Sometimes all it takes are a few extra words to change the meaning of a statement. Both yesterday (Nedarim 81b) and today’s daf (Nedarim 82a) cites the words of a later Mishna (Nedarim 11:12, 90b) which speaks of a married woman who makes a vow that: נְטוּלָה אֲנִי מִן הַיְּהוּדִים – literally, ‘I am removed…
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Today’s daf (Nedarim 81a) delineates five contributory factors which are apparently part of the divine ‘calculations’ and ‘considerations’ as to why Torah scholars oftentimes find that their children don’t assume the same level of passion and competence for Torah study as themselves.But before I address these calculations and considerations, it is essential to emphasise that…
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Today’s daf (Nedarim 80b) contains a case which has been applied to various Triage situations. And to explain, I’d like to quote from Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz’s ‘Dangerous Disease & Dangerous Therapy in Jewish Medical Ethics: Principles and Practice’ (p. 172):‘The Talmud discusses the situation of a town with a water source that is sufficient…
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Today’s daf (Nedarim 79a-b) discusses the ways in which behaviours within the category of עִנּוּי נֶפֶשׁ (self-affliction) can affect our relationships. In fact, it is precisely because such behaviours can have such a negative impact that our Sages grant a license for a husband to revoke vows that his wife makes relating to עִנּוּי נֶפֶשׁ…
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Much of today’s daf (Nedarim 78a) draws on the various interpretations ascribed to the expression זֶה הַדָּבָר – ‘this is the word’ (Bemidbar 30:2) – which is how the Torah introduces the laws of vows and oaths. And among other things, our daf quotes a Beraita noting how this same expression of זֶה הַדָּבָר is…
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As we know, a major focus of Massechet Nedarim is language. Yet as we also know, language can be both explicit and implicit, and rather than just referring to what is being communicated through words, it can also refer to what we communicate through gestures and body language.To explain, let us consider two examples found…
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We are taught at the end of today’s daf (Nedarim 76b) that Chiya the son of Rav would shoot an arrow when people would come and seek the annulment of their vows.Clearly this seems like a strange thing to be doing while involved in the process of annulling vows. But as many of the commentaries…
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