Study Nedarim folio 23B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
חסורי מיחסרא והכי קתני: הרוצה שיאכל אצלו חבירו ומסרב בו ומדירו — נדרי זירוזין הוא. והרוצה שלא יתקיימו נדריו כל השנה, יעמוד בראש השנה ויאמר: כל נדר שאני עתיד לידור יהא בטל, ובלבד שיהא זכור בשעת הנדר.
The Talmud answers: The Mishnah is incomplete and is teaching like this: In the case of one who wants another to eat with him, and he urges him to do so and makes a vow with regard to him, this vow is included in the category of vows of exhortation, which do not require dissolution. And in addition, one who desires that his vows not be upheld for the entire year should stand up on Rosh HaShana and say: Any vow that I take in the future should be void. And this statement is effective, provided that he remembers at the time of the vow that his intent at the beginning of the year was to render it void.
אי זכור, עקריה לתנאיה, וקיים ליה לנדריה! אמר אביי, תני: ובלבד שלא יהא זכור בשעת הנדר.
The Talmud asks: If he remembers at the time of the vow that his intent at the beginning of the year was to render it void but still makes the vow, then he has uprooted his stipulation that all his vows are void and has upheld his vow. Why, then, does it state that the vows are void in this case? Abaye said: Teach: And this statement is effective, provided that he does not remember at the time of the vow that his intention at the beginning of the year was to render it void.
רבא אמר: לעולם כדאמרינן מעיקרא. הכא במאי עסקינן — כגון שהתנה בראש השנה, ולא ידע במה התנה. והשתא קא נדר. אי זכור בשעת הנדר, ואמר ״על דעת הראשונה אני נודר״ — נדריה לית ביה ממשא. לא אמר ״על דעת הראשונה אני נודר״ — עקריה לתנאיה וקיים לנדריה.
Rava said: Actually, say as we said initially, that he does remember his stipulation at the time of the vow. With what are we dealing here? It is a case where he stipulated a condition on Rosh HaShana rendering void vows that he would make later in the year, but he did not know with regard to which vows he made the stipulation, and now he makes a vow. If he remembers at the time of the vow and says: I am vowing in accordance with the initial intention, when I stipulated that all vows should be void, his vow has no substance. However, if he did not say: I am vowing in accordance with the initial intention, then he has uprooted his stipulation and upheld his vow.