Nedarim 22a — the Talmud in English

If you had not seen in her

her mother had not seen in her

words of abandonment

disgraceful things, on account of which she had forbidden her to her

for nothing, you would not have forbidden her" —

Would you have forbidden her

would you also then have forbidden her?

She said to him: No!

And he released her,

and Rabbi Yohanan permitted her through this opening.

The son of the daughter

his daughter's son

of Rabbi Yannai the Elder came before Rabbi Yannai the Elder

to be questioned about his vow.

He said to him,

Rabbi Yannai gave him an opening of regret for his vow:

If you had known

that as a result of your vow, by which you present yourself as righteous,

they would open your register,

that in Heaven they would open the register in which all your deeds are recorded,

and examine your deeds,

whether you are righteous or not —

would you have vowed?

He said to him: No!

And he released him

Rabbi Yannai through this opening.

Rabbi Abba said: What is the verse?" —

as it is written [Proverbs 20] "

And after vows —

to examine."

For once he vows, his deeds are examined, to see whether he is indeed on this level.

And the Gemara says:

And even though Rabbi Yannai gave him

such an opening of regret,

we —

do not give him an opening through this.

For we do not rely on his words, that he regrets from the outset; rather, it is possible that he says this to the sage because he is unable to be insolent before him and say to the sage that he is not afraid that his deeds will be examined, but in fact he does not regret.

And

likewise

we do not give an opening through this other one,

an opening for another regret, such as

that which Rabba bar bar Hanna said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Through what opening did Rabban Gamliel release that old man

who came to be questioned before him about his vow?

It is written [Proverbs 12] "

There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword.

But the tongue of the sages —

is healing."

Anyone who speaks rashly,

expressing a vow,

is fit to be stabbed with a sword, but

that

the tongue of the sages,

who release his vow, is

healing

for him.

And when the old man heard these words, he said that he regretted his vow, and Rabban Gamliel permitted him. But we do not give him an opening through this, because we are concerned that he is not telling the truth and does not regret it, but does not dare say that he remains with his vow after such a threat.

And

likewise

we do not give an opening through this other one,

for if one threatens the person who vowed with what is stated in the following beraita, and he regrets it before us, we do not rely on his regret as being genuine —

For it was taught: Rabbi Natan says: One who vows

a vow is

as though he built a private altar,

at a time when private altars were prohibited, for although his intention is to offer a sacrifice, in practice he does something that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not want.

And

one who upholds it

the vow, and does not ask about it, but fulfills his vow, does something more severe,

as though he offered a sacrifice upon it

outside the Temple, for which he is liable on account of offering outside.

That is, he did not perform a mitzva but a transgression; and similarly, one who completes and fulfills his vow transgresses the will of God, who wants him to ask about his vow and not fulfill it!

And we,

with

the words of the

first part

of the beraita,

do give an opening,

and inform him that anyone who vows is as though he built a private altar; and if he regrets it upon hearing this, his regret is genuine regret, and it is possible to permit him, since these matters are not exceedingly severe, and he is speaking truthfully in his regret.

But

with

the words of the

last part

of the beraita, that one who upholds it is as though he offered a sacrifice outside, Abaye and Rava disagree —

Abaye said: We do give an opening

to him even through such a threat, and if he regrets it, it is possible to rely on his regret.

Rava said: We do not give an opening,

lest, because of the severity of the matter, he say that he regrets it, although in truth he does not regret it.

Rav Kahana taught this statement in this wording,

as we have just learned it.

But

Rav Taviumi taught

the dispute of Abaye and Rava

as follows:

In the last part,

that one who upholds it is as though he offered outside —

we do not give an opening

according to everyone, because of the severity of the matter.

In the first part,

that one who vows is like one who upholds a private altar —

Abaye said: We do give an opening.

Rava said: We do not give an opening.

And the halakha is: We do not give an opening, neither in the first part nor in the last part.

And we also do not give an opening through this statement of Shmuel —

for Shmuel said: Even though he upholds it

the vow, he is

called wicked.

Rabbi Abbahu said: What is the verse? [

Deuteronomy 23] "

But if you refrain from vowing, there will be no sin in you."

And he derives

that for this reason he is called wicked through a gzera shava, "

refrain, refrain."

It is written here: "

For if you refrain from vowing."

And it is written there: [

Job 3] "

There the wicked cease from raging."

Rav Yosef said: We too have learned this: ‘Like the vows of the upright’ —

he has said nothing; ‘like the vows of the wicked’ —

he has vowed with a nazirite vow, an offering, or an oath.

And from here it follows that one who vows is called wicked.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: Whoever becomes angry, all kinds of

calamities of

Gehinnom rule over him.

As it is said [

Ecclesiastes 11]: "

Remove anger from your heart, and take away evil from your flesh."

And there is no evil other than Gehinnom, as it is said [

Proverbs 16]: "

The Lord has made everything —

for His own purpose, and even the wicked —

for the day of evil."

Moreover, the lower ailments rule over him, as it is said [

Deuteronomy 28]: "

And the Lord will give you there an agitated heart, failing of eyes, and anguish of soul."

What is the thing that causes the eyes to fail and grieves the soul?

You must say: These are the lower ailments.

Ulla, when ascending

at the time of his ascent

to the Land of Israel, two men of Huzai joined him.

One arose and slaughtered his companion.

He said to him,

the murderer asked

Ulla: Did I act properly,

did I do a proper thing by slaughtering him?

And Ulla was afraid because of the murderer and answered him falsely:

He said to him

Ulla:

Yes,

indeed you did a proper thing. Moreover, continue your slaughter,

and slit open

and open

for him

the

place of slaughter

completely, so that he will die more quickly!

When he came before

Ulla

Rabbi Yohanan, he said to him,

Ulla asked Rabbi Yohanan: Did I act properly by speaking thus to the murderer?

Perhaps, Heaven forbid, I have strengthened

through my words the

hands of transgressors?

He said to him

Rabbi Yohanan: You did well, because you

saved your life!

Rabbi Yohanan was astonished

how such a horrifying incident had occurred, that one man of Huzai became angry with his companion, until he arose and slaughtered him in the Land of Israel?

Since,

after all,

it is written "

And the Lord will give you there an agitated heart" —

in Babylonia it is written

and not in the Land of Israel!

He said to him

Ulla:

At that moment

when this one slaughtered his companion —