Bartenura on Mishnah Nedarim Chapter 2
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וְאֵלּוּ מֻתָּרִין. חֻלִּין שֶׁאֹכַל לָךְ. לְסִימָן בְּעָלְמָא נַקְטֵיהּ, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁחֻלִּין שֶׁאֹכַל לָךְ אֵין צָרִיךְ שְׁאֵלָה לֶחָכָם, כָּךְ כָּל הָנֵי דְּאָמְרִינַן בְּמַתְנִיתִין בְּרֵישָׁא אֵין צְרִיכִין שְׁאֵלַת חָכָם:
ואלו מותרין. חולין שאוכל לך (and these [vows] are not binding: may what I eat of yours be unconsecrated food) – he (i.e., the teacher of the Mishnah) took these merely as a sign, ust as unconsecrated food that I may eat of yours – there is no need for a request made to a Sage (i.e., if a person makes a vow or takes an oath, or consecrates property, and afterwards regrets having done so, he may go to a Sage and request that he release him from his vow). So also, all of these that we mention in our Mishnah in the first clause there is no need for a request made to a Sage.
כְּעוֹרוֹת לְבוּבִין. הָיוּ נוֹקְבִים הַבְּהֵמָה מֵחַיִּים כְּנֶגֶד הַלֵּב וּמוֹצִיאִין הַלֵּב וּמַקְרִיבִין אוֹתוֹ לַעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, וְתִקְרֹבֶת עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אָסוּר בַּהֲנָאָה:
כעורות לבובין (like hides pierced at the heart) – they wud make incisions in the animal while it is living opposite the heart and remove the heart and sacrifice it to idolatry, and this sacrifice to idolatry is prohibited to derive any benefit.
כְּחַלַּת אַהֲרֹן. שֶׁהָיָה רִאשׁוֹן לַכֹּהֲנִים. וְלֹא הָוֵי דָּבָר הַנָּדוּר, שֶׁאֵין חַלָּה וּתְרוּמָה בָּאִין בְּנֶדֶר וּנְדָבָה:
כחלת אהרן – who was first for the Kohanim (see Numbers 15:20 – “You shall make a gift to the LORD from the first yield of your baking, throughout the ages). And it cannot be something that is vowed, for Hallah and heave-offering/Terumah come as a vow or a free-will offering.
הֲרֵי זֶה מֻתָּר. דְּאָמַר קְרָא (במדבר ל) אִישׁ כִּי יִדֹּר נֶדֶר, עַד שֶׁיִּדֹּר בְּדָבָר הַנָּדוּר. וְחַטָּאת שֶׁאֵינִי אוֹכֵל לָךְ דְּאָמְרִינַן בְּפֶרֶק קַמָּא דְּאָסוּר וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ דָּבָר הַנָּדוּר, הָוֵי טַעֲמָא, דְּאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיָּבִיא חַטָּאת עַל יְדֵי נֶדֶר, כְּגוֹן שֶׁנָּדַר בְּנָזִיר וּמִתְחַיֵּב לְהָבִיא חַטָּאת:
הרי זה מותר – as it states in Scripture (Numbers 30:3): “If a man makes a vow [to the LORD],” until he should make a vow with a thing that is vowed. But a sin-offering that I won’t eat with you , as we stated in the first chapter [of Tractate Nedarim, Mishnah 4], even though it is not something that is vowed, there is reason, for it is possible that he will bring a sin-offering through a vow, as for example, that he took a vow to be a Nazir, and is liable to bring a sin-offering [upon the conclusion of the thirty-day length of serving as a Nazir].
הֲרֵי אַתְּ עָלַי כְּאִמָּא. אַף עַל גַּב דְּלָאו דָּבָר הַנָּדוּר הוּא, חָמוּר מִכָּל הָנֵי דִּלְעֵיל, דְּצָרִיךְ הֶתֵּרָא מִדְּרַבָּנָן אִם הוּא עַם הָאָרֶץ:
הרי את עלי כאמא (Lo, you are like mother to me) – even though this this is not a matter that is vowed, it is more severe from all of the others that are above, he requires a release from the Rabbis if he is an illiterate individual (i.e., “Am HaAretz)
פּוֹתְחִין לוֹ פֶתַח מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר. כְּלוֹמַר מְבַקְּשִׁים לוֹ פֶּתַח וְטַעַם לַחֲרָטָתוֹ. וְלֹא סַגִּי בִכְדּוֹ תָּהִית אוֹ לִבָּךְ עֲלָךְ. וְכָל זֶה שֶׁלֹּא יָקֵל רֹאשׁוֹ וְלֹא יַרְגִּיל לֶאֱסֹר אִשְׁתּוֹ עָלָיו:
and we make an opening for retracting a vow from another place (i.e., reason) meaning to say, we request for him and opening and reason for his remorse. But it is not sufficient [to ask him]: Do you now regret [that you had vowed]? Or that your heart is upon you – that you bear a grudge (see Tractate Nedarim 21b), and all of this in order that he may not behave lightly in such a matter and that he should not become accustomed to forbid his wife upon him.
