Today’s daf TB Nedarim distinguishes the difference between a vow (neder-נֶדֶר) and a gift offering (nedavah-נְדָבָה). When a person says “I accept upon myself to bring a sacrifice-" קׇרְבָּן עָלַי", he is making a vow. Since the animals not in front of him, he is pledging to bring a sacrifice in the future. If the animal he wishes to sacrifice ultimately has a blemish, he is responsible to bring a different animal to fulfill his vow. The rabbis did not look favorably upon a person who vows because of his little commitment to fulfill it. We just don’t know whether he will actually bring a sacrifice to the Temple. Maybe he will and maybe he won’t. The rabbis believe only the wicked make a lot of vows to look good, but never fulfill them. We all know about people who make large public pledges to the synagogue to look generous, but never redeem them. According to the rabbis, the righteous prefer not vowing at all.
When a person and the animal right in front of him and says “This (זֹאת) animal is a gift offering (nedavah-נְדָבָה). A nedavah is preferable to a neder because the animal is immediately available to fulfill the gift offering. If something should happen to that specific animal the one who made this pledge is off the hook to bring a second animal because he made himself liable only to that specific animal.
By trying to figure out who is the author of the Mishnah, we learn that Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda values vows differently. “This is as it is taught in a baraita with regard to the verse “Better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:4), that better than both this and that is one who does not take a vow at all. This is the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: Better than both this and that is one who vows and pays. Consequently, Rabbi Meir advocates abstaining from all vows and Rabbi Yehuda advocates making vows and fulfilling them, but neither of them distinguishes between vows and gift offerings. The mishna, however, indicates that virtuous people do not make vows but do bring gift offerings.”(Sefaria.org translation) Rabbi Meir holds that one should not vow at all while Rabbi Yehuda holds that vows are good when they are redeemed. The Ron (ר"ן) comments that one shouldn’t think he gains the merit just by vowing. He only gets the big checkmark in the sky when he fulfills his vow.
The Gemara holds out the position that Rabbi Meir still could be the author of our Mishnah. “When Rabbi Meir said that one should abstain from making vows, he was referring only to a vow; he did not say it with regard to a gift offering.” (Sefaria.org translation)
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