Shabbat Parashat Mattot-Maasei - 5784

Shabbat Parashat Mattot-Maasei - 5784

Rabbi Hal Miller

  But if her father restrained her on the day of his hearing, all her vows or

  prohibitions that she prohibited upon herself shall not stand, and God will

  forgive her. [Bamidbar 30:6]

In our verse, and again in 30:9 and 30:13, the Torah says "and God will forgive

her". But it never tells us for what she needs forgiveness.

Rashi cites Sifri that these verses refer to a woman who takes a vow of nezirut

and either her father or her husband, as appropriate, nullified the vow, but she was

not aware of the nullification and she went ahead and knowingly violated her vow.

Since the vow is no longer in effect, she could not need forgiveness for violating it.

Rashi says that she does need that forgiveness, teaching that all the more so one

who violates a vow that has not been nullified needs forgiveness.

In the Gemora [Nazir 23a] Rabbi Akiva explains that although she did not actually

violate an extant vow, she needs forgiveness for her intent. If one intends to eat

pork, but unknowingly picks up a piece of kosher lamb, he still needs atonement

and forgiveness. Talelei Oros points out that usually, one who thinks to sin is not

held liable, but the difference here is that she in fact carried out an action. "One

who thinks to sin and acts but did not actually accomplish the violation is not

punished in an earthly court, but is still held liable in heaven and needs atonement."

There are various opinions as to what the forgiveness is upon. The above opinions

seem to apply it to the woman herself, but Onkelos says that the forgiveness falls upon

the vows themselves and not the woman nor her violations, and that the nullification

is retroactive to the time of vowing. Ramban explains that the nullification by the

father/husband severs the vow, but does not uproot it from its inception, which

seems the opposite of Onkelos, thus the forgiveness comes upon her for whatever

she may do after the nullification, and she is liable for anything done before it.

Talelei Oros refers back to the discussion of nezirut [Bamidbar 6:3] where the Torah

lists ways of violating that vow, specifying drinking wine. Our verses are to teach that

if she were to drink kiddush, which is a mitzvah, that does not override the violation

of a vow of nezirut and she still needs atonement and forgiveness.