Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

203
Mattot
Optional Obligations?
Dr. David Kallus
T he Gemara in Nedarim (8a) asks: How do we know that we are allowed to take
a sh’vua (oath) in order to keep a mitzvah? Rav Gidal quotes a pasuk in Tehillim,
“I have sworn and I will keep (the oath) to guard your righteous laws.” We see that
Dovid Hamelech would swear to keep a mitzvah. The Gemara then asks the famous
question, but all the Jews as a nation already swore to keep the Torah at ma’amad
Har Sinai, and the rule is that a person can’t make a sh’vua on a sh’vua! The Gemara
answers that true, the sh’vua is not effective, but the point Rav Gidel is teaching is
that a person is allowed to push himself (l’zareiz et atzmo) by making a sh’vua. The
commitment that a sh’vua establishes will encourage him to perform the mitzvah.
Interestingly, the Ran understands that the rule that a sh’vua can’t take effect on a
sh’vua is only insofar as there is no requirement to bring a korban sh’vua when failing
to perform the mitzvah but he still holds that one would incur lashes for violating the
sh’vua. On the other hand, the Ramban in this week’s parsha holds that a sh’vua on a
mitzvah does not take effect at all. Therefore, if one would fail to perform the mitzvah,
he would be patur both from a korban and from lashes as well.
The Ketzos Hachoshen asks a rather obvious question. According to the Ramban
who holds that there is no punishment for violating a sh’vua to keep a mitzvah, how is
this person going to push himself with this sh’vua? After all, it is ineffective. Imagine
someone who can’t seem to wake up to say shema on time. The alarm doesn’t work
and his madrich has given up hope. Then our struggling student comes up with a great