Nedarim 79b

נדרים ע״ט ע״ב

Learn Nedarim 79b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

How long a husband's הפרה lasts for vows of עינוי נפש compared with vows that affect the couple, and what the משנה's vow 'אם ארחץ' actually said.

Overview

The משנה ends with רבי יוסי's narrower definition of נדרי עינוי נפש: a vow counts only if she truly cannot get the item anywhere else. The גמרא asks why a husband could cancel only vows of עינוי נפש, since a ברייתא says he can also cancel vows that affect their relationship (דברים שבינו לבינה). A first answer says he can cancel both, but a relationship vow comes back after a divorce. That answer is attacked from רבי יוחנן בן נורי, who advises cancelling such a vow in case of a future divorce, which shows the cancellation still holds afterward. So the גמרא gives a new answer: every הפרה lasts forever for the husband himself. Only a vow of עינוי נפש stays cancelled even if she marries someone else. The גמרא then asks what the משנה's vow 'אם ארחץ' (if I bathe) actually said. It tests the reading 'all produce of the world is forbidden to me if I bathe' and rejects it twice. For the תנא קמא she could simply avoid bathing, and for רבי יוסי the vow would clearly count as affliction.

Opening lines

The steps (8)

1. Statementרבי יוסי defines true vows of affliction
2. ChallengeCan a husband cancel only vows of affliction?
3. ResolutionBoth kinds can be cancelled, but they last differently
4. Challengeרבי יוחנן בן נורי suggests the cancellation lasts
5. ResolutionEvery cancellation is permanent for the husband; the difference is about others
6. QuestionWhat exact vow does the משנה mean by 'if I bathe'?
7. ChallengeIf the vow depends on bathing, she can simply avoid bathing
8. ChallengeA second problem: רבי יוסי would surely call such a vow affliction