Gemara Clarity

Nedarim 60b

נדרים ס׳ ע״ב

Learn Nedarim 60b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Nedarim 60b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

How long time-limited vows last (today, one day, week, month, year, and plain "a day"), and רבי נתן's view that vows are better undone

Overview

This amud finishes the discussion of vows that are limited in time. אביי challenges רב יוסף's גזירה on a vow of "היום" (today): if we worry about mix-ups, why not also make a decree about "יום אחד" (one day)? רב יוסף answers that the mix-up only goes in one direction. רבינא then reports a different explanation: רב ירמיה בר אבא's ruling follows רבי נתן, who teaches that making a נדר is like building a private altar, so it is better to have a חכם undo it. Next the גמרא explains the משנה's rulings on "this week" and "this month". A week vow includes the day of שבת. In a month vow, even the first day of a two-day ראש חודש counts with the new month, because people call it ראש חודש. After quoting the rule for "this year", the גמרא asks whether a vow for plain "יום" (a day) means "today" or a full twenty-four hours. A proof from our משנה fails because its two halves point in opposite directions. רב אשי then brings a new proof from a "this year" vow in a leap year, and the גמרא's working out of that case continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִי הָכִי,

He said to him: If so,

לִיגְזוֹר בְּ״יוֹם אֶחָד״

let them make a decree about "one day"

מִשּׁוּם ״הַיּוֹם״!

because of "today"!

אֲמַר לֵיהּ: ״הַיּוֹם״ בְּ״יוֹם אֶחָד״ מִיחַלַּף,

He said to him: "Today" gets mixed up with "one day",

The steps (13)

  1. Challengeאביי asks why there is no matching decree for a one-day vow
  2. ResolutionThe mix-up only goes one way
  3. Statementרב ירמיה בר אבא's ruling follows רבי נתן
  4. ChallengeWhy does the משנה need to say a "this week" vow covers the whole week?
  5. ResolutionThe vow includes שבת itself
  6. ChallengeWhy does the משנה need to say that ראש חודש belongs to the coming month?
  7. ResolutionThe case where ראש חודש lasts two days
  8. StatementA vow of "this year"
  9. QuestionDoes a vow for "a day" mean "today" or a full day?
  10. ProofA proof from the first part of the משנה: "today" lasts until dark
  11. RejectionThe last part of the משנה points the other way, so no proof
  12. Proofרב אשי brings a new proof from a vow for "this year"
  13. QuestionWhat exact case is the משנה talking about?