ANSWERS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS
prepared by Rabbi Eliezer Chrysler
Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Jerusalem
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Nedarim 66
Questions
1)
(a) Our Mishnah states 'Poschin be'Yamim-Tovim' u've'Shabbasos' - meaning that the
Chacham will ask the Noder whether he would have declared the Neder forbidding
Hana'ah on himself, if he had known that it is forbidden to cause oneself suffering
on Yom-Tov and Shabbos.
(b) The Yerushalmi learns from the Pasuk "*ke'Chol* ha'Yotzei mi'Pichem Ya'aseh" -
that a Neder only stands as long as all of it stands, but if part of it has been
annulled, then the entire Neder is unnulled ('Neder she'Hutar Miktzaso, Hutar
Kulo').
(c) Initially, the Chachamim permitted only the Shabbasos and the Yamim-Tovim covered
by the Neder, but not the other days. The Tana who came and taught them that once the
Shabbasos and the Yamim-Tovim are permitted, all the days are permitted - was Rebbi
Akiva.
(d) This is the Din in a case where the Noder said 'Konem she'Eini Neheneh
le'Kulchem'. But if he said 'Konem she'Eini Neheneh la'Zeh, ve'la'Zeh ve'la'Zeh', and
then went on to revoke ...
1. ... the first one - they are all revoked (because the Tana speaks when the Noder
explicitly said 'Zeh ka'Zeh, ve'Zeh ka'Zeh', in which case, all the others are
connected to the first one).
2. ... the last one - only *he* is revoked, but not the others, because the others
are all forbidden independent of him.
3. ... the middle one - the one that was after him is revoked together with him, but
the one that preceded him.
2)
(a) The Tana also teaches us that if the Noder declares 'Shevu'ah she'Eini Neheneh
la'Zeh Korban ve'la'Zeh Korban', and revokes one of them, the other one is not
automatically revoked - because he only said 'Shevu'ah' once, which according to this
Tana, renders it one Shevu'ah.
(b) If, after declaring 'Konem Yayin she'Eini To'em, she'Yayin Ra le'Me'ayim' he is
told that smoked wine is good for the stomach, he subsequently becomes permitted to
drink wine - without needing to have the Neder annulled, because he never meant to
include smoked wine in the first place.
(c) He is therefore permitted to drink *all* wine - because, as we just learned
'Neder sh'Hutar Miktzaso, Hutar Kulo'.
(d) Rebbi Meir issued a similar ruling with regard to onions (which the Noder forbade
because they are bad for the heart). A Batzeil Kofri however - is good for the
heart.
3)
(a) Our Mishnah says that smoked wine is good for the stomach, and Kofri onions, for
the heart, not because they need to be - but because that is what they are. The Tana
means to tell us that even if they were not bad for the stomach or the heart, the
Neder would fall away, and certainly when they are good.
(b) We just learned in our Mishnah that if the Noder declares 'Shevu'ah she'Eini
Neheneh la'Zeh Korban, ve'la'Zeh Korban', and revokes one of them, the other one is
not automatically revoked. This is the opinion of Rebbi Shimon, who says 'Hayu
Chamishah Tov'in Oso, ve'Amar (Shevu'ah) Lo Lecha, Lo Lecha ... ' - he is only Chayav
one 'Korban Shevu'ah (for denying a Pikadon), irrespective of whether he said 'Lo
Lech, *Lo* Lecha ... ' or 'Lo Lecha, *ve'Lo* Lecha'.
(c) According to the Rabbanan - if he said 'Lo Lech, ve'Lo Lecha', it is considered
two Shevu'os, even if he only mentioned 'Shevu'ah' once.
4)
(a) The fact that our Mishnah is a S'tam Mishnah is not sufficient reason to rule
like Rebbi Shimon, because there is a also S'tam Mishnah in Bava Metzi'a like the
Rabbanan. Nor does the fact that there is a second S'tam Mishnah like Rebbi Shimon
make any difference - because we have a principle 'Mah Li Chad S'tama, Mah Li T'rei
S'tama?'.
(b) The Halachah is like Rebbi Shimon, despite the fact that he is a minority opinion
- because the Amora'im in Kidushin discuss his opinion at length.
5)
(a) When the Tana says 'Poschin le'Adam bi'Chevod Atzmo u'vi'Chevod Banav' - he is
referring to the case of 'ha'Madir es Ishto' who subsequently becomes obligated to
divorce her. So the Chacham asks him - whether, if he had realized that people will
accuse him of being a man who divorces his wives, and his daughters of being
daughters of a divorcee, he would still have made the Neder.
