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Week 71 - Sunday - 1 April 2001

NEDARIM: CHAPTER 7: MISHNAH 4

If one prohibits himself by vow from the house, he is permitted the upper storey; the words of Rabbi Meir. But the Sages say, The upper storey is included in "the house." If one prohibits himself by vow from the upper storey, he is permitted the house.

Kehati

It was normal practice to build an additional structure on the roof of a house which was called the "upper storey." The Tannaim disagree in our mishnah, whether the upper storey is included if one prohibits himself by vow from the house.

If one prohibits himself by vow from - entering - the house, he is permitted - to enter - the upper storey - on the roof of the house; the words of Rabbi Meir - for Rabbi Meir holds that the upper storey is not included in "the house."

But the Sages say, The upper storey is included in "the house" - and therefore one prohibited by a vow from the house is prohibited from the upper storey. I. e., if he prohibited himself by vow from a certain house which has an upper storey, e.g., he said in his vow, "this house," then he is prohibited also from the upper storey of this house; similarly, if he prohibited himself by vow from all houses, e.g., he said "house" without qualification, then he is prohibited also from the upper stories of all houses (Ritba).

If one prohibits himself by vow from - entering - the upper story, he is permitted - to enter - the house - for, according to all opinions, the house in not included in the term "upper storey."

NEDARIM: CHAPTER 7: MISHNAH 5

If one prohibits himself by vow from the bed, he is permitted the dargash; the words of Rabbi Meir. And the Sages say, The dargash is included in the bed. If one prohibits himself by vow from the dargash, he is permitted the bed. If one prohibits himself by vow from the city, he is permitted to enter the limit of the city, and is prohibited from entering its extension [ibur], But if one prohibits himself by a vow from the house, he is prohibited from the door-frame inward.

Kehati

If one prohibits himself by vow from - deriving benefit from - the bed, he is permitted - to derive benefit from - the dargash - The Gemara quotes two interpretations for dargash: a) arsa de-gada, a bed of luck, which was prepared and covered with sheets in order to bring luck to the house, and was made up for status and not for use; b) arsa de-tzala, a leather mattress, which is meant for use, but which is not appreciated as much as a real bed; according to Rambam, Hameiri, and Bartenura, it is a small bed, set before the big bed, in order to step up from it to the big bed; the words of Rabbi Meir - who holds that the dargash is not included in the term "bed."

And the Sages say, The dargash is included in the bed - and the person prohibited by vow from the bed is prohibited from the dargash.

But - If one prohibits himself by vow from - deriving benefit from - the dargash, he is permitted the bed - according to all opinions, for the bed is not included in the term "the dargash."

If one prohibits himself by vow from - entering - the city, he is permitted to enter the limit of the city - within the tehum Shabbat of the city, i.e., a distance of 2,000 cubits around the city in every direction, within which the people in the city are permitted to go out on Shabbat; the area of the tehum is not considered part of the city, but outside the city, as it is written, "and you shall measure without the city ... two thousand cubits" (Num. 35:5), and he - the person prohibited by vow from entering the city, is prohibited from entering - within - its - the city's, extension [ibur] - which is 70 cubits and 47 tefahim around the city in every direction. If there are houses which extend outside the city within this area, they are called "the extension of the city," and are considered to be part of the city. The tehum of 2,000 cubits is measured only from the border of the city extension, as explained in Tractate Eruv. 5:1. There is a difference between one who prohibits himself by vow from the city and one who prohibits himself by vow from the house, for one prohibited by a vow from the city is also prohibited the extension of the city,

But if one prohibits himself by vow from the house, he is prohibited - from entering, only - from the doorframe inward - from where the door closes, i.e., from the place where the door touches the threshold or the lintel, and inward; but from the doorframe and outward, even from the threshold to the door, he is permitted to enter, even though the thickness of the threshold is like the extension of the house (Tosefot Yom Tov, Tiferet Yisrae1).

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