The rabbis persist with their questions about the length of an unspecified vow of nazirut. 30 days? 29 days? Does the final day count as a day of nazirut? Is hair shaving done on the last day of one's status as a nazirite or after the term has been completed? And if one waits, how long is the wait? The following day? Perhaps one should wait seven days, or two days, or the period of time it takes for the top of one hair to reach its root when folded over.
The rabbis go on to discuss the rounding of numbers, for example from 29 to 30 days. The intention is to ensure that a person who takes a vow of nazirut should not have to worry that her/his vow has not been completed properly.
Again, in our times, the consequences of such an unintentional error would be minimal. We might feel badly that we did not accurately fulfil a promise. But in the times of the Talmud, errors like the improper completion of a vow was punishable by lashes or even karet.
The compassion within which I practice Judaism does not allow for the harsh punishment of small errors. Errors are to be acknowledged and then either corrected or accepted for what they are. I cannot fathom practicing a Judaism that insists on 'perfection'. And I cannot imagine the G-d that I know caring about those details. There might be something G-dlike in attempting to create and practice rituals in particular ways, but I cannot believe in a G-d that would actually care about what is actually practiced.
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