Floating in the Air

The Mishna in Chagiga speaks of three kinds of mitzvot - those that "float in the air", like Hatarat N'darim, those that are like "mountains hanging by a thread; scant text and voluminous halachot and details, such as Shabbat, and mitzvot that are strongly rooted in the Written Text and are well explained in the Chumash,such as the laws of Korbanot. The mishna concludes by teaching us that each kind of mitzva is part of the "body of the Torah".

What is meant by the expression, "floating in the air"? At the beginning of Parshat Matot, we find a command to be true to one's vows, not to violate one's promises. Then the Torah tells us about HAFARAT NEDARIM, the special nullification of a young girl's vows by her father and those of a wife by her husband. (In eachcase there are many conditions that must be met before this nullification can be effective, but we'll leave the details aside for now.)

But what about HATARAT NEDARIM? We know about it from the common practice of saying it on Erev Rosh HaShana or during Aseret Y'mei T'shuva. And maybe we have had occasion to use it for a specific situation. But, where does the Torah write about it?

It doesn't. The mitzva/concept of Nullification of Vows (besides a wife's and a daughter's) is only vaguely associated with the text in Matot (and elsewhere). No direct connection. No text to start us off. It floats in the air over the text, so to speak.

In fact, the text seems to say that there is no such thing as HATARAT NEDARIM. The Torah insists that vows must be kept. If anything, we might suggest that the existence of Hafarat Nedarim teaches us the exceptions to the rule, and that all other vows remain inviolate.

But Hatarat Nedarim for everyone is part of Jewish Law and Practice. Where did it come from? Most Sages would agree that it is part of the Oral Torah, transmitted orally from G-d to Moshe and from Moshe down the Chain of Tradition. In this case, there is no text to anchor it; it floats.cont.

What we have here, on a broader scale, is another example of many, of the difference between the real commitment of the Jewish People at Sinai and that of the rest of the world, including non-Jews as well as sects and individuals within the Jewish People.

We see (should see) the Written Word and the Oral Law as an inseparable package deal, which includes a firm belief in the Chain of Tradition, a confidence in the Sages throughout the generations to transmit Torah law faithfully, to legislate within proper guidelines in order to protect the Torah and enhance its observance.

The literal reading of the Written Word would indicate that "between your eyes" is a point right above the bridge of one's nose. The Torah definition of "between your eyes" is at the front of one's head, above the hairline, on the spot of the skull where a baby's head is soft. Torah-true Jews place their T'filin of thehead in the right place with complete confidence in those who have taught us Halacha in every generation.

The mitzvot that have little or no "solid" text in the Chumash are no less precious to us than those that are clarified to the last detail in the text. And the same goes for details within a mitzva. Cow meat cooked with sheep milk is as prohibited as baby goat meat poached in its own mother's milk.

When the world manage to wrest the Torah from our arms and translate it into their many languages, they mistakenly took only part of it. Hatarat Nedarim is an important reminder of who we are.