## Rashbam on Numbers Chapter 30

###### Rashbam on Numbers 30:2:1
[Rashbam on Numbers 30:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashbam%20on%20Numbers/r/30:2:1)

וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות - נשאלתי ביוניוב [=שם עיר] בכרך לושרון [=שם מחוז בצרפת]. לפי הפשט היכן מצינו שום פרשה שמתחלת כן? שלא נאמר למעלה וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר איש כי ידור וגו'. והיאך מתחלת הפרשה בדיבורו של משה שאין מפורש לו מפי הגבורה? וזה תשובתי: למעלה כתיב: אלה תעשו לה' במועדיכם לבד מנדריכם ונדבותיכם - שאתם צריכין להביא באחד משלש רגלים משום בל תאחר כמפורש במסכת ר"ה, הלך משה ודבר אל ראשי המטות שהם שופטים להורות לישראל הלכות נדרים ואמר להם הקב"ה צוה לי שיקרבו נדריהם ונדבותם ברגל פן יאחרו נדריהם. לפיכך -

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות, I was asked by people in some town in France, Anyon, where else we find a portion commencing with the words וידבר משה, without being told first that G’d had told Moses to deliver the message or legislation in question to the people. My answer to the question was that we had read in Numbers 29,39 אלה תעשו לה' במועדיכם לבד מנדריכם ומנדבותיכם, “These you are to present to the Lord,” i.e. sacrifices which you have to present on one of the three pilgrimage festivals, seeing that everyone who is tardy is guilty of a serious misdemeanour, as we know from Rosh Hashanah 4. It was no more than natural that after he heard this Moses went and told the heads of the tribes, the judges all the details pertaining to all kinds of vows, including those between husband and wife, etc.


###### Rashbam on Numbers 30:2:2
[Rashbam on Numbers 30:2:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashbam%20on%20Numbers/r/30:2:2)

איש כי ידור נדר לה' - קרבן. או השבע שבועה - לענות נפשו.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
The words איש כי ידור נדר, refer to a person vowing to bring a voluntary sacrifice, just as the words או השבע שבועה mean that he phrases this vow in a negative manner. When the Torah adds that such a person must not יחל his word, the meaning is that he must not be late in fulfilling his vow else he is considered as having broken his promise, i.e. delay carrying out his word, his promise. He has only until (according to one view) the next pilgrimage festival to come to Jerusalem and make good on his vow. Seeing that at that time he must come to Jerusalem at any event, this does not impose any kind of hardship on him. The expression יחל in the sense of delaying, procrastinating, occurs several times in Scripture, for instance in Judges 3,25 ויחל עד בוש, “he waited an embarrassingly long time.” Or, in Genesis 8,10 ויחל עוד שבעת ימים, we read that Noach waited another seven days before sending out the dove again. In Psalms 130,7 David speaks of יחל ישראל אל ה', meaning that Israel is to continue to wait for G’d hopefully. Anyone translating the words לא יחל דברו as “he must not profane, dishonour his word,” as the plain meaning of the verse is in error.


###### Rashbam on Numbers 30:3:1
[Rashbam on Numbers 30:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashbam%20on%20Numbers/r/30:3:1)

לאסור אסר - לא יחל דברו - מוסב על הנדר. כלומר, לא יאחר את נדרו עד לאחר הרגלים כמו שציום הקב"ה שכך פירש: לא יחל כמו: ויחל עד בוש. ויחל עוד שבעת ימים. יחל ישראל אל ה' - ימתין ויחכה לו. והמפרש לשון חלול לפי הפשט טעות הוא בידו.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
(1) IMPOSING AN OBLIGATION ON HIMSELF ... HE SHALL NOT BREAK HIS PLEDGE. This refers to the votive offering. In other words, he must not delay his votive offering until after the festivals, as the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded. For this is the explanation of "he shall not break [lo yahel]," as in (Jud. 3:25) "He waited [actually, "They waited"] a long time"; (Gen. 8:10) "He waited another seven days"; (Ps. 130:7) "O Israel, wait for the LORD" -- wait and anticipate Him. And one who explains [this] as an expression of desecration [hilul] according to the straightforward sense is in error.


###### Rashbam on Numbers 30:3:2
[Rashbam on Numbers 30:3:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashbam%20on%20Numbers/r/30:3:2)

ככל היוצא מפיו יעשה - מוסב על השבע שבועה כענין שפירש בשעת שבועתו יעשה. לפי הזמן שפירש הן קרוב הן רחוק. וראייה לדבר כענין ב' דברים הללו פירש משה במשנה תורה: כי תדור נדר לה' אלהיך לא תאחר לשלמו. מוצא שפתיך תשמור ועשית. השבע שבועה וגו'.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
(2) HE MUST CARRY OUT ALL THAT HAS CROSSED HIS LIPS. This refers back to "taking an oath" (hishava sh'vu'ah) [i.e., not to "makes a vow" (yidor neder)] -- he must do according to what he specified in taking an oath, according to the time he specified, whether short or long. And a proof of the matter,of what these two things mean, is what Moshe said in Deuteronomy (23:22), "When you make a vow to the LORD your God, do not put off fulfilling it, ... You must fulfill what has crossed your lips and perform ...." Takes an oath, etc.


###### Rashbam on Numbers 30:11:1
[Rashbam on Numbers 30:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashbam%20on%20Numbers/r/30:11:1)

ואם בית אישה נדרה - אבל למעלה כתיב: ונדריה עליה - אותו פסוק בנדרים הקודמים קודם שנשאה, ומשמע לפי הפשט שהבעל מיפר בקודמין.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
ואם בית אשה נדרה, this is in contrast to the scenario described earlier in verse 7, where vows made before the woman became married or betrothed are discussed. Seeing that these verses are sequential it is clear that the husband has the right to countermand vows made before the woman’s marriage if they interfere with his quality of life.


###### Rashbam on Numbers 30:16:1
[Rashbam on Numbers 30:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Rashbam%20on%20Numbers/r/30:16:1)

ואם הפר יפר אותם אחרי שמעו - והיא אינה יודעת ששמע - ונשא את עונה - שאינם מופרים והיא שוגגת שלא ידעה אם שמע עד עתה אם לאו.

**Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash:**
ואם הפר יפר אותם אחרי שמעו, and she does not even know that her husband had become aware of her vow, she must bear the burden of having violated her vow. Although, legally, her husband’s cancellation is effective, since she was not aware of this she had sinned unintentionally by violating her vow seeing she did not know that it was no longer valid.