דר לה' או השבע שבעה לאסר ðאיש כי ידר פשו לא יחל דברו ככל היצא מפיו ðאסר על יעשה
“If a man takes a vow to Hashem...” (30:3) This week’s parsha introduces the laws governing “nedarim” and “shevuos” – vows and oaths. Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, the compiler of the Mishna categorized the Oral Law into six orders, the “Shisha Sidrei Mishna”. The third of the six orders is Seder Nashim, the laws concerning relationships between men and women. The third tractate in Seder Nashim is Mesichta Nedarim. This tractate discusses the definitions and interpretations of the differing phraseology and formulae which may be used when invoking a vow or oath.
In his commentary on the Mishna, the Rambam questions the appropriateness of placing Nedarim in Seder Nashim. What is the connection between vows and oaths and man-woman relationships? The Rambam answers that since the Mesichta discusses the type of vows which a man may annul for his wife, Nedarim is appropriately placed in Seder Nashim.(See Rambam’s introduction to the Mishna) However, the laws governing a man’s ability to annul his wife’s vows are only introduced in chapter ten of the tractate. If the primary reason for the tractate’s placement in Seder Nashim is these particular laws, why did Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi wait until chapter ten to discuss them?
Perhaps another answer to the Rambam’s difficulty can be offered. The primary focus of the tractate is the sensitivity to the particular nuances and inflections contained within speech. Speech gives man his ability to communicate, and to communicate well, a person must have this sensitivity. Communication is of utmost importance in marriage, and therefore, the tractate which focuses on the sensitivity that allows for enhanced communication is appropriately placed in the Order governing man-woman relationships. (Rabbi Zweig on the Parsha)
