|
Perek 3 is, refreshingly, pretty straightforward, easy-to-understand, and has a special bonus at the end :).
Mishnayot 1 - 4 enumerate several categories of "non-serious nedarim", meaning nedarim whose context suggests that the speaker never actually intended to generate a halachikly-binding commitment or obligation. These include, among others, nedarim whose language includes obvious exaggerations, and nedarim that were clearly made under duress. It is interesting that the Tosefta (Mishnaic-era material that didn't make the final cut) adds an exhortation to nonetheless desist even from non-serious nedarim as a matter of course, simply because speech and language are important, and our integrity relies upon our judicious and careful use of them. )
Mishna 5 is the only one in the perek that's a little more technical. The context is a neder in which a person dedicates an object to the Beit HaMikdashThe Mishna drills down on the exact language used in the neder in order to distinguish between cases in which it is only the value of the object that has been dedicated, as opposed to the object itself also being dedicated.
The rest of the perek contains numerous illustrations of how idiomatic usage of particular words of phrases is taken into account when determining what exactly a person intended when uttering a neder. The "special bonus" that comes at the end is an extended discussion about the importance of brit milah, which riffs off what the terms "circumcised' and "uncircumcised" mean when used idiomatically.
Our study of Nedarim is a great opportunity to think about how we use language, hoe we convey meaning, and the seriousness with which our words are heard.
As a reminder, please save the date for our next Zoom shiur, with Rabbi Shlomo Weissman the administrator of the Beth Din of America, on March 17th. Save the date!
| 