קוֹנָם שֶׁאֵינִי יָשֵׁן כוּ'. הֲרֵי זֶה בְּבַל יַחֵל מִדְּרַבָּנָן. אֲבָל מִן הַתּוֹרָה אֵין הַנֶּדֶר חָל, דִּנְדָרִים אֵין חָלִים אֶלָּא עַל דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ מַמָּשׁ:
קונם שאיני ישן כו' – Lo, this is (Numbers 30:3): “he shall not break his pledge” according to the Rabbis, but from the Torah, there is no vow taking effect, for vows do not take effect other than on something that has substance (see Talmud Nedarim 15a).
קוֹנָם שֶׁאֵינִי מְשַׁמְּשֵׁךְ. בַּגְּמָרָא מַקְשֶׁה, וְהָא מְשֻׁעְבָּד לָהּ וְהֵיאַךְ יָכוֹל לְהַפְקִיעַ שִׁעְבּוּדָהּ בְּנִדְרוֹ, וְהָא הָוֵי כְאוֹסֵר פֵּרוֹת חֲבֵרוֹ עַל חֲבֵרוֹ. וּמְשָׁנֵי, כְּגוֹן דְּאָמַר הֲנָאַת תַּשְׁמִישֵׁךְ עָלַי קוֹנָם, שֶׁאָסַר הַהֲנָאָה עָלָיו, וְאֵין מַאֲכִילִין לוֹ לָאָדָם דָּבָר הָאָסוּר לוֹ:
קונם שאיני משמשך (that I will not have sexual relations with you) – In the Gemara (Tractate Nedarim 15b) a difficulty is raised if he is subservient to her, how is he able to release her subservience through his vow, for it is like prohibiting the produce of his fellow on his fellow? But it [i.e., the Gemara] responds, as, for example, when he stated that he takes a vow against enjoying the benefit of her sexual relations with me,” that he forbade this benefit upon himself, and we don’t feed a person something that is forbidden to him.
שְׁבוּעָה שֶׁאֵינִי יָשֵׁן וְכוּ'. אָסוּר מִן הַתּוֹרָה, דִּשְׁבוּעוֹת חָלִין בֵּין עַל דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ מַמָּשׁ בֵּין עַל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מַמָּשׁ. וְאִם נִשְׁבַּע שֶׁלֹּא יִישַׁן שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים רְצוּפִין לַיְלָה וָיוֹם, לוֹקֶה וְיִישַׁן מִיָּד, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנִּשְׁבַּע עַל דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְקַיְּמוֹ:
שבועה שאיני ישן וכו' – this is forbidden form the Torah, for oaths take effect whether there is something in it of substance, or whether it is on something that has no substance. But if he took an oath to not sleep for three consecutive days, night and day, he is flogged/whipped and he sleeps immediately, because he took an oath on something that is impossible to fulfill.
קָרְבָּן לֹא אֹכַל לָךְ כוּ'. מֻתָּר, דַּהֲוֵי כְנִשְׁבָּע בַּקָּרְבָּן וְנַעֲשָׂה כְאוֹמֵר בְּחַיֵּי הַקָּרְבָּן אִם אֹכַל לָךְ שׁוּם דָּבָר:
קרבן לא אכל לך כו' (KORBAN,I shall not eat with you) – he is permitted (i.e., he is not bound), for this would be like he took an oath with a KORBAN that he would become like he says: “by my Life, a KORBAN if I eat with anything with you.”
שְׁבוּעָה שֶׁלֹּא אֹכַל לָךְ. וְלֹא אָמְרִינַן בְּחַיֵּי שְׁבוּעָה קָאָמַר כִּדְאָמְרִינַן בְּקָרְבָּן, דִּשְׁבוּעָה לֵית בָּהּ מְשָׁשָׁא וְלֹא שַׁיָּךְ לוֹמַר בָּהּ בְּחַיֵּי שְׁבוּעָה:
שבועה שלא אוכל לך – and we don’t say, “by my life with an oath it is said,” as we say with a KORBAN, for an oath has no substance and it doesn’t belong to say with it, “by my life with an oath.”
