Oaths and Vows - The Power of Words: A D'var Torah On Parashat Matot (By Alan I. Friedman
Oaths and Vows - The Power of Words: A D'var Torah On Parashat Matot (By Alan I. Friedman
Oaths and Vows - The Power of Words: A D'var Torah On Parashat Matot (By Alan I. Friedman
But we will not dwell on these aspects of Matot. Rather, we will examine the
characteristics of oaths and vows, the distinctions between these two types
of pledges, the rationale for speech adding potency to an oath or vow, and
the mechanism for annulment.
The two Hebrew words that we will focus on are neder (plural nedarim) and
sh’vuah1 (plural sh’vuot). Although there is no English equivalent for neder;
it is commonly translated as “vow,” meaning a pledge to do something; but
“vow” doesn’t convey the full meaning. There are two types of nederim: the
first type empowers a person to prohibit to himself or herself something that
the Torah permits (for example, “I will not eat meat for the next 30 days”);
the second type of neder obligates a person to perform an optional
commandment (such as donating to a particular charity of visiting a sick
friend daily). With the exception of a neder to perform a commandment,
nedarim cannot be used to obligate oneself to perform an act. Parashat
Matot concerns itself only with the first type of neder, a voluntarily adopted
prohibition.2
The second Hebrew word that is key to this passage is sh’vuah, meaning an
“oath.” By invoking a sh’vuah, a person may either prohibit himself from
performing an act, or require himself to perform an act.
“Conceptually there is a great difference between a neder and [a sh’vuah]. A
neder changes the status of an object: for example, if I have made an apple
What are the mechanics by which a vow takes effect? “Life and death are in
the power of the tongue,” advises Proverbs 18:21. Speech is the gateway
between the thoughts of the mind and the physical actions of the body.
Through speech one begins the trek of turning intentions into the reality of
action. It is for this reason that making a neder is so effective in binding a
person into doing the right thing.6
3 Ibid., p. 900.
4 “If a man makes a vow to Adonai or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not
break his pledge; he must carry out all that has crossed his lips.” – Num. 30:3
5 Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De’ah 203.
6 “Speech Impediments,” by Ranon Cortell; Torah from Dixie; undated.
7 Ibid.
8 “How to Vow Your Audience,” Perceptions on the Parasha, by Rabbi Pinchas Winston; Project
Genesis; 2003.
9 “Holy Words,” by Rabbi Jordan D. Cohen; Associate Director of KOLEL – The Adult Centre for Liberal
Nedarim and sh’vuot are serious because they are pledges to God. The Torah
does not even consider that one would make a pledge to God and then
default on it. In fact, there are no provisions for absolving a person of the
consequences for defaulting on a pledge.12 Perhaps that is why we read in
Ecclesiastes 5:4 that “it is better not to vow at all than to vow and not fulfill.”
In the Holiness Code, which we recite every Shabbat morning, we read, “You
shall not swear falsely by My Name, thereby desecrating the name of your
God.”13 The Hebrew verb for “desecrate” is chillul. The adjectival form,
chullin, is usually translated as “profane,” but actually has the sense of
“ordinary.” Since the Torah uses chillul regarding the breaking of one’s vow,
and since desecration has relevance only to the defilement of something that
is sacred, we may conclude that one’s speech is sacred.14 We see, then, that
breaking a pledge – that is, desecrating one’s word – is not just a personal
failure; it is a chillul ha-Shem, a profanation of God’s holy Name.15
These legal processes in front of a Beit Din ultimately coalesced into the Kol
Nidrei, which we chant on Erev Yom Kippur. Since any violation of a neder
or sh’vuah can interfere with the atonement process, and since an individual
who has violated a pledge may not realize that he has done so, Kol Nidrei
provides an opportunity for absolution. “Kol Nidrei declares that in case an
individual made a vow or an oath during the past year and somehow forgot
and violated it inadvertently, he now realizes that he made a terrible mistake
and strongly regrets his hasty pronouncement. In effect he tells the ‘court’
… that had he realized the gravity and severity of violating an oath, he never
would have uttered it in the first place. He thus begs for forgiveness and
understanding.”18
Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now Union for Reform Judaism); July 10, 1999.
17 Rabbi Jordan D. Cohen, op. cit.
18 “The Origin and Purpose of Kol Nidrei,” by Rabbi Doniel Neustadt, Congregation Young Israel,
19 Ibid.