1)

(a)Our Mishnah states 'Poschin b'Yamim Tovim' uv'Shabbasos' - meaning that the Chacham will ask the Noder whether he would have declared the Neder forbidding Hana'ah on himself, if he had known that it is forbidden to cause oneself suffering on Yom Tov and Shabbos.

(b)The Yerushalmi learns from the Pasuk "k'Chol ha'Yotzei mi'Pichem Ya'aseh" - that a Neder only stands as long as all of it stands, but if part of it has been annulled, then the entire Neder is annulled ('Neder she'Hutar Miktzaso, Hutar Kulo').

(c)Initially, the Chachamim permitted only the Shabbasos and the Yamim-Tovim covered by the Neder, but not the other days. The Tana who came and taught them that once the Shabbasos and the Yamim Tovim are permitted, all the days are permitted - was Rebbi Akiva.

(d)That is the Din in a case where the Noder said 'Konam she'Eini Neheneh l'Kulchem'. But if he said 'Konam she'Eini Neheneh la'Zeh, v'la'Zeh v'la'Zeh', and then went on to revoke ...

1. ... the first one - they are all revoked (because the Tana speaks when the Noder explicitly said 'Zeh ka'Zeh, v'Zeh ka'Zeh', in which case, all the others are connected to the first one).

2. ... the last one - then only he is revoked, but not the others, because the others are all forbidden independently.

3. ... the middle one - the one that was after him is revoked together with him, but not the one that preceded him.

2)

(a)The Tana also teaches us that if the Noder declares 'Shevu'ah she'Eini Neheneh la'Zeh Korban v'la'Zeh Korban', and revokes one of them, the other one is not automatically revoked - because he only said 'Shevu'ah' once, which according to this Tana, renders it one Shevu'ah.

(b)If, after declaring 'Konam Yayin she'Eini To'em, she'Yayin Ra l'Me'ayim' he is told that smoked wine is good for the stomach, he subsequently becomes permitted to drink wine - without needing to have the Neder annulled, because he never meant to include smoked wine in the first place.

(c)He is therefore permitted to drink all wine - because, as we just learned 'Neder she'Hutar Miktzaso, Hutar Kulo'.

(d)Rebbi Meir issued a similar ruling with regard to onions (which the Noder forbade because they are bad for the heart) - with the exception of a Batzel Kofri, which is good for the heart.

3)

(a)Our Mishnah says that smoked wine is good for the stomach, and Kofri onions, for the heart, not because they need to be - but because that is what they are. The Tana means to tell us that even if they were not bad for the stomach or the heart, the Neder would fall away, and certainly when they are good.

(b)We just learned in our Mishnah that if the Noder declares 'Shevu'ah she'Eini Neheneh la'Zeh Korban, v'la'Zeh Korban', and revokes one of them, the other one is not automatically revoked. This is the opinion of Rebbi Shimon, who says 'Hayu Chamishah Tov'in Oso, v'Amar (Shevu'ah) Lo Lecha, Lo Lecha ... ' - he is only Chayav one 'Korban Shevu'ah (for denying a Pikadon), irrespective of whether he said 'Lo Lech, Lo Lecha ... ' or 'Lo Lecha, v'Lo Lecha'.

(c)According to the Rabanan - if he said 'Lo Lech, v'Lo Lecha', it is considered two Shevu'os, even if he only mentioned 'Shevu'ah' once.

4)

(a)The fact that our Mishnah is a Stam Mishnah is not sufficient reason to rule like Rebbi Shimon, because there is a also Stam Mishnah in Bava Metzi'a like the Rabanan. Nor does the fact that there is a second Stam Mishnah like Rebbi Shimon make any difference - because we have a principle stating that it makes no difference as to whether there is one Stam or two.

(b)The Halachah is like Rebbi Shimon, despite the fact that he is a minority opinion - because the Amora'im in Kidushin discuss his opinion at length.

5)

(a)When the Tana says 'Poschin l'Adam bi'Chevod Atzmo u'vi'Chevod Banav' - he is referring to the case of someone who is Madir his wife and who subsequently becomes obligated to divorce her. So the Chacham asks him - whether, if he had realized that people will accuse him of being a man who divorces his wives, and his daughters of being daughters of a divorcee, he would still have made the Neder.

(b)We have already discussed the case in our Mishnah of 'Konam she'Eini Nosei es Plonis Ke'urah v'Harei Hi Na'ah'. The other two similar cases cited by the Tana there are - 'Shechorah, v'Harei Hi Levanah' and 'Ketzarah, v'Harei Hi Aruchah'.

