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Rishon
- The laws of Nedarim:
- Hashem spoke to Moshe to speak to all the heads of tribes saying: A person who made an oath or vow is to keep his word.
- Daughter in her youth: If a woman, while in her youth [i.e. Na’arah], makes a vow, then her father can either accept it or annul it on the day he hears of the vow. If he remains quiet after hearing of the vow, then the vow shall stand valid. If, however, her father restrained her from the vow, on the day that he heard of her vow, then the vow is abolished, and Hashem will forgive her.
- Naarah who is engaged: If a wife [who is a Naarah and is only engaged, Kiddushin/Eirusin] makes a vow, then her husband [and father] can either accept it or annul it on the day he hears of the vow. If the husband [or father] remains quiet after hearing of the vow, then the vow shall stand valid. If, however, her husband [and father] restrained her from the vow, on the day that he heard of her vow, then the vow is abolished, and Hashem will forgive her.
- A married woman: If a wife who is married makes a vow regarding a matter that causes personal affliction, then her husband can either accept it or annul it on the day he hears of the vow. If he remains quiet after hearing of the vow, then the vow shall stand valid. If, however, her husband restrained her from the vow, on the day that he heard of her vow, then the vow is abolished, and Hashem will forgive her.
- A single woman: The vow of a [single woman such as a] widow or divorcee stands valid.
- Bnei Yisrael wage war against Midian:
- Hashem spoke to Moshe saying that he should take vengeance against Midian and he will then pass on. Moshe recruited 1000 soldiers from each Tribe. They went to battle together with Pinchas the son of Elazar, and the sacred vessels of the Temple [i.e. Aron], and the trumpets in hand.
- The outcome of the battle: They killed every male, including all the five kings of Midian who were named Evi, Rekem, Tzur, Chur and Reva. Balaam the son of Beor was killed by the sword. They captured all the wives and children of Midian and all their animals and assets. Their cities and houses and buildings were all set on fire. The army brought all the spoils of people, animals and items to Moshe and Elazar.
Q&A on Rashi
📘 Rashi Q&A — Bamidbar 30:2–17 and 31:1–12
30:2 — Teaching the Laws of Vows
Q1. Why does Moshe address the tribal leaders first? A. To honor them by teaching them before the rest of Israel.
Q2. What law is derived from addressing the leaders? A. An expert sage can release vows alone; otherwise, three ordinary men may do so.
Q3. What is unique about Moshe’s prophecy? A. Other prophets used “כה אמר ה'” (“So says Hashem”), while Moshe also used “זה הדבר” (“This is the matter”).
Q4. What distinction is learned from “זה הדבר”? A. A sage releases (התרה) vows, while a husband annuls (הפרה) vows.
30:3 — Binding Nature of Vows
Q5. What is a vow (נדר)? A. A person makes a permitted thing forbidden to himself like a sacrifice.
Q6. Can a vow permit something the Torah forbids? A. No. One may forbid the permitted, but not permit the forbidden.
Q7. What does “לא יחל דברו” mean? A. He must not profane or degrade his word.
30:4–6 — A Daughter’s Vows
Q8. What does “in her father’s house” mean? A. Under her father’s authority, even if not physically in his home.
Q9. What age is “in her youth”? A. The stage between childhood and full adulthood.
Q10. What happens if her father remains silent? A. Her vows remain valid.
Q11. What happens if her father annuls the vow that day? A. The vow is canceled.
Q12. Why does the Torah say “Hashem will forgive her”? A. Even if the vow was annulled without her knowledge, she needs forgiveness if she intended to violate it.
Q13. What lesson is learned from this? A. If someone needs forgiveness for an annulled vow, certainly one who violates a valid vow does.
30:7–9 — A Betrothed Woman
Q14. To whom does this section refer? A. A betrothed woman (ארוסה), not a fully married woman.
Q15. Who must annul her vows? A. Both her father and her fiancé together.
Q16. What if only one of them annuls the vow? A. The vow remains in force.
Q17. What does “her vows are upon her” mean? A. They were made before the engagement and were neither upheld nor annulled.
30:10 — Widow or Divorcee
Q18. Who can annul a widow’s or divorcee’s vows? A. No one; the vows remain binding.
Q19. Does this apply to a widow from betrothal? A. No. She returns to her father’s authority.
30:11–13 — Married Woman
Q20. Who is discussed here? A. A fully married woman.
Q21. What happens if her husband remains silent? A. Her vows remain binding.
Q22. What happens if he annuls them that day? A. The vows are canceled.
30:14 — Which Vows Can a Husband Annul?
Q23. Can a husband annul every vow? A. No.
Q24. Which vows may he annul? A. Vows involving self-affliction.
30:15 — Time Limit for Annulment
Q25. How long does a husband have to annul a vow? A. Until nightfall on the day he hears it.
Q26. Why is “from day to day” stated? A. To show that the period is not a full 24 hours.
30:16 — Delayed Annulment
Q27. What if he first approves the vow and then annuls it? A. The annulment is ineffective.
Q28. What does “he shall bear her iniquity” mean? A. He bears responsibility for causing her to stumble.
30:17 — Conclusion
Q29. What relationships are emphasized? A. Husband-wife and father-daughter.
📘 Bamidbar 31:1–12 — War Against Midian
31:2 — Command to Avenge Israel
Q30. Why are only the Midianites targeted? A. Midian interfered in a conflict that did not directly concern them.
Q31. Why are Moab excluded? A. Because Ruth the Moabite was destined to come from them.
Q32. What follows this war? A. Moshe’s death.
31:3 — Moshe’s Response
Q33. How does Moshe react when he learns his death depends on this war? A. He acts immediately and joyfully without delay.
Q34. What does “החלצו” mean? A. Arm yourselves and prepare eagerly.
Q35. Who were selected for battle? A. Righteous men.
Q36. Why is it called “Hashem’s vengeance”? A. Attacking Israel is considered attacking Hashem.
31:4–5 — The Army
Q37. How many soldiers were chosen? A. 12,000—one thousand from each tribe.
Q38. Was Levi included? A. Yes.
Q39. Why were they “given over”? A. They did not want to hasten Moshe’s death and were reluctant to go.
31:6 — Pinchas Leads
Q40. Why was Pinchas sent instead of Elazar? A. He began the response to Midian by killing Kozbi, so he completed it.
Q41. What additional reason is given? A. He avenged Joseph, whose descendants suffered because of Midian.
Q42. What sacred items accompanied the army? A. The Ark and the Tzitz (Forehead Plate).
Q43. Why were these items needed? A. To counter Bilaam’s sorcery.
31:7–8 — Victory
Q44. What happened in battle? A. The Israelite army killed all the Midianite adult males.
Q45. How many Midianite kings died? A. Five.
Q46. Why does Scripture stress “five kings”? A. To show they were equally guilty and equally punished.
Q47. Why was Bilaam there? A. He came to collect his reward and encourage Midian.
Q48. How was Bilaam killed? A. By the sword.
Q49. Why specifically by the sword? A. He attacked Israel through speech, so Israel responded using the weapon of the nations.
31:9–12 — Captives and Spoils
Q50. Who was taken captive? A. The women and children of Midian.
Q51. What happened to the cities? A. They were burned.
Q52. What are “טירותם”? A. Their palaces or centers of leadership.
Q53. What does the Torah emphasize about the soldiers? A. They honestly brought all the spoils and stole nothing.
Q54. What is “שלל”? A. Clothing and jewelry.
Q55. What is “בז”? A. Other movable property.
Q56. What is “מלקוח”? A. Captured people and animals.
Q57. To whom was the booty brought? A. Moshe, Elazar, and the entire community.