Nedarim 87 – The husband against grapes but not against figs

If the wife makes a vow to not eat grapes and figs, and the husband confirms only the grape prohibition, then the figs prohibition is also established. This is because the Torah said, “The husband hears (and confirms) about it,” which can be translated as “even a part of it.” However, if he annuls only the figs part, he still needs to revoke the grapes. Some say that he needs to rescind the complete vow – because the Torah said, “Revokes it,” meaning the whole vow needs to be revoked.

We thus see that confirming the vow and annulling it are different. There is another way to look at it. Since the Torah said that “The husband will confirm and the husband will annul,” we compare the two: just as in confirming it, once he confirms part, the whole is confirmed, and so is annulment: once he annuls part, the total is annulled. This is indeed the view of Rabbi Akiva.

Moreover, if she says, “I am not eating grapes, and I am not eating figs,” – these are two separate vows that need to be annulled separately. This is the view of Rabbi Shimon, who requires separate legal statements about everything. That is why our rule above forbidding grapes and figs is considered a single vow. Those who disagree will consider the initial statement as two separate vows, and the above discussion about separate annulment would not even apply.

Art: A Still Life Of Grapes In A Basket by Frans Snyders