(c)When a man made a Neder not to marry his sister's (not too good-looking) daughter (which is a Mitzvah, as we learned recently) - Rebbi Yishmael took the girl and made her up until she looked beautiful; then he called her uncle and asked him whether, when he refused, he had this beautiful girl in mind. When the man replied in the negative, he annulled his Neder (even though it was a case of 'Nolad').

(d)This episode caused him to weep - to quote his own words: 'The Jewish girls are really very beautiful, and it is only poverty that makes them look ugly'.

6)

(a)When the Jewish women heard that Rebbi Yishmael (their champion) had died - they sang lamentations.

(b)Based on a Pasuk in Shmuel - they quoted Shaul ha'Melech in their dirges, because at his death too, the daughters of Israel were called upon to weep.

(c)The story of Rebbi Yishmael clashes with the previous statement in the Mishnah ('Konam she'Eini Nosei es Plonis Ke'urah, v'Harei Hi Na'ah ... Mutar Bah'). For the story to match the Halachah, we need to add - 'Rebbi Yishmael Omer, Afilu Ke'urah v'Na'asis Na'ah ... Mutar Bah'.

(d)The Halachah - is like the Chachamim ('Ein Poschin b'Nolad'), and not like Rebbi Yishmael.

7)

(a)To enhance that girl's beauty - Rebbi Yishmael exchanged an ugly false tooth that she had for a gold one (for which he paid out of his own pocket).

(b)The connection between the above episode and the eulogy which that eulogizer said for Rebbi Yishmael, quoting the same Pasuk as the women "B'nos Yisrael ... ha'Malbishchen Shani ... ha'Ma'aleh Adi Zahav" - lies in the fact that "Shani" is a play on the word 'Shen' (tooth) and "Adi Zahav", hints at the golden one with which he replaced it.

(c)When certain man made a Neder forbidding his wife Hana'ah from him unless she gave some food to Rebbi Yehudah and Rebbi Shimon ...

1. ... Rebbi Yehudah tasted some of her food - because, he argued, if (in the case of a Sotah) Hash-m allowed his Holy Name to be blotted out in order to make peace between a man and his wife, then he (R. Yehudah) could certainly make the effort to make peace between this couple.

2. ... Rebbi Shimon adamantly refused - so as to discourage the man from making Nedarim in future.

(d)In fact, he went so far as to place upon him a curse - that he should die and his children should become orphans (see Agados Maharsha).

8)

(a)That woman spat on Rebbi Yishmael's clothes - because her husband had forbidden her with a Neder to have Hana'ah from him unless she did spat on Rebbi Yishmael.

(b)Rav Acha mi'Difti thought that she had not fully complied with her husband's instructions - because he had said that she should spit on Rebbi Yishmael, not on his clothes.

(c)Rebbi Yishmael nevertheless considered the Neder as having been kept - because, due to Rebbi Yishmael's high standing, spitting on his clothes was sufficiently degrading.

9)

(a)When a certain man forbade Hana'ah on his wife unless she could show something nice about herself to Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi, it caused a big problem - because she was ugly in every respect: she had a round head, hair like strands of flax, round eyes, flappy ears, a fat nose, thick lips, a short neck, a fat stomach and fat legs.

(b)Even her name - 'Meluchleches' (which means dirty) was ugly.

(c)Rebbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi permitted her to benefit from her husband - on the basis of her name, which suited her very nicely indeed.

10)

(a)Language problems were not confined to the Tower of Bavel. When a man from Bavel married a woman from Eretz Yisrael, she prepared him ...

1. ... two lentils, when he asked her for two animal's feet ('Talfi) - because, in Eretz Yisrael, they did not use the word 'Talfi', so she thought that he wanted 'T'lafchi' which means 'lentils'.

2. ... a lot, when he asked for a little ('Giryu'a') - because 'Giryu'a' has both connotations, the former in Eretz Yisrael, and the latter, in Bavel.

(b)When he wanted two watermelons - she brought him two lamps (because he asked for "Trei Butzini", which is how Targum translates both words).

(c)She smashed them on the head of Bava ben Buta - because her husband told her to smash them on 'the top of 'Bava' (which is the Arama'ic for 'a gate').

(d)Bava ben Buta remained unperturbed however. He blessed her that, because she had so scrupulously obeyed the wishes of her husband, Hash-m would bless her with two sons (for the two lamps) of the caliber of Bava ben Buta.