By Rabbi Shai Grauher
Rav Chaim Kanievsky and the Steipler Gaon
The Alshich explains that the Torah uses a double verb —, swears an oath — to indicate that this refers to an instance where a person takes an oath to do something that he is already sworn to do. The Gemara (Niddah 30b) teaches that every soul, before it is born, swears that it will be righteous, fulfilling all the commandments of the Torah.
Although generally an oath cannot be effective “on top” of another oath, there is a special exclusion for mitzvah fulfillment. The Gemara (Nedarim 8a) teaches that one can swear to fulfill a mitzvah, despite the fact that he is already oath-bound to keep all the mitzvos. This is even considered a praiseworthy practice, as it helps a person spur himself to mitzvah observance.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky related that when his father, the Steipler Gaon, was a bachur, he asked how the added oath helps. Since the person is already bound by the obligation to do the mitzvah, what does an oath add to his feeling of responsibility?
The Steipler answered that the yetzer hara is very sly and clever, and will always propose a multitude of reasons why a person should be exempt from fulfilling his responsibilities. Whether suggesting that now is not the right time to perform the mitzvah or that the person is not obligated under these circumstances, he will always find an excuse.
By taking a personal oath to do the mitzvah, however, one circumvents these seductions, since the yetzer hara can no longer come up with exclusions. This expedient allows a person to avoid being lulled by the false premises of his evil inclination and helps him strengthen his resolve to fulfill the mitzvos. Based on this, the Steipler Gaon continued, we can also understand why the Torah allows this oath to be superimposed on an existing oath:
Since the entire purpose of this oath is to defeat the yetzer hara’s attempts to claim that the preexisting obligation is not actually in effect, the Torah grants enough validity to his claims for it to be as if the prior oath is, indeed, invalid, allowing the new oath to take effect, and ultimately defeating his purpose.
Reprinted from the Parshas Mattos-Masei 5783 edition of At the ArtScroll Shabbos Table. Excerpted from the ArtScroll book – “Rav Chaim Kanievsky on Chumash” by Rabbi Shai Graucher.
