Vayikra 5:4 · unit 9

Parashas Vayikra · Aliyah 6 · Passuk 5:4 · Unit 9 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 16b.

Sefaria — Nedarim 16b
E-Daf · Nedarim 16b

Core Text — Nedarim 16b
יָכוֹל נִשְׁבַּע לְבַטֵּל אֶת הַמִּצְוָה וְלֹא בִּטֵּל יְהֵא חַיָּיב — תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר ״לְהָרַע אוֹ לְהֵיטִיב״, מַה הֲטָבָה רְשׁוּת אַף הֲרָעָה רְשׁוּת.

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

Oaths to violate a mitzvah are excluded from the oleh ve-yored of shevu’as bitui by the parallel of optional benefit.

Type of Learning: Miyut excluding oaths to violate a mitzvah.
What Is Learned: An oath not to sit in a sukkah or not to eat matzah does not generate shevu’as bitui liability for this section when he in fact keeps the mitzvah. The verse’s language of optional harm/benefit excludes prohibited matters.