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Week 71 - Tuesday - 3 April 2001

NEDARIM: CHAPTER 7: MISHNAH 8

"That which you make I will not eat until Passover," "with that which you make I will not cover myself until Passover" - she made before Passover, he is permitted to eat and to cover himself after Passover. "That which you make until Passover I will not eat," and "with that which you make until Passover I will not cover myself" - if she made before Passover, he is prohibited from eating and from covering himself after Passover.

Kehati

Since the preceding mishnah dealt with one who prohibits himself by vow from deriving benefit from his wife's work, this mishnah continues to discuss the same topic, teaching that if the husband specified a time limitation in his vow, we must examine, in accordance with the wording of the vow, whether the time limitation refers to the prohibition in the vow or whether it refers to the object which he prohibited himself.

If one says to his wife, "Konam - That which you make I will not eat until Passover" - implying that the husband prohibited himself until Passover from any food which his wife will make for him, or if one says to his wife, "Konam - with that which you make I will not cover myself until Passover" - implying that the husband vowed that he would not wear until Passover clothes which his wife will make for him, then any food or garment that - she - his wife, made before Passover, he - the husband, is permitted to eat - this food, and to cover himself - with this garment, after Passover - for the time limitation in his vow determines only the time during which the prohibition in his vow applies to him, i.e., only until Passover; he therefore is prohibited only until Passover from the food or clothes which his wife made before Passover.

But if one says to his wife, "Konam - That which you make until Passover I will not eat," and “with that which you make until Passover I will not cover myself" - the implication of the vow is that the husband prohibited to himself anything that his wife would make for him until Passover, if she made - a food or clothes - before Passover, he is prohibited from eating and from covering himself after Passover - i.e., the husband is prohibited forever from eating the food or wearing clothes that his wife made for him before Passover, for the time limitation in his vow does not define the time period during which the prohibition in his vow will be in effect, but rather to define the time period for her work, so that her work will be prohibited forever from this period.

NEDARIM: CHAPTER 7: MISHNAH 9

"That you derive benefit from me until Passover, if you will go to your father's house before the Festival" - if she went before Passover, she is prohibited from deriving benefit from him until Passover; after Passover - transgresses "he shall not break his word." "That you derive benefit from me until the Festival, if you will go to your father's house until Passover," and she went before Passover - she is prohibited from deriving benefit from him until the Festival, and she is permitted to go after Passover.

Kehati

This mishnah is a continuation of the preceding mishnah, and continues to discuss one who declares a vow to his wife which contains a time limitation, but which contains a condition, e.g., a husband prohibits his wife by a vow from deriving benefit from his property if she will do a certain thing, and his vow will take effect only if the condition is fulfilled.

If one says to his wife after the Festival of Sukkot, "Konam - That you derive benefit from me - i.e., from that which is mine, until Passover, if you will go to your father's house before the Festival" - of Sukkot, and the time of the prohibition ends before the time of the condition; if she - the wife, went - to her father's house - before Passover, she - the wife, is prohibited from deriving benefit from - that belonging to - him until Passover - for the condition is fulfilled and the vow takes effect. But after Passover, she is permitted to derive benefit from his property, for the time of the prohibition is only until Passover; if she went to her father's house - after Passover - then she - transgresses "he shall not break his word" - i.e., if she derived benefit from the property of her husband before Passover, and she is warned not to go to her father's house until Sukkot, and if she went, then the vow is violated and she retroactively transgresses the precept "he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that issues from his mouth" (Num. 30:3). The Gemara explains that, according to Rabbinic law, she is prohibited from deriving benefit from her husband until Passover, since she might go to her father's house after Passover.

And if one said to his wife, "Konam - That you derive benefit from me until the Festival - of Sukkot, if you will go to your father's house until Passover" - and the time of the condition ends before the time of the prohibition, and she went before Passover - to her father's house, she is prohibited from deriving benefit from him until the Festival - for the condition is fulfilled and the prohibition of the vow applies to her, and she is permitted to go after Passover - because the condition he made in his vow was that she not go to her father's house only until Passover.

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