שְׁבוּעָה שֶׁאֹכַל לָךְ. זִמְנִין דִּשְׁבוּעָה שֶׁאֹכַל לָךְ דְּלֹא אָכִילְנָא מַשְׁמַע, כְּגוֹן שֶׁהָיָה חֲבֵרוֹ מְסָרֵב בּוֹ לֶאֱכֹל וְאָמַר לֹא אָכִילְנָא לֹא אָכִילְנָא, וְשׁוּב אָמַר שְׁבוּעָה שֶׁאֹכַל לָךְ, דְּלֹא אָכִילְנָא מַשְׁמַע, וְהָכִי קָאָמַר, בִּשְׁבוּעָה יְהֵא עָלַי אִי אָכִילְנָא לָךְ:
שבועה שאוכל לך – sometimes, “the taking of an oath that I shall eat with you” is not that I will actually eat, as, for example, that his fellow would refuse him to him and he says, “I will not eat, I will not eat,” and thereafter he says, “by an oath I will eat with y,” that he will not actually eat,” and this is what he said, “with an oath that will be upon me, if I eat with you.”
זֶה חֹמֶר בַּשְּׁבוּעוֹת. לֹא מָצִינַן לְאוֹקְמַהּ אַשְּׁבוּעָה שֶׁלֹּא אֹכַל לָךְ וְכוּ', דְּמִדְּקָתָנֵי זֶה, חֹמֶר מַשְׁמַע, דְּנֶדֶר הָוֵי אֶלָּא דְּאֵינוֹ חָמוּר כִּשְׁבוּעָה, וְגַבֵּי קָרְבָּן לֹא אֹכַל לָךְ תְּנַן מֻתָּר, דְּלֹא הָוֵי נֶדֶר כְּלָל. מִשּׁוּם הָכִי צָרִיךְ לְאוֹקְמַהּ אַדִּלְעֵיל דִּתְנִינָא קוֹנָם שֶׁאֵינִי יָשֵׁן שֶׁאֵינִי מְדַבֵּר הֲרֵי זֶה בְּבַל יַחֵל, וְאוֹקִימְנָא מִדְּרַבָּנָן, דְּמִדְּאוֹרַיְתָא אֵין הַנֶּדֶר חָל אֶלָּא עַל דָּבָר שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ מַמָּשׁ, וְזֶה חֹמֶר בַּשְּׁבוּעוֹת מִבַּנְּדָרִים, שֶׁשְּׁבוּעָה חָלָה אֲפִלּוּ עַל דָּבָר שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ מַמָּשׁ:
זה חומר בשבועות – we are not able to maintain an oath that I shall not eat with you, for since it teaches that this is more stringent, it implies that it is a vow, but it is not more stringent like an an oath, and regarding “Korban, I will not eat with you,” it is taught in the Mishnah that he is not bound, and that it is not a vow at all. Because of this, one needs to establish it on what is taught above (Chapter 2, Mishnah 1): “KONAM that I shall not sleep,” “that I won’t speak,” for behold, this [applies] to (Numbers 30:3): “he shall not break his pledge.” But we establish from the Rabbis that according to the Torah, the vow has not effect other than on something which has substance, and this is the stringency regarding oaths from that of vows, that an oath takes effect even on something that has no substance.
