Nedarim 129

תניא המודר הנאה מחבירו אין מתירין לו אלא בפניו מנה"מ אמר רב נחמן דכתיב (שמות ד, יט) ויאמר ה' אל משה במדין לך שוב מצרים כי מתו כל האנשים אמר לו במדין נדרת לך והתר נדרך במדין דכתיב (שמות ב, כא) ויואל משה אין אלה אלא שבועה דכתיב (יחזקאל יז, יג) ויבא אתו באלה

It was taught: He who is forbidden to benefit from his neighbour can have the vow absolved only in his [neighbour's] presence.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If A vowed not to benefit from B, A cannot have his vow absolved except in the presence of B. In the Jerusalem Talmud two reasons are given for this: (i) if his neighbour does not know of his absolution, he may suspect him of breaking his vow, (ii) he who vowed not to benefit from his neighbour — presumably for his neighbour's benefit — he should be put to shame for his niggardly spirit and he made to seek absolution in his presence. Therefore it is insisted upon. ');">¹</span> Whence do we know this? — R. Nahman said: Because it is written, And the Lord said unto Moses, In Midian, go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead which sought thy life.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. IV, 19. ');">²</span>

(דברי הימים ב לו, יג) וגם במלך נבוכד נצר מרד אשר השביעו באלהים (חיים) מאי מרדותיה אשכחיה צדקיה לנבוכד נצר דהוה קאכיל ארנבא חיה א"ל אישתבע לי דלא מגלית עילוי ולא תיפוק מילתא אישתבע

He said [thus] to him: 'In Midian thou didst vow; go and annul thy vow in Midian.' [How do we know that he vowed in Midian?] — Because it is written, And Moses was content [wa-yo'el] to dwell with the man;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. II, 21. ');">³</span> now alah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The root of wa-yo'el ');">⁴</span>

לסוף הוה קא מצטער צדקיהו בגופיה איתשיל אשבועתיה ואמר שמע נבוכד נצר דקא מבזין ליה שלח ואייתי סנהדרין וצדקיהו אמר להון חזיתון מאי קא עביד צדקיהו לאו הכי אישתבע בשמא דשמיא דלא מגלינא א"ל איתשלי אשבועתא

can only mean an oath, as it is written, and hath taken an [alah] oath of him.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ezek. XVII, 13. ');">⁵</span> And also against King Nebuchadnezzar he rebelled, who had adjured him by the living God.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Chron. XXXVI. 13. ');">⁶</span>

[א"ל מתשלין אשבועתא] אמרי ליה אין אמר להו בפניו או אפילו שלא בפניו אמרי ליה בפניו אמר להון ואתון מאי עבדיתון מאי טעמא לא אמריתון לצדקיהו מיד (איכה ב, י) ישבו לארץ ידמו זקני בת ציון אמר רבי יצחק ששמטו כרים מתחתיהם:

What was [the nature of] his rebellion? — Zedekiah found Nebuchadnezzar eating a live rabbit.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Other: a raw rabbit. ');">⁷</span> 'Swear to me,' exclaimed he, 'not to reveal this, that it may not leak out!' He swore. Subsequently he grieved thereat, and had his vow absolved and disclosed it. When Nebuchadnezzar learned that they were deriding him, he had the Sanhedrin<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The Jewish court. ');">⁸</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> רבי מאיר אומר יש דברים שהן כנולד ואינן כנולד ואין חכמים מודים לו כיצד אמר קונם שאני נושא את פלונית שאביה רע אמרו לו מת או שעשה תשובה קונם לבית זה שאני נכנס שהכלב רע בתוכו או שהנחש בתוכו אמרו לו מת הכלב או שנהרג הנחש הרי הן כנולד ואינו כנולד ואין חכמים מודים לו:

and Zedekiah brought before him, and said to them, 'Have ye seen what Zedekiah has done? Did he not swear by the name of Heaven not to reveal it?' They answered him, 'He was absolved of his oath.' 'Can then one be absolved of an oath?' he asked them. 'Yes,' they returned. 'In his presence or even not in his presence?'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sc. of the person to whom the oath was sworn. ');">⁹</span> — '[Only] in his presence,' was their reply. 'How then did ye act?' said he to them: 'why did ye not Say this to Zedekiah?' Immediately, 'The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lam. II, 10. ');">¹⁰</span>

<big><strong>גמ׳</strong></big> קונם שאני נכנס לבית זה שהכלב וכו' מת נולד הוא א"ר הונא נעשה כתולה נדרו בדבר ור' יוחנן אמר כבר מת וכבר עשה תשובה קאמרי ליה

R. Isaac said: This teaches that they removed the cushions from under them.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A sign of their unworthiness and deposition. ');">¹¹</span> <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. R. MEIR SAID: SOME THINGS APPEAR AS NEW FACTS, AND YET ARE NOT [TREATED] AS NEW;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., though occurring after the vow, they might have been anticipated. ');">¹²</span> BUT THE SAGES DO NOT AGREE WITH HIM.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Var. lec.: and the Sages agree with him. ');">¹³</span> E.G., IF ONE SAYS, 'KONAM THAT I DO NOT MARRY SO AND SO, BECAUSE HER FATHER IS WICKED,' AND HE IS [THEN] TOLD, HE IS DEAD, OR, HE HAS REPENTED; 'KONAM, IF I ENTER THIS HOUSE, BECAUSE IT CONTAINS A WILD DOG, OR, 'BECAUSE IT CONTAINS A SERPENT,' AND HE IS [THEN] INFORMED, THE DOG IS DEAD, OR, THE SERPENT HAS BEEN KILLED, THESE ARE AS NEW FACTS, YET ACTUALLY NOT [TREATED] AS NEW FACTS. BUT THE SAGES DO NOT AGREE WITH HIM.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Var. lec.: and the Sages agree with him. ');">¹⁴</span> <b><i>GEMARA</i></b>. 'KONAM, IF I ENTER THIS HOUSE, BECAUSE IT CONTAINS A WILD DOG, etc.' But if it died, it really is a new fact?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Not only in appearance. ');">¹⁵</span> — Said R. Huna: It is as though he conditioned his vow by this fact. R. Johanan said: He was told, 'He has already died,' or, 'already repented.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., before the vow, and the vow was thus made in error. Therefore R. Meir teaches that in the former it is not treated as a novel occurrence and absolution may be granted on that score. The Sages disagree, holding that it may not be granted, as a precautionary measure. ');">¹⁶</span>