Nazir

GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught: And after that the nazirite may drink wine  means after [the performance of] all that has to be done.  This is the opinion of R. Eliezer, but the Sages said that [it means] after any Single act. What is the Rabbis' reason? — In this verse it is written, 'And after that the nazirite may drink wine,' whilst in the preceding verse occur the words, After he has shaven his consecrated head,  and so just as there ['after'] means after the single act, here too it means after a single act. But may it not mean after both acts?  — If that were so, there would be no need for the similarity of phrase. Rab said: The rite of 'waving' in the case of the nazirite is indispensable. Whose opinion does this follow? Shall I say that of the Rabbis? Surely, since the Rabbis do not consider polling indispensable, the 'waving' is certainly not so!  It must therefore be that of R. Eliezer. But then it is obvious, for R. Eliezer has said that [the verse  means] 'after all that has to be done'? — It might be thought that since in the matter of atonement it is merely a non-essential feature  of the [sacrificial] rite,  it is also not indispensable here, and so we are told [by Rab that this is not so].