Nedarim 85 · Beginner voice, Standard

Hook

Have you ever wondered if the "right" to do a good deed actually has a price tag? Imagine you have a basket of apples, and you are required by tradition to give a portion of them away to someone in need. Because you get to choose which person receives your gift, you hold a special kind of power—the power of choosing who benefits.

Now, here is the tricky part: if a thief steals that entire basket, should they have to pay you back for the value of the apples you were going to give away? After all, those apples weren't really yours to keep; they were destined for someone else. But what about the "benefit" you lost—the joy or social credit of choosing the recipient?