Nedarim 51b

נדרים נ״א ע״ב

Learn Nedarim 51b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

How the wording of a food נדר decides its reach: prepared foods, fish and fish products, and dairy

Overview

This amud teaches that the exact words of a נדר decide what becomes forbidden. If someone says 'from the pickled,' 'from the boiled,' 'from the roasted' or 'from the salted,' only the one food people usually mean is forbidden. If he says 'pickled that I taste' and so on, every food made that way is forbidden. רב אחא בריה דרב אויא asks about the Aramaic wordings דכביש and the others, and the question stays as תיבעי. The משנה then rules on vows against fish and fish products such as צחנה, טרית טרופה, ציר and מורייס. A ברייתא of רבי שמעון בן אלעזר says that דג means large fish and דגה means small fish. The גמרא tests this against פסוקים and concludes that in vows we follow לשון בני אדם, the way people talk. רבינא's question about the word ציחין stays unanswered. A new משנה begins on vows against milk, whey and cheese, and it starts the case of meat, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (18)

1. StatementVowing from pickled or boiled food
2. QuestionAsking about the Aramaic wordings
3. ConclusionThe question stays open
4. StatementVowing from roasted or salted food
5. StatementVowing from fish
6. StatementVowing from fish dishes: צחנה and minced sardines
7. StatementA ברייתא: the words דג and דגה in a vow
8. QuestionHow do we know דג means a large fish?
9. ProofProof from יונה's great fish
10. ChallengeBut the same fish is called דגה
11. RejectionMaybe it was a different, small fish
12. ChallengeThe fish of the Nile all died
13. ResolutionIn vows we follow how people talk
14. QuestionWhat if someone vows using the word ציחין?
15. ConclusionThe question is left open
16. StatementVowing off milk or whey
17. StatementAbba Shaul on vowing off cheese
18. StatementThe case of vowing off meat begins