Nedarim 54

דאי הוה ידע דמית מן לאלתר הוה גמר ויהיב גיטא

because had he known that he would die, he would have decided and given the divorce so as to take effect immediately.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' So that the result would be the same. ');">¹</span>

מאי שנא מההוא דאמר להו אי לא אתינא מכאן עד תלתין יומין ליהוי גיטא אתא ופסקיה מעברא אמר להו חזו דאתאי חזו דאתאי ואמר שמואל לא שמיה מתייא אמאי והא מינס אניס

And how does it differ from the case of the man who declared, 'If I do not come within thirty days from now, let it be a divorce. 'He came [on the last day], but was cut off through [the lack of] a ferry. [Yet though] he cried out, 'See! I have come; see! I have come!' Samuel ruled, That is not called coming.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Because he had stipulated to come at a particular time. ');">²</span>

דלמא אונסא דמיגליא שאני ומעברא מיגלי אונסיה

But why: surely he was unavoidably prevented? — Perhaps an accident that can be foreseen is different, and [the lack of] a ferry could be foreseen.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' But the Mishnah refers to a river abnormally swollen by the rains and inciting snow. ');">³</span>

ולרב הונא מכדי אסמכתא היא ואסמכתא לא קניא שאני הכא דמיתפסן זכותן

Now according to R. Huna, let us see; It is an <i>asmakta</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');">⁴</span>

והיכא דמיתפסין לאו אסמכתא היא והתנן מי שפרע מקצת חובו והשליש את שטרו ואמר אם אין אני נותן לו מכאן עד ל' יום תן לו שטרו

and an <i>asmakta</i> gives no title?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., gives the claimant no rights, because it is presumed that such a promise was not meant seriously, but made only in order to give the transaction the character of good faith and solemnity. ');">⁵</span>

הגיע זמן ולא נתן רבי יוסי אומר יתן ורבי יהודה אומר לא יתן ואמר רב נחמן אמר רבה בר אבוה אמר רב אין הלכה כרבי יוסי דאמר אסמכתא קניא

— Here it is different, because he had deposited his rights.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Not merely promised them. ');">⁶</span>

שאני הכא דאמר לבטלן זכותיה

And where they are deposited, is it not an <i>asmakta</i>? But we learnt: If one repaid a portion of his debt, and then placed the bond in the hands of a third party, and declared, 'If I do not repay [the balance] within thirty days, return the bill to the creditor,'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Who will thus be able to demand the full sum. ');">⁷</span>

והלכתא אסמכתא קניא והוא דלא אניס והוא דקנו מיניה בבית דין חשוב:

and the time came and he did not repay, R. Jose maintained: He [the third party] must surrender the bond to the [creditor]; R. Judah maintained: He must not surrender it. And R. Nahman said in the name of Rabbah b. Abbahu in Rab's name: The <i>halachah</i> is not as R. Jose, who ruled that an <i>asmakta</i> gives a legal claim.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. B.B. (Sonc. ed.) p. 734. ');">⁸</span>

<big><strong>מתני׳</strong></big> נודרין להרגין ולחרמין ולמוכסין שהיא תרומה אף על פי שאינו תרומה שהן של בית המלך אף על פי שאינן של בית המלך בית שמאי אומרים בכל נודרין

— Here it is different, because he had declared, 'These rights shall be void.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This is a stronger declaration than e.g., 'I will not claim my rights'; hence it is valid. ');">⁹</span> Now the law is: an <i>asmakta</i> does give a legal claim, providing that no unavoidable accident supervened and that a formal acquisition was made<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The conceding party formally ceded his rights. This was symbolically effected by one giving an article, e.g., a scarf, to the other. ');">¹⁰</span> at an authoritative <i>Beth din</i>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rash and Maim.: an ordained Beth din; Ran: a Beth din with the power to enforce its decisions. ');">¹¹</span> <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. ONE MAY VOW TO MURDERERS,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., robbers who kill if their demands are not granted. ');">¹²</span> ROBBERS,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rashi, Ran, Rosh and Tosaf. all interpret this as private robbers. Jast.: official oppressors. These are less desperate than murderers, and do not kill if their demands are refused. ');">¹³</span> AND PUBLICANS THAT IT [THE PRODUCE WHICH THEY DEMAND] IS <i>TERUMAH</i>, EVEN IF IT IS NOT,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This vow is to save it from their hands, as terumah is forbidden to a zar, q.v. Glos. — It is remarkable that even murderers and robbers are assumed to respect the prohibition of terumah! ');">¹⁴</span> OR THAT IT BELONGS TO THE ROYAL HOUSE, EVEN IF IT DOES NOT. BETH SHAMMAI MAINTAIN: ONE MAY MAKE ANY FORM OF VOW,