intended to increase the knowledge, interest, and anticipation of the reader, thereby hastening the realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash. More on Lishkat HaNezirim (Chamber of Nazirites) The Mishna describes Nezirim coming from the Golah and finding the Mikdash destroyed. This effectively denied them the opportunity of concluding their vows of Nezirut because of their inability to bring the three required Korbanot. "…Nachum the Mede said to them, 'Would you have become Nezirim if you knew that the BeitHamikdash was destroyed? And they answered 'No'. Then Nachum the Mede absolved them of their oath. But when the matter came before the Sages, they said to him, 'If any man vowed to be a Nazir before the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed, his Nezirut remains binding, but if he took his vow after the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed,his vow does not remain binding'"(Nazir 5:4). Tif'eret Yisrael (ibid. 18) posited that Golah in this case actually did not mean outside of Eretz Yisrael. "It seems to me that these Nezirim were in reality inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael even though the Mishna specifically said that they came from the Golah. The reason isthat by the time they came up (to Jerusalem to offer their Korbanot), the Beit Hamikdash had already been destroyed and then all Israel wandered around aimlessly here and there just like a deer unable to find pasturage." Rambam rules, "The laws of Nezirut apply whether or not the Mikdash is standing. Therefore in these times, someone who takes upon himself to become a Nazir, must remain one for life, because there is no Mikdash where he can bring the required (concluding) Korbanot and thereby terminate his period of sworn abstinence. Thelaws of Nezirut apply only in Eretz Yisrael and if someone took upon himself to be a Nazir abroad, he is fined and is forced to relocate to Eretz Yisrael where he must live as a Nazir the same amount of time he originally took upon himself to do abroad" (Hil. Nezirut 2:20,21). When the Nazir's term of Nezirut was fulfilled, he had to
bring three Korbanot; a Chatat (a ewe), an Olah (a male lamb) and Shelamim
(a peace offering, a ram), in that order (Hil. Nezirut 8:2). The meat of the
Chatat was eaten by the Kohanim in the Azara as part as the atonement
process ("The Kohanim eat and the owners- i.e. the Nezirim - obtain
atonement" - Pesachim 59b). The Olah was totally burnt upon the Mizbei'ach
except for the skin which was given to the Kohanim. Part of the Shelamim was
burnt on the Mizbei'ach, a portion was given to the Kohanim, and the rest
eaten by the Nazir. Aside from the breast and the thigh which weredue to the
Kohanim from all Shelamim, the Kohanim received an extra gift, the upper
foreleg. The Shelamim, the "ram of the Nazir", could be eaten on the day of
slaughter and the following night until midnight. The Kohanim and the
members of their households could eat the Muram (the portion allotted to the
Kohanim from the Shelamim) anywhere in Jerusalem if they were in a state of
purity (Zevachim 5:7). The Nazir also brought "a basket of unleavened bread;
loaves of fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers smeared with oil;
and their meal offerings and their libations" (Bamidbar 6:15). Once the
Korbanot were offered, the Nazir retired to Lishkat HaNezirim, the chamber
to the southeast corner of the Ezrat Nashim (Court of the Women). It was
there, "the Nezirim - cooked their Shelamim, cut off their hair and threw
(the shavings) under the pot…" (Midot 2:5). The Torah ordains, "…the Nazir
shall shave his Nazirite head; he shall take the hair of his consecrated
Nazirite head and put it in the fire which is under the (cooking)
sacrificial peace offering. The Kohein shall take the cooked upper foreleg
of the ram and one unleavened loaf from the basket and one unleavened wafer
and place them on the hands of the Nazir after he shaved his consecrated
Nazarite head. And the Kohein shall wave them as a wave offering before G-d
…and afterwards the Nazir may drink wine" (Bamidbar 6:18-20). He also was
now permitted to become ritually impure (though not in the Mikdash) and cut
his hair normally. Strictly speaking, the meat of the "ram of the Nazir"
could be "cooked in any fashion and could be eaten anywhere within the city
of Jerusalem" (Zevachim 5:7), so why was a special chamber in the Ezrat
Nashim set aside for this purpose? Tif'eret Yisrael comments that "many
Nezirim were from other cities and did not have acquaintances in Jerusalem
(where they might have felt at home enough to cook sacrificial meat).
Therefore (as a courtesy), the spacious chamber in the southeastern corner
of the Ezrat Nashim (40 amot by 40 amot square), was placed at their
disposal for them to cook and eat the meat of their Shelamim if they chose
to do so (ibid. T.Y. 47 end). There must have been a relatively large number
of Nezirim in BayitSheini days to warrant the setting aside of such valuable
space for this purpose. ANSWER: No, the "Megilat Esther" a.k.a. HaRav Yitzchak DeLeon was not a woman. This commentator, in his introduction to his word on Sefer HaMitzvot writes, "I named my book… Megilat Esther, so I will be reminded all my life of my affliction and sorrow of the passing of my righteous and learned mother, the gracious lady Esther, may her soul rest in Eden." May her memory be a blessing. Catriel is in the process of writing a book: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrims Prospective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service [The
Parshat Ki-Tisa Homepage]
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