Study Nedarim folio 72B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
מתני׳ דרך תלמידי חכמים, עד שלא היתה בתו יוצאה מאצלו, אומר לה: כל נדרים שנדרת בתוך ביתי — הרי הן מופרין. וכן הבעל, עד שלא תכנס לרשותו, אומר לה: כל נדרים שנדרת עד שלא תכנסי לרשותי — הרי הן מופרין. שמשתכנס לרשותו — אינו יכול להפר.
Mishnah: The practice of Torah scholars is to ensure that a woman about to be married should not be encumbered by any vows. A father, before his daughter would leave him through marriage, would say to her: All vows that you vowed in my house are hereby nullified. And similarly, the husband, before she would enter his jurisdiction, i.e., while they were still betrothed, would say to her: All vows that you vowed before you entered my jurisdiction are hereby nullified. This was necessary because once she enters his jurisdiction he cannot nullify the vows she made before that.
גמ׳ בעי רמי בר חמא: בעל, מהו שיפר בלא שמיעה? ״ושמע אישה״ דוקא הוא, או לאו דוקא הוא?
Talmud: Rami bar Ḥama asks: Concerning a husband, what is the halakha with regard to his nullifying a vow without hearing it? In other words, can a husband state a general nullification of his wife’s vows without being aware of any particular vow? When the verse states: “And her husband hears it, on the day that he hears it, and holds his peace at her, then her vows should be ratified” (Numbers 30:8), is that referring specifically to a situation where he actually heard of a vow, and only then he can nullify it? Or is it not specifically referring to such a situation, and the mention of hearing is merely because the ordinary situation is that the husband nullifies a vow once he hears it?
אמר רבא, תא שמע: דרך תלמידי חכמים, עד שלא יצאת בתו מאצלו, אומר לה: כל נדרים שנדרת בתוך ביתי — הרי הן מופרין, והא לא שמע!
Rava said: Come and hear the Mishnah: The practice of Torah scholars is that a father, before his daughter would leave him through marriage, would say to her: All vows that you vowed in my house are hereby nullified. Rava points out: But the father did not hear her vows, so it must be that one can nullify vows without knowledge that they were actually made.