Vayikra 5:4 · unit 8

Parashas Vayikra · Aliyah 6 · Passuk 5:4 · Unit 8 of 14

Complete Passuk

אוֹ נֶפֶשׁ כִּי תִשָּׁבַע לְבַטֵּא בִשְׂפָתַיִם לְהָרַע אוֹ לְהֵיטִיב לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יְבַטֵּא הָאָדָם בִּשְׁבֻעָה וְנֶעְלַם מִמֶּנּוּ וְהוּא־יָדַע וְאָשֵׁם לְאַחַת מֵאֵלֶּה׃

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah cites Nedarim 8a.

Sefaria — Nedarim 8a
E-Daf · Nedarim 8a

Core Text — Nedarim 8a
יָכוֹל נִשְׁבַּע לְקַיֵּם אֶת הַמִּצְוָה וְלֹא קִיֵּם יְהֵא חַיָּיב — תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ״לְהָרַע אוֹ לְהֵיטִיב״, מַה הֲרָעָה רְשׁוּת אַף הֲטָבָה רְשׁוּת.

One might think that if he swore to fulfill a mitzvah and did not, he would be liable — Scripture says “to harm or to benefit”: just as harm is optional, so benefit is optional.

Oaths to fulfill an already-binding mitzvah are excluded from the oleh ve-yored of shevu’as bitui by the parallel of optional harm/benefit.

Type of Learning: Miyut excluding oaths to fulfill an already-binding mitzvah.
What Is Learned: One who is already sworn from Sinai to keep a mitzvah does not create a new shevu’as bitui korban by swearing to keep it and failing. The verse’s language of optional harm/benefit limits the oleh ve-yored to optional matters.