Nedarim 90 - Rosh Chodesh Shvat, January 23, 1 Shvat

This month’s learning is sponsored by Shlomo and Amalia Klapper in honor of the birth of Chiyenna Yochana, named after her great-great-grandmother, Chiyenna Kossovsky. “A talmida chachama who studied gemara ahead of her time. Baby Chiyenna will be 4 1/2 when her mother finishes shas, be'ezrat Hashem!”

This week's learning is sponsored by Stacey Goodstein Ashtamker in loving memory of Stacey’s beloved father Jack Goodstein, Yaakov ben Asur Halevi z"l whose 12 months of mourning ends on Rosh Chodesh and in memory of her father-in-law Eliyahu Ashtamker, Eliyahu ben David z"l, whose first yahrzeit is this Shabbat.   "May their memories be for a blessing."

Today’s daf is dedicated in memory of HaRabbanit Dr. Naomi Cohen zt"l, the wife of HaRav Shear Yashuv Hakohen zt"l. A woman ahead of her time who taught Gemara to women in Haifa. You are missed as a teacher, and as a special wise woman, we had the honor to study with.

Does the debate between Rabbi Natan and the rabbis regarding nullification of a vow that has not yet taken effect also apply to dissolving vows with a chacham? A story is brought of a man who took a vow of this kind and Rav Acha made sure the vow took effect so that it could be dissolved. Two explanations are brought up explaining why he needed the vow to take effect first. Sources are brought to support the second explanation but are each rejected. An alternate version of the second explanation is brought and the same sources are brought to raise a difficulty against it. One is resolved, and the other is not. Originally there were three different claims a woman could make and the rabbis would insist the husband divorce the wife and give her the ketuba money, but over time there were women who lied in order to get the husband to divorce her, and therefore the rabbis stopped believing them. What were these claims? After the rabbis changed their minds, what would they do if a woman made these claims? One of the claims is a woman married to a kohen claims that she was raped. The Gemara asks: if we no longer believe her to insist on divorce, can she continue to eat truma?