(b) We have already discussed the case in our Mishnah 'Konem she'Eini Nosei es
P'lonis Ke'urah ve'Harei Hi Na'ah'. The other two similar cases cited by the Tana
there are - 'Shechorah, ve'Harei Hi Levanah, Ketzarah, ve'Harei Hi Aruchah'.
(c) When a man made a Neder not to marry his sister's (not too good-looking) daughter
(which is a Mitzvah, as we learned recently) - Rebbi Yishmael took the girl and made
her up until she looked beautiful; then he called her uncle and asked him whether,
when he refused, he had this beautiful girl in mind. When the man replied in the
negative, he annulled his Neder (even though it was a case of 'Nolad').
(d) This episode caused him to weep - to quote his own words: 'The Jewish girls are
really very beautiful, and it is only poverty that makes them look ugly'.
6)
(a) When the Jewish women heard that Rebbi Yishmael (their champion) had died - they
sang lamentations.
(b) Based on a Pasuk in Shmuel - they quoted in their dirges Shaul ha'Melech, because
at his death too, the daughters of Israel were called upon to weep.
(c) The story of Rebbi Yishmael clashes with the previous statement in the Mishnah
('Konem she'Eini Nosei es P'lonis Ke'urah, *ve'Harei Hi Na'ah* ... Mutar Bah'). For
the story to match the Halachah - we need to add 'Rebbi Yishmael Omer, Afilu Ke'urah
ve'Na'asis Na'ah ... Mutar Bah'.
(d) The Halachah remains like the Chachamim - 'Ein Poschin be'Nolad', and not like
Rebbi Yishmael.
66b---------------------------------------66b
Questions
7)
(a) To enhance that girl's beauty - Rebbi Yishmael exchanged a false tooth that she
had (which must have been extremely ugly in those days) for a gold one (for which he
paid out of his own pocket).
(b) The connection between the above episode and the eulogy which that eulogizer said
for Rebbi Yishmael, quoting the same Pasuk as the women "B'nos Yisrael ...
ha'Malbishchen *Shani* ... ha'Ma'aleh Adi Zahav" - lies in the fact that "Shani" is a
play on the word 'Shein' (tooth) and "Adi Zahav", hints at the golden tooth.
(c) When that man made a Neder forbidding his wife Hana'ah from him unless she gave
some food to Rebbi Yehudah and Rebbi Shimon ...
1. ... Rebbi Yehudah tasted some of her food - because, he argued, if (in the case of
a Sotah) Hashem allowed his Holy Name to be blotted out in order to make peace
between a man and his wife, then *he* could certainly make the effort to make peace
between these two people.
2. ... Rebbi Shimon adamantly refused - so as to discourage the man from making
Nedarim in future.
(d) He placed upon him a curse - that he should die and his children should become
orphans (see Agados Maharsha).
8)
(a) That woman spat on Rebbi Yishmael's clothes - because her husband had forbidden
her with a Neder to have Hana'ah from him unless she spat on Rebbi Yishmael.
(b) Rav Acha mi'Difti thought that she had not fully complied with her husband's
instructions - because he had said that she should spit on Rebbi Yishmael, not on his
clothes.
(c) Rebbi Yishmael nevertheless considered the Neder as having been kept - because,
due to Rebbi Yishmael's high standing, spitting on his clothes was sufficiently
degrading.
9)
(a) When that man forbade Hana'ah on his wife unless she could show something nice
about herself to Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yossi, it caused a big problem - because she
was ugly in every respect: she had a round head, hair like strands of flax, round
eyes, flappy ears, a fat nose, thick lips, a short neck, a fat stomach and fat
legs.
(b) Even her name was ugly - 'Meluchleches' (meaning dirty).
(c) Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yossi permitted her to benefit from her husband - on the
basis of her name, which suited her very nicely.
10)
(a) Language problems were not confined to the Tower of Bavel. When a man from
Bavel married a woman from Eretz Yisrael, she prepared him ...
1. ... two lentils, when he asked her for two animal's feet ('Talfi) - because, in
Eretz Yisrael, they did not use the word 'Talfi', so she thought that he wanted
'T'lafchi' which means 'lentils'.
2. ... a lot, when he asked for a little ('Giryu'a') - because 'Giryu'a' has both
connotations, apparently the former in Eretz Yisrael, and the latter, in Bavel.
(b) When he asked for two water-melons - she brought him two lamps.
(c) She smashed them on the head of Bava ben Buta - because her husband told her to
smash them on the gate (for which the Arama'ic word is 'Bava').
(d) Bava ben Buta remained unruffled. He blessed her that, because she had so
scrupulously obeyed the wishes of her husband, Hashem would bless her with two sons
(for the two lamps) of the caliber of Bava ben Buta.
***** Hadran Alach Perek Rebbi Eliezer *****
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