Parasha Thoughts
By Rabbi Shemuel Akhamzadeh
If a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his pledge; he must carry out all that has crossed his lips.
Harav Schwab in his commentary on the Parasha ( Maayan bet Hashoaivah) explains the idea of Nedarim as the power invested in the Jews by Hashem to use words to make a vow and render something ( i.e. a food, or anything else for that matter) completely forbidden on themselves as if the Torah had made it forbidden. The punishment for breaking such a vow is as binding as what the Torah has forbidden.
Perhaps we can understand this idea by going back to when Hashem formed Adam; He made Adam in his own image ( Bereshit 1:26) and blew into him a living spirit. Onkolos translates this to mean that God gave man the power of speech . (וַהֲוַת בְּ×Ö¸×“Ö¸× ×œÖ°×¨×•Ö¼×—Ö· מְמַלְלָ×) ( Bereshit 2″8) .
The Power of speech is the sign of Godliness within man. Just as God creates with words so too man is given the ability (in the image of God) to create with his words. With words man is able to do the greatest of mitzvoth and the greatest of evils.
Gemara in Gitin 55b relates the story of the Temple’s destruction and how animosity and ultimately evil speech caused its demise. As we enter the Month of Av in which the temple was destroyed on the 9th day, we need to internalize the lesson of the Nedarim and be more aware of the power of the Godly tool that Hashem has planted with in us. We should use it for good and keep it from causing destruction.
Longing to see the rebuilding of the temple.
Shabbat Shalom