Chapter 30 pertains to Biblical oaths and vows. Abravanel questions the order or sequence: How does
the subject of festival sacrifices (chapters 28 and 29) lead to our chapter dealing with oaths and vows?
“And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes of the Children of Israel
saying. This is the thing which God has commanded. When a man vows
a vow to God or swears an oath to bind his sould with a bond, he shall
not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his
mouth.”
Before jumping to the answer, Abravanel offers a generalization, actually an axiom: Every single Torah
commandment—starting from its generality down to its most minute detail—had been received by
Moses at Sinai. The prophet, however, did not necessarily publicize it when he heard it. Release
depended on the right time and place. Discretion is, after all, the prerogative of every great leader and
strategist.
Bear in mind, that concerning oaths and vows, there is generally an escape clause or window whereby
the person uttering them can walk it back. How did that play out during the desert years? Abravanel
learns that Moses personally attended to nullifying vows on behalf of his brethren. He refused to
delegate to other national or tribal leaders.
Practically, it meant that when any of his co-religionists swore an oath and then later regretted it, they
immediately marched up to him. And Moses, in light of his total mastery (unmatched by any of his
peers) of the intricate subject, obligingly nullified the fellow’s oath or pledge. Moreover, he would
painstakingly review the issues involved in any given case. When he finished his analysis, the party
became enlightened.
At this juncture and to provide perspective, Abravanel takes a step back and examines a verse from the
previous Torah portion. “And God said to Moses. Scale this Mount Abarim. And you shall see the land
that I have given to the Children of Israel. And you shall see it and be gathered to your people.” Recall,
that this commandment to Moses to scale the mountain preceded the one whereby God told him about
the Jewish festivals’ sacrifices. In effect, he taught the people about sacrificial commandments which
would only become operational after his death.
And that dark day doggedly drew near and nearer. Since his end was nigh, Moses saw fit at present to
teach the tribal chieftains the intricacies of nullifying oaths and vows. While he lived, as stated, Moses
working alone attended to his brethren and nullified their oaths.
“And Moses spoke unto the heads of the tribes…” The thing is clear. It does not mean that he instructed
this commandment to the chieftains first and only afterwards to the people, as others ascribe. Rather,
he taught the commandment to the tribal heads in order that they would be able to tend to their
brethren. Practically speaking, the chiefs would take Moses’ place after he passed away, and thus
needed to study the ins and outs of releasing men and women from their solemn pledges.
In sum, we better understand the timing or placement of oaths and vows coming, as it does, on the
heels of the news that Moses was to ascend Mount Abarim, and shortly die there.
