Nazir 10: A Talking Cow and a Talking Door

Today's daf focuses on a new Mishna that raises a number of issues.  The rabbis aren't sure of the meaning of the Mishna, which states: If a speaker says that "This cow said 'I am hereby a nazirite if I stand up'" or if he says, "This door says, 'I am hereby a nazirite if I am opened", Beit Shammai says that he is a nazirite and Beit Hillel say that he is not a nazirite.  Rabbi Yehuda explains that Beit Shammai are referring  to the person who says that the cow is forbidden to me as an offering if it stands up, which means that the vow may take effect but the person is not going to be a nazirite.  

The Gemara walks us through our rabbis' examinations of this Mishna.  It seems that both Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai agree that the vow of nazirut is suggested by the person telling this tale.  But why?  The words of the Mishna suggest that the cow would become a nazirite given certain conditions!  But a talking cow?  Or a talking door?  Even more ridiculous.  

Because the words of the Mishna are so challenging, the rabbis agree that the Mishna must be referring to something other than the vows of a cow or a door.  Perhaps the cow is being held up as an conditional offering.  Perhaps the speaker is suggesting that the cow thinks it will not stand and if it does stand on its own accord, the speaker will not consume cow flesh.  

The speaker's turpeih, intention, is the same as the main part of his statement - similar to the toref of a document.  The rabbis decide to interpret according to the speaker's turpeih rather than by the actual words of the Mishna.  But it is unclear how one might determine the speaker's turpeih.  Both Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai use their understanding of the speaker's turpeih to construct and defend their interpretations.