Q&A: Hello and greetings, Rabbi, may I ask a question please?
Hello and greetings, Rabbi, may I ask a question please?
Question
I wanted to ask about the verse:
“If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself with an obligation, he shall not profane his word; whatever comes out of his mouth he shall do.”
The verse says, ‘he shall not profane his word.’ That would seem to mean that from the moment you swear, you must not violate your oath.
So if it happens that you already did violate the oath, then from that point on it has been profaned and no longer remains in force? Are the prohibitions you accepted upon yourself now void?
Also in the verse, “If a person swears, uttering with his lips to do evil or to do good, whatever a man may utter with an oath, and it was hidden from him, and then he realizes it and becomes guilty… then he shall bring his guilt-offering to the Lord for his sin… and the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin”
This is talking about someone who violated his oath and brings a sacrifice in order to atone. But what happens afterward? Does the oath he took go back into effect, or is it canceled because he violated it?
Thank you.
Answer
When a person violates an oath or a vow, he profanes his word, but he does not cancel it. Where do we find that something profaned is also canceled?
The prohibition against violating the oath or vow remains fully in force even if you already violated it. See, for example, the Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 238:10, that someone who swore not to eat a loaf transgresses for every olive-sized amount. It is clear from there that the oath is not nullified.
Thank you