MISHNA: With regard to the shaving of ritual impurity performed by a nazirite who became impure during his naziriteship, how is it performed? The priest would sprinkle the waters of purification on him on the third and the seventh days after he contracted his impurity, as performed for all those who contracted impurity imparted by a corpse. And he shaves his hair on the seventh day and brings his offerings on the eighth day. And if he shaved on the eighth day he brings his offerings on that day, this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Tarfon said to him: What is the difference between this ritual and that of a leper? A leper also shaves on the seventh day and sacrifices his offerings on the eighth. However, if a leper shaves on the eighth day he brings his offerings on the ninth day, not on the day of his shaving.

Rabbi Akiva said to him: The purification of this impure nazirite depends on his days, as he immerses on the seventh day like all those who contract impurity imparted by a corpse, which means he is already ritually pure on the eighth day. But with regard to a leper, his purification depends on his shaving. Any immersion performed earlier is of no account, and must be repeated. And a leper brings his offering only if the sun has set following his immersion. Since offerings are not sacrificed at night, the bringing of his offering is postponed until the following day.

GEMARA: The Gemara asks: Did Rabbi Tarfon accept this claim from Rabbi Akiva, or did he not accept it? Come and hear an answer to this from that which Hillel the amora taught: If a nazirite shaved on the eighth day, he brings his offerings on the ninth. And if it should enter your mind that Rabbi Tarfon accepted the claim from Rabbi Akiva, let the nazirite bring his offerings on the eighth day itself, in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Akiva. Rather, this baraita is certainly in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Tarfon, who remains steadfast in his rejection of Rabbi Akiva’s opinion.

Rava said: This is not difficult, i.e., it is possible that Rabbi Tarfon accepted Rabbi Akiva’s opinion with regard to a nazirite who shaved on the eighth day, and there is a difference between the two statements: In this case of the mishna, it is referring to a nazirite who immersed on the seventh day, which means that he is entirely pure on the eighth and can therefore bring his offerings on the same day after shaving. By contrast, in that case of Hillel’s baraita, it is referring to one who did not immerse on the seventh. Consequently, as he immerses on the eighth day he may sacrifice his offerings only after sunset, on the ninth day.

§ Abaye said: I encountered the members of the assembly of Rav Natan bar Hoshaya sitting and saying the following: The verse states with regard to a man who experiences a gonorrhea-like discharge [zav] who immerses on the seventh day of his purification: “And on the eighth day he shall take for himself two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting and give them to the priest” (Leviticus 15:14). When does he come to the courtyard to sacrifice his offerings? Only when he has immersed on the seventh day and performed the requirement to wait until sunset. In that case, yes, he brings his offerings, but if he has not immersed and has not performed the requirement to wait until sunset, no, he may not enter the courtyard.

Apparently, this tanna maintains that one who immersed himself that day to release himself from the status of a zav is considered like an actual zav. Just as a zav is prohibited from entering the Levite camp in his state of impurity, the same applies to him on the day of his immersion, as he must wait until after sunset, when he is entirely pure.

Abaye adds: Upon hearing this, I said to those Sages: If that is so, with regard to an impure nazirite too, as it is written: And he shall bring them, referring to the verse “And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting” (Numbers 6:10), this can be explained in a similar manner: When does he come to the courtyard to sacrifice his offerings? When he has immersed himself and performed the requirement to wait until sunset.