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Nedarim 88a

נדרים פ״ח ע״א

Learn Nedarim 88a step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

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Topic

Why רבי יהודה and רבי מאיר read the פסוק of 'בלא ראות' in opposite ways for a סומא in גלות, and a new משנה about a father who made a נדר against his son-in-law but still wants to give money to his daughter

Overview

The amud opens with רבא answering an earlier difficulty about a סומא (blind person) who kills by accident. Each תנא seemed inconsistent about him. רבא explains that each one reads 'בלא ראות' (without seeing) in light of a different nearby word in the פסוקים. For רבי יהודה, 'forest' already includes a blind person, so 'בלא ראות' must exclude him from גלות. For רבי מאיר, 'without knowledge' already excludes him, so 'בלא ראות' must include him. Then a new משנה teaches that a father who forbade his son-in-law by נדר from benefiting from him can still give his daughter money. He gives it on condition that her husband has no rights to it, only for what she eats. In the גמרא, רב says only that exact wording works, while שמואל says even 'do whatever you want' keeps the money from the husband. רבי זירא then starts an objection, which continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

אָמַר רָבָא:

Rava said:

הָכָא מֵעִנְיָנֵיהּ דִּקְרָא

Here it is from the context of the verse,

וְהָכָא מֵעִנְיָנֵיהּ דִּקְרָא.

and here it is from the context of the verse.

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה סָבַר:

Rabbi Yehuda holds:

The steps (7)

  1. Resolutionרבא: each תנא reads the verse from its context
  2. Resolutionרבי יהודה: 'forest' already includes the blind, so 'without seeing' excludes him
  3. Resolutionרבי מאיר: 'without knowledge' already excludes the blind, so 'without seeing' includes him
  4. Statementמשנה: giving money to a daughter whose husband is forbidden by vow
  5. Statementרב: only the exact wording of the משנה works
  6. Statementשמואל: even 'do whatever you want' works
  7. Challengeרבי זירא begins an objection