Daily Talk
A new chapter of Sefer Haflaah opens today. Having explored how an oath binds the person, the Rambam now turns to the vow -- the act of speech that binds the object itself. In the opening chapters of Hilchot Nedarim, he reveals that a human being possesses the extraordinary power to transform a permitted thing into a forbidden one through nothing but the force of spoken intention.
The Fence Around Desire
Loading...
About This Talk
Nedarim chapters 1 through 3 open the laws of vows with the foundational mechanics of how speech creates prohibition. Chapter 1 establishes the essential distinction between a vow and an oath: an oath binds the person, while a vow binds the object. It catalogs the verbal formulas -- both direct and substitute expressions known as kinuyim -- through which a vow takes effect. Chapter 2 addresses yados nedarim, incomplete or abbreviated vow formulas that nonetheless carry legal force when the speaker's intention is clear, revealing that the Torah's concern is the reality behind the words, not only the words themselves. Chapter 3 examines the limits of vow-making: a vow that contradicts an existing Torah obligation is void, establishing that human speech, powerful as it is, cannot override the divine word.