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Week 72 - Wednesday - 11 April 2001

NEDARIM: CHAPTER 9: MISHNAH 8

"Konam wine that I do not taste, because wine is bad for the bowels." They said to him, "Is it not so that the very old is good for the bowels?" He is released regarding the very old, and he is released not only regarding the very old, but regarding all the wine. "Konam onion that I do not taste, for onion is bad for the heart." They said to him, "Is it not so that the kufri is good for the heart?" He is released regarding the kufri, and he is released not only regarding the kufri, but regarding all the onions. It once happened, and Rabbi Meir released him regarding all the onions.

Kehati

This mishnah continues to discuss the law of "a vow which has been nullified partially is entirely nullified." After learning this law concerning the time of the vow - "They may open with the Festivals and Sabbaths," and the other days are also nullified - mishnah 6, above - and similarly concerning people from whom the person taking the vow is prohibited "If a person said, 'Konam if I derive benefit from all of you," if the vow was nullified regarding one of them it is nullified concerning all" - (the preceding mishnah), this mishnah teaches this law, regarding things which he prohibited to himself in his vow. It has already been mentioned (in the explanation of the preceding mishnah), that whether the vow was nullified by a Sage or whether it was an erroneous vow which is automatically nullified, since it was nullified partially, it is entirely nullified.

If a person says, "Konam wine that I do not taste, because wine is bad for the bowels" - he took a vow not to drink wine, and added the reason for his vow, "because wine is bad for the bowels." They - his fellows, said to him, "Is it not so the very old is good for the bowels?" - there is wine which is good for the bowels, such as very old wine. It is explained in B. B. 6:3 that yashan ("old") is from last year, and meyushan is three years old." And the person taking the vow replies, "If I had known that this is so, I would not have taken the vow, or I would have taken a vow only regarding the new," he is released regarding the very old - without asking a Sage, since, regarding very old wine, we find that his vow was made erroneously; and he is released not only regarding the very old, but regarding all the wine - since a vow which has been nullified partially is entirely nullified; therefore, since very old wine has been permitted him, all other kinds of wine are permitted.

And similarly, if a person says, "Konam onion that I do not taste, for onion is bad for the heart" - he took a vow that he would not taste onion, since it is bad for the heart. They said to him, "Is it not so that the kufri is good for the heart"' -According to one interpretation, kufri is onion from the village (kefar - see Ter. 2:5); according to another interpretation, this is an onion which grows in the place called "Kofer" (= Cyprus);

He is released regarding the kufri - since, regarding this type of onion, his vow had been taken erroneously; and he is released not only regarding the kufri, but regarding all the onions - since he is permitted some of the onions from which he was prohibited by vow, he is permitted all of them.

It once happened - concerning a person who prohibited himself by vow from onions because they are bad for the heart, and Rabbi Meir released him regarding all the onions - this mishnah teaches that Rabbi Meir implemented in practice the ruling of his teacher Rabbi Akiva, that a vow which has been nullified partially is entirely nullified.

NEDARIM: CHAPTER 9: MISHNAH 9

They may open for a man with his own honor and with the honor of his children. They say to him, "If you had known that the next day they would say about you, 'This is the custom of so-and-so, he divorces his wives,' and about your daughters they would say, 'They are daughters of divorced women, what happened to their mother to be divorced?"' And he said, "If I had known that this is so, I would not have taken a vow," then he is permitted.

Kehati

This mishnah returns to the main topic of this chapter - with what openings can a vow be nullified? We have learned until now that we do not open for a person with the honor of the Omnipresent, but we do open for him with the honor of his father and his mother (according to the opinion of the Sages, only concerning matters between him and his father and mother); we also open for him with the obligations of "you shall love your neighbor as yourself," "that your brother may live with you," etc.; and also with his wife's ketubah, and with the honor of Shabbat and Festival. This mishnah concludes this topic with an opening based on his own honor and that of his children.

They may open for a man with his own honor and with the honor of his children - if a person comes to a Sage to be released from his vow, we open for him an opening with things pertaining to his own honor and the honor of his children. E.g., if he took a vow to divorce his wife, They say to him, "If you had known that the next day - after you divorce your wife, they - people, would say about you, 'This is the custom of so-and-so, he divorces his wives’ - and as a result you shame yourself with the vow, and about your daughters they - people - would say, 'They are daughters of divorced women - and would not want to marry them, for they would say, "Like mother, like daughters," for - what happened to their mother - to arrive at such a situation, to be divorced"' - that her husband would divorce her, unless he found in her something despicable? Thus your vow damages the reputation of your daughters; if, therefore, you had considered at the time you took your vow all these things which damage your reputation and that of your daughters, would you have taken the vow?

And he said, "If I had known that this is so, I would not have taken a vow" - he regrets having taken his vow, then he is permitted - i.e., the Sage nullifies his vow by this opening; we do not suspect him of lying, and that he does not regret his vow, but is ashamed to say that he is not concerned about the reputation of his children; rather, we believe him, and nullify his vow.

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