Nedarim 65A

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Text Excerpt

תניא: המודר הנאה מחבירו אין מתירין לו אלא בפניו. מנא הני מילי? אמר רב נחמן: דכתיב: ״ויאמר ה׳ אל משה במדין לך שב מצרים כי מתו כל האנשים״. אמר לו: במדין נדרת ⁠— לך והתר נדרך במדין. דכתיב: ״ויואל משה״⁠ — אין אלה אלא שבועה, דכתיב: ״ויבא אתו באלה״.

§ It is taught in a baraita (Tosefta 2:12): With regard to one prohibited by a vow from deriving benefit from another, they dissolve the vow for him only in the presence of the one who is the subject of the vow. The Talmud asks: From where are these matters derived? Rav Naḥman said: As it is written: “And YHWH said to Moses in Midian: Go, return to Egypt; for all the men are dead” (Exodus 4:19). Rav Naḥman notes that the verse specifies where God spoke to Moses, and explains that God said to him: In Midian you vowed to Yitro that you would not return to Egypt, go and dissolve your vow in Midian. And where does it say that Moses vowed to Yitro? For it is written: “And Moses was content [vayo’el] to reside with the man” (Exodus 2:21). The word vayo’el is related to the word ala, and ala means nothing other than an oath, as it is written: “And he…brought him under an oath [ala]” (Ezekiel 17:13), and the halakhot of dissolution of oaths are identical to those of dissolution of vows.

״וגם במלך נבוכדנאצר מרד אשר השביעו באלהים (חיים)״. מאי מרדותיה? אשכחיה צדקיה לנבוכדנצר דהוה קאכיל ארנבא חיה. אמר ליה: אישתבע לי דלא מגלית עילוי ולא תיפוק מילתא. אישתבע.

The Talmud cites another proof that one may dissolve such a vow or oath only in the presence of the party affected by the vow or oath. It states with regard to King Zedekiah: “And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God” (II Chronicles 36:13). The Talmud asks: What was his rebellion? The Talmud answers: Zedekiah found Nebuchadnezzar eating a live rabbit, and the latter was ashamed to be seen doing this. He said to him: Take an oath to me that you will not reveal my behavior and this matter will not emerge in public. Zedekiah took an oath to him.

Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.