Nedarim (Vows)

I have always been intrigued by the traditional way in which diamond merchants seal a deal. They shake hands and say “Mazel and Brocha” (“good fortune and blessing”). Once those few words have been said, the deal is done and it has all the power of a lega...

The laws governing the annulment of vows distinguishes between an arus ('betrothed") and a baal ("husband"). On a deeper level, these laws describe two modes of spiritual life

When darkness creeps into your life, turn on the light.

The summary verse of the first part of Matot appears to omit the most salient point!

At the start of this week’s parshah, Matot, we are introduced to the laws of annulment of vows. At that point, the tribes of Israel, usually called shevatim, are instead called matot. Why the different word? What connection does it have to annulment of vo...

Moshe spoke to theChildren of Israel's tribal heads, saying: This is what G‑d has commanded... Classic Questions Was this passage said only to the tribal heads? (v. 2) Rashi: [Moshe] honored the leaders by teaching them first, and only later the res...

Never make promises you cannot keep, right? Rashi highlights how some vows are spiritually essential, others spiritually unhealthy.

It is a mitzvah to keep a vow, but it is also a mitzvah to have a vow properly annulled. How is a vow annulled?

Abstention is a humbling admission of defeat – "There's something in the world that G‑d created for a purpose; other people are capable of using it for that purpose; I cannot."

My inner feminist bristles at the laws of vows described in the beginning of this week’s Parshah.