The section on vows appears at the beginning of Parashat Matot at the end of the Book of Numbers. The section opens with the words, “This is the thing which Havayah has commanded,” and Rashi provides an explanation for this expression—which appears in other places as well—saying that it is the special phrase that distinguishes Moses from other prophets who prophesied with “Thus says Havayah.” There is something about the section on vows where the uniqueness of Moses over other prophets is revealed, in that he prophesied with a clear vision and with the power of the sage to annul vows. The sage is an extension of Moses in every generation and a spark of the Mashiach. Likewise, a husband in relation to his wife and a father to his daughter have a similar power in the annulment of vows.
This section is very much connected to women, as it primarily deals with the vows of women under the authority of their fathers or husbands, or in their own authority. Only one verse in the section deals with the vows of men, thus there is a special rectification of the woman’s mode of Divine service here.
Before we begin, let’s preface by saying that the making of a vow or an oath reveals a power that was not previously disclosed, and it is connected to the revelation of the spark of the Mashiach within each person. We have 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments, but surprisingly, a Jew who makes a vow (a neder) has the power to add a prohibition or an obligation beyond what the Torah prescribed. It is as if he or she is, in a manner of speaking, akin to the Almighty who gives us commandments.
Another important preface to make is that Maimonides writes that we refrain from making vows, which is why we are accustomed to adding the words “bli neder,” meaning “without a vow,” to our commitments to do things. This is a surprising attitude, as the power of the vow is truly great. The power of the one who vows comes from the spark of the Mashiach within him or her, while the power of the sage who annuls the vow comes from the power of Moses our teacher, who has a certain superiority over the soul of Mashiach. Indeed, apart from the Mashiach there is the soul of Ra’aya Mehemna, the soul of Moses, the shepherd of faith, who comes after the Mashiach to integrate the surrounding lights revealed by the Mashiach, internally.
Usually, when we speak about the spark of Mashiach, we explain that it is a Divine inspiration a person receives to pursue the task of rectifying the world—tikkun olam. The person is then filled with the infinite light—the infinite revelation of Godliness. But these are initially chaotic lights (הוֹתְּּת דֹרוֹאו) that need to be provided with suitable vessels of rectification so that they do not shatter reality. Here, in the Torah’s treatment of vows, this power of rectification comes as a power of prohibition, to forbid oneself. It is a power of contraction and limitation in the soul, which comes after the revelation of the infinite light and is no less a Messianic power. The revelation of the light is in the manner of initiative and the impulse to act, but afterwards comes the power to limit this impulse, and it is a stronger power.
Still the question stands: why do we refrain today from using the power of the vow?
The answer is connected to the power of the sages to nullify a commandment from the Torah. The example brought in Chasidut for this is the sages’ nullification of the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah that falls on Shabbat due to the concern of carrying it four cubits in a public domain. In Chasidut, it is explained that this reason is only an external one that is meant to conceal the deeper, inner explanation, which is that since the time of the sages, what the shofar blowing achieves is done automatically within the soul when it is Shabbat. Therefore, we do not lose the fulfillment of the commandment because it is accomplished automatically by the sanctity of Shabbat; we just need to understand how.
Of course, this is only the situation in our ages, but in the future, the shofar will indeed be blown because then it will be able to draw down a different revelation, a revelation that is not normally drawn down on Shabbat. This is the paradigmatic framework for thinking about all the things that, in principle, are supposed to be done but are not practiced today.
Usually, this is an issue that greatly disturbs ba’alei teshuvah who are newly motivated by books rather than by the traditions and practice they grew up on. Another example: someone studying Kabbalah learns that on Shabbat there should be twelve loaves, and when he goes to his rabbi’s house, he sees only two loaves. When he asks why, the rabbi answers that, in practice, it is not done this way, which greatly disappoints him. The way to explain this is that the matter is accomplished internally in a different manner, as we have explained.
The same applies to vows. Due to the concern that the one who vows might not be able to uphold the vow, all of Israel has adopted the practice of avoiding them as much as possible and are careful to say, “bli neder” (without a vow). Because nowadays, we can access the power of the vow, with all its inherent motivating force, without actually verbalizing it. In the time of the Temple, this was not the case. Then, it was possible to reveal much more with verbal expression than today, but what affects us internally today can be accessed even without verbal expression. On the contrary, it can be expressed in a more intense manner and without limitations because we do not verbalize it. Not only have we not lost anything, but we have gained the immediate availability of the power of vows because we do not need to verbalize it and because it is constantly accessible internally. What this means is that although the unspoken vow does not practically forbid us, spiritually it is binding and fulfills the verse, “One who speaks truthfully in his heart.”
A vow can be used in one of two ways. Usually, it is used to create a prohibition, to refrain from doing something, but it can also be used to create an obligation. The latter type relates to consecration for the Temple. So, although it is not necessary to actively fulfill the unvocalized vow (like if someone vowed to bring a certain gift to the Temple), with respect to its impact internally on the psyche, it makes no difference whether you verbalize the vow or not. Another way to think of it is that there may be one who verbalizes his thought but will not have much of an impact on his psyche, and there is one who will not verbalize his thought but will have a profound impact on his psyche.
Boiling all this down to one important principle, which we might say is the core of Chasidic service of God: the primary work we do in our age is internal. In our current state of exile, the main work is internal, and when redemption arrives, the focus will once again shift to the external. That is why our vows are internal work. As such, vows are central to all Chasidic service since the Ba’al Shem Tov because they represent the service of self-restraint—the mind ruling over the heart. Indeed, the Tanya begins with the issue of vows: “They make him [the soul before coming into the world] vow to be righteous.” Before the soul descends into this world, it is given the strength and the effluence needed to withstand all the trials and challenges of life. The vow reveals the soul’s essence, which is the spark of Mashiach in the soul.