תְּפִלִּין שֶׁאֲנִי מֵנִיחַ. מִשּׁוּם דְּאָסַר חֶפְצָא עֲלֵיהּ, וְאֵינוֹ נִרְאֶה כְּנוֹדֵר לְבַטֵּל אֶת הַמִּצְוָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי לֹא קִבֵּל עַל עַצְמוֹ אֶלָּא אָסַר הַחֵפֶץ עָלָיו, וְאִם יְקַיֵּם הַמִּצְוָה הַוְיָא מִצְוָה הַבָּאָה בַּעֲבֵרָה, וְדָמֵי לְמִי שֶׁחַיָּב לֶאֱכֹל מַצָּה בְּלֵילֵי פֶסַח וְלֹא מָצָא אֶלָּא מַצָּה שֶׁל טֶבֶל אוֹ שֶׁל הֶקְדֵּשׁ, שֶׁאָסוּר לְאָכְלָהּ. אֲבָל כָּל לְשׁוֹן שְׁבוּעָה הוּא אוֹסֵר אֶת עַצְמוֹ מִלַּעֲשׂוֹת הַדָּבָר, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהוּא מְחֻיָּב לַעֲשׂוֹת הַמִּצְוָה לָאו כֹּל כְּמִינֵיהּ לְהַפְקִיעַ עַצְמוֹ מֵחִיּוּב הַמִּצְוָה. וְאִם אָמַר הֲרֵי עָלַי קָרְבָּן אִם אָנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין, חָל הַנֶּדֶר וְחַיָּב לְהָבִיא קָרְבָּן אִם הֵנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין:
תפילין שאני מניח – because he forbid a sacred object held in hand at the delivery of an oath that is upon him, and it doesn’t appear like taking a vow to void the Mitzvah, for behold, he didn’t accepted it upon himself, but rather, prohibited the sacred object upon him, but he would fulfill the Mitzvah it would a Mitzvah that comes to be fulfilled by means of a transgression and it would be similar to someone who is required to eat Mitzvah on the nights of Passover but only found Matzah of eatables forbidden pending the separation of sacred gifts or something dedicated to the Temple, which is forbidden to consumel. But all languages of oath that he forbids upon himself from doing something, for since he is liable to perform the Mitzvah, it is not within his powers to release himself from the obligation of the commandment. But if he said, “a KORBAN is upon me if I put on Tefillin, the vow takes affect and he is liable to bring a sacrifice if he put on Tefillin.
חַיָּב עַל כָּל אַחַת וְאֶחָת. וְיִהְיֶה נָזִיר שְׁלֹשִׁים יוֹם אִם אָמַר הֲרֵינִי נָזִיר סְתָם, וְיָבִיא קָרְבַּן נָזִיר, וְיַחְזֹר לִהְיוֹת נָזִיר כְּמִסְפַּר הַפְּעָמִים שֶׁאָמַר שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נָזִיר. וּבִשְׁבוּעָה אֵינוֹ חַיָּב אֶלָּא אַחַת, שֶׁאֵינוֹ לוֹקֶה אֶלָּא מַלְקוּת אַחַת. אֲבָל אִם נִשְׁאַל עַל הַשְּׁבוּעָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, חָלָה הַשְּׁבוּעָה הַשְּׁנִיָּה, וְכֵן אִם נִשְׁאַל עַל הַשְּׁנִיָּה, חָלָה הַשְּׁלִישִׁית, וְאָסוּר לֶאֱכֹל עַד שֶׁיֻּתְּרוּ כֻּלָּם, מִדְּלֹא תְּנַן הֲרֵי זוֹ שְׁבוּעָה אַחַת, אֶלָּא אֵינוֹ חַיָּב אֶלָּא אַחַת:
חייב על כל אחת ואחת – and he will a Nazir for thirty days if he said, I am an undefined Nazir, nad he will bring the Nazirite sacrifice and return to be a Nazir according to the number of times that he said, “I will be a Nazir.” But regarding an oath, he is not liable other than for one [sacrifice,” for he is not flogged/whipped other than one set of stripes. But if he made a request to be released on the first oath, the second oath takes effect. And similarly, if he made a request to be released on the second [oath], the third takes effect. But he is is forbidden to eat until he all of them are not binding, because it does not teach in the Mishnah, “behold this is one oath,” but rather, “he is only liable for one count only.”
וּפֵרוּשָׁם לְהָקֵל. אַף עַל גַּב דִּכְשֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ דְּבָרָיו אָזְלִינַן בָּתַר פֵּרוּשׁוֹ, כִּי סָתַם וְלֹא פֵּרֵשׁ אָזְלִינַן לְהַחְמִיר, דִּסְתָם נוֹדֵר דַּעְתּוֹ לְאִסּוּר:
ופירושם להקל – even though that when he explained his words, we follow after his explanation, for when it is undefined and he didn’t explain, we go to the most stringent [opinion], for a person who makes an undefined vow, his intention is to forbid.
כְּבָשָׂר מָלִיחַ. הַיְנוּ קָרְבָּן, דִּכְתִיב (ויקרא ב) עַל כָּל קָרְבָּנְךָ תַּקְרִיב מֶלַח:
כבשר מליח – which is a sacrifice, as it is written (Leviticus 2:13): “[You shall season your every offering of grain with salt; you shall not omit from your grain offering the salt of your covenant with God;] with all your offerings you must offer salt.”
