There is a vow within a vow, but there is no oath within an oath. How so? If he said: "I shall be a Nazirite if I eat; I shall be a Nazirite if I eat," he is liable for each vow. (If he said:) "I swear I shall not eat; I swear I shall not eat," and he ate, he is liable only for one. [He becomes a Nazirite for thirty days if he said: "I shall be a Nazirite," unqualified. And he brings the Nazirite offering, and again becomes a Nazirite according to the number of times that he vowed. And with an oath, he is liable only for one, receiving stripes only once. But if he gains absolution for the first oath, the second stands. And, similarly, if he gains absolution for the second oath, the third stands; and he is not permitted to eat until he is absolved of all. For we did not learn: "It is one oath," but: "He is liable only for one."]
Bartenura on Mishnah Nedarim
חייב על כל אחת ואחת – and he will a Nazir for thirty days if he said, I am an undefined Nazir, nad he will bring the Nazirite sacrifice and return to be a Nazir according to the number of times that he said, “I will be a Nazir.” But regarding an oath, he is not liable other than for one [sacrifice,” for he is not flogged/whipped other than one set of stripes. But if he made a request to be released on the first oath, the second oath takes effect. And similarly, if he made a request to be released on the second [oath], the third takes effect. But he is is forbidden to eat until he all of them are not binding, because it does not teach in the Mishnah, “behold this is one oath,” but rather, “he is only liable for one count only.”
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nedarim
Introduction
This mishnah continues to draw distinctions between vows and oaths.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nedarim
There is a vow within a vow, but not an oath within an oath. This section teaches that there is an additional stringency in vows that does not exist for oaths. One can make two vows on the same thing but not two oaths. The mishnah will now explain how this can happen.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Nedarim
How is this so? If one declares, “Behold, I will be a nazir if I eat [this thing]”; “Behold, I will be a nazir if I eat [this thing]” and then he eats [it], he is liable for each and every one. “I swear that I will not eat [this thing]”, “I swear that I will not eat [this thing]” and then he eats [it], he is only liable for one oath. If a person said twice that he will be a nazir if he eats a certain thing, and then he eats that thing, he must be a nazir twice. Since an unspecified nazirite period is thirty days (we will learn more about this in the next tractate), this person must act as a nazir for sixty days. However, if he takes two oaths that he will not eat a certain thing, and then eats it, he is only liable for breaking one oath. If he breaks the oath intentionally he only receives one set of lashes, and if accidentally, he only brings one sacrifice.
