Avodah Mailing List

Volume 05 : Number 060

Monday, June 5 2000

• Brisker Derech
• Re: Brisker Derech

An classic Brisker Derech approach:

The mishna in the third perek of Nazir (we are learning Y-mi Nazir now -
zehr zehr geshmack!!!) say a Nazir that is nitma achar Yom Melos (i.e., day
101 of a 100 day Nezirus, prior to havo'as korbonos) is only soseir thirty
days, not 100 day. Why?

R' Chaim explains that there are two dinim in being soseir nezirus, being
soseir the nezirus vs. being soseir minyan. A Nazir after 100 day is soseir
his nezirus, not his minyan.

This is a beautiful example of Brisker lomdus because the "what" has been
defined so elegantly that you think you understand the "why". But if you
consider a second time, the question begins to gnaw: "nu, yezt veis ich
vohs, obber, fahr vohs"?

Nevertheless, in Nezirus this flies easier than Nashim/Nezikin, because
sevoro is not as essential. Which is perhaps why the Brisker Rav has four
mahaduros on Nazir!

Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
http://www.aishdas.org/baistefila    ygb@aishdas.org

In a message dated 6/4/00 12:22:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
sbechhof@casbah.acns.nwu.edu writes:

<< R' Chaim explains that there are two dinim in being soseir nezirus, being
 soseir the nezirus vs. being soseir minyan. A Nazir after 100 day is soseir
 his nezirus, not his minyan.
 
 This is a beautiful example of Brisker lomdus because the "what" has been
 defined so elegantly that you think you understand the "why". But if you
 consider a second time, the question begins to gnaw: "nu, yezt veis ich
 vohs, obber, fahr vohs"?
 
 Nevertheless, in Nezirus this flies easier than Nashim/Nezikin, because
 sevoro is not as essential. Which is perhaps why the Brisker Rav has four
 mahaduros on Nazir! >>

Is not this a rather typical technique of R' Chaim, who applied the 
distinction between the "what" and the "set of what" in other areas, such as 
Sefiras Haomer, and the halachos of Tashlumin for the set of daily tefillos?

I am curious to know other examples you could offer to further enlighten me 
as to how this sort of distinction plays out in other sugyas.
Nice to see an elegant Shtick lomdus online.....

Jordan Hirsch

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