed to be a Nazir multiple times in a row, do we see those multiple instances as a single long unit, or separate instances? This seems to be the question at the heart of an argument between Hillel and Shammai in Mishna 7.
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A Nazir who comes in contact with the dead must start their Nazirut over from day 1. Mishnas 5 and 6 explore the next logical question: What if a person takes a vow of Nazirut in an impure environment? For instance, what if they take up Nezirut in a cemetary? Rabbi Eliezer holds that, since the Nazirite-hood didn't count at the moment of taking the initial vow, it never takes hold at all. But this view disagrees with the Mishnah's opening opinion — which holds that once the person leaves the ceremony and purifies themselves from the tumah of the dead, the nezirut clock starts.
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Mishnah 6 explores this question with regard to a person who vows to become a Nazir outside of Israel. Given that rabbinically, chutz la'Aretz is impure, a Nazir who vows to become a Nazir in chutz la'Aretz must observe Nezirut but do a "do-over" if they end up coming to Israel. This leads to the amazing story of Queen Heleni becoming a Nazir for decades.
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