כְּחֵרֶם שֶׁל כֹּהֲנִים מֻתָּר. אַף עַל גַּב דְּחֶרְמֵי כֹהֲנִים מוֹעֲלִים בָּהֶם עַד שֶׁיָּבֹאוּ לִידֵי כֹהֲנִים וְהָוֵי דָבָר הַנָּדוּר, מִכָּל מָקוֹם סְתַם חֶרְמֵי כֹהֲנִים מַשְׁמַע שֶׁכְּבָר בָּאוּ לְיַד כֹּהֵן:
כחרם של כהנים מותר (assigned to the private use of priests) – even though that which belongs to the priests, people commit religious sacrilege with them until they come into the hands of the Kohanim, and they are a thing that is vowed, nevertheless, undefined property of the priests implies that they have already come into the hand of a Kohen (see also Tractate Arakhin, Chapter 8, Mishnah 6)..
אִם כְּמַעֲשַׂר בְּהֵמָה אָסוּר. דַּהֲוֵי דָּבָר הַנָּדוּר, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהַקְדִּישׁוֹ, וְאֵין מַעֲשַׂר בְּהֵמָה אוֹסֵר הַדִּיר כְּמוֹ שֶׁמַּעֲשַׂר דָּגָן אוֹסֵר הַגֹּרֶן:
אם כמעשר בהמה אסור – for this is something that was vowed, that one must sanctify it, but the tithe of cattle does not prohibit the stable/shed like the tithing of grain prohibits the granary/threshing floor.
שֶׁאֵין אַנְשֵׁי גָלִיל מַכִּירִין תְּרוּמַת הַלִּשְׁכָּה. לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ רְחוֹקִים מִירוּשָׁלַיִם:
שאין אנשי גליל מכירין תרומת הלשכה – becase they were far from Jerusalem.
שֶׁאֵין אַנְשֵׁי גָלִיל מַכִּירִין חֶרְמֵי כֹהֲנִים. וְכָל מַה שֶּׁהָיוּ מַחְרִימִין הָיוּ מַפְרִישִׁין לְבֶדֶק הַבַּיִת. וַהֲלָכָה כְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה:
שין אנשי גליל מכירין חרמי כהנים – for everything that they would dedicate for priestly use, they would set aside for the repair of the Temple. And the Halakha is according to Rabbi Yehuda.
בְּחֶרְמוֹ שֶׁל יָם. לְשׁוֹן מְצוּדָה, כְּמוֹ אֲשֶׁר הִיא מְצוֹדִים וַחֲרָמִים (קהלת ז):
בחרמו של ים – the language of a net, as in (Ecclesiastes 7:26): “[Now, I find women more bitter than death,] she is all traps , her hands are fetters, [and her heart is snares].”
הֲרֵי עַצְמִי קָרְבָּן. אָסַר עַצְמוֹ כְּקָרְבָּן עַל חֲבֵרוֹ:
הרי עצמי קרבן – he forbade himself like a KORBAN/sacrifice upon his fellow.
אֵין נִשְׁאָלִים עֲלֵיהֶם. אֵין צְרִיכִין שְׁאֵלַת חָכָם, שֶׁאֵינָן חָלִים:
אין נשאלים עליהם – it is not necessary for a request to a Sage [to release him from a vow] for they don’t take effect.
וְאִם נִשְׁאֲלוּ. וְאִם עַם הָאָרֶץ הוּא זֶה שֶׁנָּדַר כְּהַאי גַּוְנָא וּבָא לִשָּׁאֵל עַל נִדְרוֹ, אֵין פּוֹתְחִין לוֹ פֶּתַח לַחֲרָטָה וְאֵין מַתִּירִין לוֹ. וְאִם עָבַר עַל נִדְרוֹ זֶה מְנַדִּין אוֹתוֹ:
ואם נשאלין – but if this person is an illiterate person/Am HaAretz who made a vow in such a manner and he came to request from a Sage [to release him] from his vow, we don’t make an opening for him for regret and we don’t release him. But if he transgressed on this vow, we excommunicate him.
פּוֹתְחִין לוֹ פֶתַח מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר. מַרְאִים לוֹ שֶׁהַנֶּדֶר קַיָּם וּפוֹתְחִין לוֹ פֶּתַח מִטַּעַם אַחֵר וּמַתִּירִין לוֹ נִדְרוֹ. אֲבָל לֹא עוֹנְשִׁין וְלֹא מַחְמִירִין. וְכֵן הֲלָכָה:
פוחתין לו פתח ממקום אחר – we show him that the matter exists and we make an opening for him for another reason and release him from his vow. But we don’t punish him and we are not stringent with him. And such is the Halakha.