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Nedarim 10a

נדרים י׳ ע״א

Learn Nedarim 10a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

רבי יהודה on נדר vs. נדבה, whether a נזיר is a sinner, and the substitute words for vows

Overview

The amud opens by showing that our משנה, which praises a נדבה (freewill offering) but not a נדר (vow), can follow רבי יהודה. The גמרא reads his ברייתא as praising נודב, not נודר. It explains that a נדבה carries no risk of a stumbling block, because רבי יהודה lets a person consecrate his animal in the עזרה and offer it at once. For volunteering נזירות, רבי יהודה cites the early חסידים, who became נזירים so they could bring a קרבן חטאת. רבי שמעון disagrees and says they avoided נזירות because a נזיר is called a sinner. אביי then groups שמעון הצדיק, רבי שמעון and רבי אלעזר הקפר as all holding that a נזיר is a sinner. רבי אלעזר הקפר learns from this that anyone who fasts without need is called a sinner. A new משנה then lists substitute words (כינויין) for קרבן, חרם, נזירות and שבועה. רבי יוחנן says these are foreign words, while ריש לקיש says the חכמים invented them so that people would not come to say God's name in vain. A ברייתא of רבי שמעון begins, and it continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

אֲפִילּוּ תֵּימָא רַבִּי יְהוּדָה,

You can even say it follows Rabbi Yehuda,

כִּי אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה — בִּנְדָבָה,

when Rabbi Yehuda spoke, it was about a freewill offering;

בְּנֶדֶר לָא אָמַר.

about a vow he did not say it.

וְהָקָתָנֵי: ״טוֹב מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה

But doesn't it teach: "Better than both this and that

The steps (23)

  1. ResolutionOur משנה can follow רבי יהודה, who only praised freewill offerings
  2. ChallengeBut the ברייתא says רבי יהודה praised one who vows
  3. ResolutionCorrect the wording: "one who volunteers and fulfills"
  4. ChallengeWhy should a freewill offering be better than a vow?
  5. Resolutionרבי יהודה lets a person consecrate and offer his animal right away
  6. ChallengeThe answer works for offerings, but what about volunteering נזירות?
  7. Resolutionרבי יהודה praises volunteering נזירות: the early חסידים did it
  8. Statementרבי שמעון: the חסידים brought voluntary offerings but avoided נזירות
  9. Statementאביי: three תנאים agree that a נזיר is a sinner
  10. Proofרבי אלעזר הקפר's source: the נזיר sinned by holding back from wine
  11. StatementA קל וחומר: whoever fasts without need is called a sinner
  12. ChallengeThe פסוק is about a נזיר who became טמא
  13. ResolutionThe impure נזיר sinned a second time
  14. StatementThe משנה: substitute words for קרבן, חרם, נזירות and שבועה
  15. Statementרבי יוחנן: the substitute words come from foreign languages
  16. Statementריש לקיש: the חכמים made up these words
  17. QuestionWhy did the חכמים invent substitute words?
  18. ResponseSo that a person will not say the word קרבן
  19. ChallengeWhat is wrong with saying קרבן?
  20. ResolutionHe might say 'an offering to the Lord'
  21. ChallengeWhat is wrong with saying קרבן לה׳?
  22. ResolutionHe might say God's name and never finish
  23. ProofSupport from a ברייתא of רבי שמעון