B"H

Thursday, Tammuz 24, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / July 13, 2023

This Shabbat we read the two final portions of the book of Numbers (Bamidbar), Matot and Masei.

Parshat Matot begins with the laws of vows (Nedarim); "And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel, saying, ‘This is what G-d commanded; When a man makes a vow to the L-rd or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bind, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all which came out of his mouth.’" The general law of vows also applies to women.

“He shall not break his word; he shall do according to all which came out of his mouth.” However, when one vowed to transgress a commandment of the Torah, he or she are prohibited to fulfill the vow.  A personal vow cannot override G-d's commandment, which we have already vowed much earlier, at Mount Sinai to keep and observe.

This Parsha also teaches us the significance and implications of the words we speak. Indeed, the third commandment of the Ten Commandments is, "Do not utter the name of G-d in vain." This is a prohibition which is associated totally to what we say.

Words and speech are very powerful tools. In fact, the creation of the universe, as told in the beginning of the Torah, came about through G-d's words!

G-d's sayings are not the same as our form of speech. Yet, the fact that the Torah relates that the world was created by G-d's sayings, tells us how important words are. They have great power.

This is why we use the term "Bli Neder"; which means "without a vow" when making a commitment.  For, even with the best intentions, one never knows if they will be able to honor their commitment. Thus, when making a pledge or commitment whether in business or otherwise, it is always best to say "Bli Neder" - i.e., without a vow. We must especially be very careful to avoid using the expression, "I swear." 

Swearing, even when one is 100% sure about the accuracy of the subject, is not proper. How much more so when some use the expression without thinking whether what they’re swearing to, is true.

The Midrash relates the following: "King Yannai ruled over two thousand cities. Yet, they were all destroyed because they were accustomed to swearing -- even in truth!"

“How so?  A person would say to his friend, ‘I swear that I will go and eat this and this in such a place; I swear that I will drink this and this in that place.’  Then they performed exactly as they swore.  They were still punished although they didn't swear falsely.”

The Midrash concludes: If for those who swore the truth, the punishment was so severe; how much more so does one have to be careful not to swear falsely.

HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY

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