Eide sind zwei, das sind vier: Ich schwöre, dass ich essen werde oder dass ich nicht essen werde [Dies sind die beiden, die ausdrücklich geschrieben sind. Nämlich. (3. Mose 5: 4): "krank machen oder gut tun", was in Zukunft impliziert: Ich werde nicht essen—"krank machen"; Ich werde essen—"Gutes tun."]; (Ich schwöre) dass ich gegessen habe oder dass ich nicht gegessen habe [Dies sind die zusätzlichen zwei, die von den Weisen abgeleitet wurden.] "Ich schwöre, dass ich nicht essen werde", und er aß jede Menge, er haftet. Dies sind die Worte von R. Akiva. Sie fragten ihn: Wo finden wir, dass jemand, der eine Menge isst, haftbar ist, dass dieser haftbar sein sollte! Er konterte: Und wo finden wir, dass jemand, der spricht, ein Opfer bringt [um sein Wort zu brechen], dass dieser sprechen und ein Opfer bringen soll! [Und da es daran liegt, dass er sein Wort gebrochen hat (dass er haftet), bricht auch dies sein Wort. Denn wenn einer sagt "Ich werde nicht essen", meint er jede Menge.] "Ich schwöre, dass ich nicht essen werde", und er aß und trank, haftet er nur für einen (Opfer). [Obwohl das Trinken zum Essen gehört, haftet er nur für einen, denn es ist, als würde er in einem Akt der Vergesslichkeit essen und wieder essen.] "Ich schwöre, dass ich nicht essen und nicht trinken werde. "und er aß und trank, er haftet für zwei. [Dies sind zwei Eide. Und obwohl, als er sagte "Ich werde nicht essen", ihm das Trinken (auch) verboten war, wurde das Trinken in das Essen einbezogen, so dass es Grund gibt zu sagen, dass ein Eid dies tut, wenn er dann sagte "Ich werde nicht trinken" nicht "nehmen" auf einen anderen (der gleichen Art), es ist hier anders. Denn da er zuerst sagte "Ich werde nicht essen" und dann "Ich werde nicht trinken", wird deutlich, dass er mit "essen" meinte, allein zu essen.]
Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
שבועות שתים. שאוכל ושלא אוכל – these are the two which are explained, as it is written (Leviticus 5:4): “[Or when a man utters an oath] to bad or good purpose –[whatever a man may utter in an oath] that implies in the future, I will not eat for a bad purpose. I will eat for a good purpose.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
Introduction
Our mishnah begins to discuss oaths, the main topic of the tractate. The oaths discussed in the beginning of this chapter are oaths of utterance, whereby one swears that he has or has not done something, or that he will or will not do something. One who breaks such an oath is liable for a sliding scale sacrifice, described in chapters one and two and in Leviticus 5:6-13.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
שאכלתי ושלא אכלתי – these are additional two from the exposition of the Sages.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
Oaths are two, subdivided into four. “I swear I shall eat”, and “[I swear] I shall not eat”; “[I swear] I have eaten”, and “[I swear] I have not eaten”. The first line of this mishnah is a quote of the first mishnah of the tractate. After two chapters of digression, we return to the main topic at hand, oaths. Our mishnah lists all four types of oaths of utterance, two with regards to the past and two with regards to the future, two negative and two positive. Eating is just an example of a common oath. An oath can involve most types of actions.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
מדבר ומביא קרבן – because of the abrogation/nullification of his speech, and since it is because of the abrogation of his speech, even this is an abrogation of his speech for when he says: “I will not eat”, his intention is to prohibit himself from any amount.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
“I swear I shall not eat”, and he ate [even] a minute quantity, he is liable, the words of Rabbi Akiva. They [the Sages] said to Rabbi Akiva: “Where do we find that he who eats a minute quantity is liable, that this one should be liable?” Rabbi Akiba said to them: “But where do we find that he who [merely] speaks brings a sacrifice, that this one should bring a sacrifice?” According to Rabbi Akiva, one who swore not to eat and then ate is liable to bring a sacrifice even if he ate the most minute amount of food. The Sages raise a difficulty on this Rabbi Akiva’s position. Generally, a person is not obligated for having eaten a forbidden food unless he ate a minimum measure of the food, usually the size of an olive. Rabbi Akiva responds that we cannot compare the laws of oaths of utterance to any other laws, for an oath of utterance can obligate a person to bring a sacrifice of atonement just by his having said something. In all other realms of law in order to be liable to bring a sacrifice of atonement one has to actually perform a sin. Only with regards to oaths of utterance can a person merely retract on his words, and thereby be obligated for a sacrifice. Since the laws of oaths of utterance are already different, there is no room, according to Rabbi Akiva, to compare them to other laws.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
שבועה שלא אוכל ואכל ושתה – evn though that drinking is included with eating, he is not liable other than for one [sacrifice], for it is to him like eating and he goes back and eats in one act of forgetfulness [as the cause of the transgression].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
[If a man says,] “I swear I shall not eat” and he ate and drank, he is liable only once. “I swear I shall not eat and I shall not drink,” and he ate and drank, he is liable twice. This section deals with the question is drinking subsumed under the category of drinking. According to the mishnah, generally drinking is considered a form of eating and therefore, if after having sworn not to eat, he eats and drinks, he is liable for only one sacrifice. Drinking is considered a separate violation from eating only if he specifically swore not to eat or drink. In this case if he ate and drank he would be obligated to bring two sacrifices.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Shevuot
שלא אוכל ושלא אשתה – these are two oaths to them. And even though when he stated “I will not eat,” he also forbids himself to drink, for drinking is included with eating, and he then retraced and stated: “and furthermore, I will not drink,” he should have said that an oath does not take effect on another oath, it is different here since he said at the outset [in the first part of the Mishnah], “I will not eat.” And then afterwards stated, “I will not drink,” he has revealed his intention that the “eating” that he stated at the outset [at the beginning of the Mishnah] was only for eating [and not anything else].
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English Explanation of Mishnah Shevuot
Questions for Further Thought: • What might be other reasons behind Rabbi Akiva’s opinion? • What would be the ruling if someone swore not to eat and then drank but did not eat? Would he be liable to bring a sacrifice for having violated his oath?
