Nedarim 71

Sugya Map

• Issue: Determining the scope of hafarah (vow nullification) for a na'arah (נערה) who undergoes multiple erusin (אירוסין) within a single day. Specifically, can a later arus (ארוס) nullify vows disclosed to a previous one?
• Nafka Mina(s): The validity of vows taken under a previous erusin; the legal effect of a husband's non-nullification (e.g., divorce).
• Primary Sources: Mishna Nedarim 71a, Gemara Nedarim 71a (Shmuel's derivation, Baraita, the dilemma of גירושין כשתיקה או כאישור).

Text Snapshot

The Gemara grapples with the power of the "final husband" (בעלה האחרון):

"מניין לאחרון שמפר בראשון? אמר שמואל: 'ואם היות תהיה לאיש ונדריה עליה' (במדבר ל, ח) — נדרים שהיו עליה כבר."^[Nedarim 71a] The Gemara reinforces this: "דילמא הא דלא נדרו בראשון, אבל נדרו בראשון — לא מפר? 'עליה' — מיתורא."^[Nedarim 71a] Later, a critical chakira (חקירה) is posed: "דילמא גירושין כשתיקה, או דילמא גירושין כאישור?"^[Nedarim 71a]

Readings

• Rashi: Elucidates the Mishna's ruling that "אביה ובעלה האחרון מפירין נדריה" (her father and her final husband nullify her vows) to explicitly include "אפילו מה שנדרה באירוסי ראשון" (even what she vowed during her first betrothal), affirming the expansive power of the final husband.^[Rashi, Nedarim 71a s.v. "אביה ובעלה האחרון מפירין נדריה"]
• Ran: Clarifies the Mishna's "בו ביום" clause, linking it to the necessity of immediate hafarah upon hearing, and underscores the continuous partnership between father and husband until the na'arah enters her own full jurisdiction (לרשות עצמה).^[Ran, Nedarim 71a s.v. "מתני' נדרה והיא ארוסה"]

Friction

The Gemara's chakira "דילמא גירושין כשתיקה, או דילמא גירושין כאישור?" is a classic point of contention.

• Kushya: Does a husband's act of divorcing his wife after hearing a vow, instead of nullifying it, constitute an active ratification (אישור) of the vow, thereby precluding future nullification upon remarriage? Or is it merely a state of "silence" (שתיקה) that doesn't definitively establish the vow's permanence if the legal relationship is re-established on the same day?
• Terutz: The Gemara leaves this specific chakira as a teiku (תיקו), effectively a legal impasse regarding the possibility of nullification upon immediate remarriage. This indicates that the legal ramifications of a husband's inaction (divorce instead of hafarah) are not easily resolved, underscoring the nuanced nature of hafarah jurisdiction.

Intertext

The Gemara in Nedarim 70b presents a machlokes between Rav and Shmuel concerning m'eimatai mit'chilim l'hafer (מאימתי מתחילים להפר)—from when one can begin to nullify vows. Shmuel holds one can nullify l'altar (לאלתר), immediately upon hearing, while Rav holds one must wait until nightfall.^[Nedarim 70b] This machlokes highlights the critical importance of timing in hafarah and the implications of even momentary inaction, informing the gravity of the "silence vs. ratification" dilemma.

Psak/Practice

Due to the Gemara's teiku on the "divorce as ratification" question, halakha generally adopts the stringent view: if a husband hears a vow, divorces, and then remarries on the same day, he cannot nullify the vow.^[Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 234:7] This indicates that divorce, in this specific context, is treated as an active termination of the ability to nullify, effectively solidifying the vow.

Takeaway

Hafarah jurisdiction is a dynamic interplay of timing, marital status, and the legal interpretation of inaction. A vow's status is not static but contingent upon the evolving legal relationships and the precise moment of intervention.